The hotel looks like a movieset. The wooden classic interior is filled with paintings and old photographs.
The rooms are vey basic but clean. Skip the depressing breakfast if included but check out one the nearby bakeries or cafes.
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The Grand is a love it or hate it Hotel. If you want a "Spick and Span" modern hotel with trendy decor and full on Facilities, the Grand is NOT for you ! BUT if you like History, Old world charm with Classic , Original fittings along with a Friendly, Welcoming Pub, at a Very reasonable cost. I can recommend the Grand.
Yes there are frayed carpets on the Incredible Mahogany entrance Staircase with dark brown walls but to me you cannot find this sort of Hotel anymore. Certainly not at the reasonable charges they charge.
My partner could not wait to have a lovely long soak in the Edwardian cast iron bath with telephone taps.
We both found the the room functional and the bed comfortable.
They just allow guests in their rooms have parties and can be loud as they can all night long even if it disturbs other guests in other rooms. Very bad experience with them. Poor management. No policies in place on how and where to report issues with other guests.
I'd lived in Whangarei for many years but had never stayed in The Grand Hotel until I moved away.
The room I stayed in was a single room with a single bed, ensuite, bar fridge & small TV. It was all I needed and it fit what I wanted - just somewhere to sleep.
The decor is all original from what I can tell with a beautiful staircase leading to the rooms, 50s brown everything and even the bed was old. It had a "time stood still" kind of feel. There was a microwave, toaster and ironing board out in the hallway which was odd but I never used them so it didn't phase me.
Perfect for business trips and cheap at $60 per night but would pay more elsewhere for family trips etc.
We stayed here for one night, and it was one night too many. We had to walk into the bar, where there was a full swing party going on loud drunk people everywhere. For two girls who had been traveling for three days and had no proper sleep it was incredibly overwhelming and intimidating. We had to stand at the bar for over 15 minutes as there was an “issue with the booking” (I had booked prior to arrival online) whilst people were leering and shouting and just in general being drunk. After having a bit of a rough time with the woman behind the bar I just wanted to get out of there. My friend reminded me it was one night only and we needed sleep. We had to walk back outside, around the corner and down the street to the hotel entrance. Had to lug our HUGE 15-20kg suitcases up the grand staircase as there were no lifts, fine for us but not doable for some others. Got to our room and it was a nightmare from hell. Our room was adjoined to someone else’s room, they were having sex plain and simple and we had to listen to that as well as the loud raucous singing and voices from downstairs all night. The bedrooms were FILTHY, the carpets old and collecting years of dirt and all sorts. The bathroom was shocking, I didn’t want to stand in the shower, or sit on the toilet. This was the worst place I have ever stayed and I’ve travelled a lot. This place SUCKS!!!
Colleague stayed in February - they billed my credit card and after 3 attempts still can't produce a receipt or copy receipt. Even after asking for a simple hand-written receipt. They appear to be friendly but clueless. Every time I phone they come up with some random justification for the amount, seemingly oblivious that all I want is a receipt! Very frustrating to the point where we will avoid the Grand Hotel for all future visits.
