We visit SO/Auckland to uncover the city's hippest boutique hotel.
Booking the right place to remain when planning a getaway could possibly be the distinction between yet another weekend or perhaps an unforgettable experience. Ultimately, those days are gone in which a hotel only agreed to be a spot to relax your head. While a snug bed is actually high up on the checklist, if you’re at all like me you need to stay somewhere using a reason for a positive change – an enviable location, a great spa, and fabulous bar and restaurant to enjoy a tipple and bite to eat.
SO/ Auckland might be a newcomer to Auckland’s hotel scene – the doors officially opened after 2022 – but it’s already scooped up a number of impressive accolades including the best luxury boutique hotel in Auckland in the World Luxury Hotel Awards. And it’s not necessarily hard to understand why.
From as soon as you step inside SO/ Auckland, you understand you’re in for a treat as you’re immediately transported into SO’s whimsical world. Head-turning pieces from acclaimed Dutch designer Marcel Wander’s eccentric Moooi brand, such as the magnificent mega chandelier, certainly are a clue that you’re not set for your run-of-the-mill hotel experience.
Fashion is within SO’s DNA – teaming track of the kind of Christian Lacroix in Bangkok and Karl Lagerfeld in Singapore – and within Auckland, SO/ turned to home-grown fashion brand WORLD to assist bring the boutique hotel alive. Keep your eyes out for unique WORLD touches such as the fashion-forward WORLD uniforms that SO/ staff are in.
Check-in is simple and within a short while, we’re headed up to our SO COMFY suite on the top floor. SO’s spacious rooms are all attired with the kind of bathtub that you simply want fitness center ours also ends up having expansive views in the city. After briefly testing out the super-comfy bed and eyeing in the bathtub, we’re lured to make the most of the room, but a scheduled appointment downstairs at SO/ SPA beckons.
TIME TO UNWIND
Unwinding is definitely surface of my to-do list when I’m on a brief sojourn and there’s no quicker method to switch into relaxation mode than the usual pampering spa treatment. Naturally, a visit to SO/ SPA may be the first stop on our agenda.
A 60-minute facial or massage treatment solutions are contained in SO/ Auckland’s indulgent Fashion Package however the Relax, Take It Easy massage seems like a great way to depart the functional day behind. Our masseuse’s make use of a bespoke mixture of organic essential oils to massage away tension and stress utilizing their magical hands.
60 minutes of pampering flies by and people hunched-up desk shoulders now seem like anything of history. After our treatment, we’re eased back into reality within the spa’s relaxation room where we rehydrate on chamomile and hibiscus tea.
SO/ SPA sits alongside the hotel’s wellness complex having a well-kitted-out gym, sauna, steam room and pool. We’ve got a dinner reservation to make, in order tempting as SO’s indoor pool is, we pop it around the must-do list for the next stay.
DINING IN STYLE
While there's an array of hip dining spots just a short stroll from SO/ Auckland, Harbour Society – on the 15th floor – is really a must-dine. Harbour Society isn't any ordinary hotel dining understanding of acclaimed French chef Marc de Passorio, former who owns Michelin-starred restaurant, L’Esprit de la Violette, in the helm.
We’re seated at among the best tables in your home meaning enjoying sweeping views in the Hauraki Gulf once we dine on what’s arguably the very best cuisine Auckland has to offer. The Harbour Society menu is chocka with mouth-watering options however the ma^itre d’ points us in the direction of chef de Passorio’s signature dishes.
First up could be the Instagram-worthy Crayfish 'Millésime 2022' with Scapegrace Goldilocks gin, Chantilly of lemon and pepper, beurre noisette with vanilla. The exquisite, melt-in-your-mouth crayfish is perfectly combined with a glass of Hans Herzog 2022 Chardonnay. For the main course, we elect on another of chef de Passorio’s specialities: Duck breast poached in milk, organic Waiheke Island bush honey and ravioli of untamed mushrooms.
It’s impossible to say no to dessert each time a Michelin-starred chef is looking the shots with the cooking. My mum, the confessed chocoholic, chooses the Valrhona Guanaja 70% chocolate with yuzu, salted lemon marmalade, praline and chouchou, as i decide to use Chef Elke's Pavlova with Earl Grey flavoured apple purée and cereal crumble.
Not only is everything at Harbour Society an entire treat for that tastebuds, nevertheless the team in the kitchen area also seem to use SO’s avant-garde aesthetic. Each dish is beautifully plated, ready to be snapped and shared on social media if you’re this way inclined.
A nightcap up at HI-SO – Auckland’s only rooftop bar – is a fantastic way to end an enchanting evening. It’s easy to understand why HI-SO has become the place to be for locals and people to Auckland. The hip spot not only offers a range of signature cocktails it includes some of the best views in Auckland. It’s a perfect destination to spend a balmy summer’s evening out around the balcony with a cocktail at hand.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
It wouldn’t be a stay at SO/ Auckland without waking up the next morning and aiming to see the very best shopping spots the Auckland provides. Most of New Zealand’s most sought-after fashion brands – like the likes of WORLD, Kate Sylvester, Karen Walker and Trelise Cooper – are available just footsteps away in Britomart. Our best home-grown fashion labels are in good company with New Zealand’s only Tiffany & Co. and Chanel Beauty boutique nearby.
SO/ Auckland’s indulgent Fashion Package has been produced with fashion lovers in your head which means there’s a chauffered food shopping included. You’ll get zipped around to any or all the city’s must-visit shopping spots in fashion – aka SO/ Auckland’s Bentley or luxury corporate.
THE VERDICT: SO/ Auckland is a lot more than just a spot to rest your face if you find yourself in Auckland City. And also the real great thing about SO/ Auckland is the fact that despite the fact that Auckland’s best dining and fashion destinations are right on SO’s doorstep, you’ll find everything you need to have an unforgettable getaway within SO’s walls. Experiencing a spa treatment, fine dining at Harbour Society and a cocktail or two at HI-SO is the perfect way to obtain acquainted with everything SO/ Auckland provides.
Being nestled in the middle of downtown Auckland, you couldn’t request a better possie from which to explore the bustling CBD and also you don’t need to be an out-of-Aucklander to relish SO’s offerings and prime location. If you’re hunting for a one-of-a-kind getaway to see your mum, sister, best friend or even the fashionista in your lifetime, the new SO FASHION package is surely an unforgettable experience.
The details:
The SO FASHION package has:
– a two-night remain in a SO COMFY Room
– Buffet breakfast
– 60-minute Spa Facial or Massage Treatment
– Three-course So excellent Dinner
– Bentley car gets popular destinations
Click here to book your own escape to SO/Auckland.
