Emma Clifton spends the night in the new budget Auckland CBD accommodation that’s high on style, low on price.
The saying ‘cheap and cheerful’ has been used in far too many advertising or editorial headlines for me to take it seriously, but it is the perfect way to sum up the new Lylo hotel in inner-city Auckland. It’s brightly coloured, full of personality, quirky rooms, quiet spots and socialising areas, but it’s also… incredibly reasonably priced.
If you’ve ever tried to stay in inner city Auckland for a night or two, you’ll know that your options are either a) depressing hostel where you will be woken up five times a night by drunk Brits, or b) extremely beautiful and fancy hotel that will cost you minimum $350 a night.
But what about a middle option, for those of us who MUST HAVE SILENCE and our own room, but also don’t want to break the bank? Enter Lylo, the new budget Auckland CBD accommodation that has all the trimmings of a fancy hotel, without the eye-watering bill.
You can stay in hostel-style rooms for as little as $41 a night, and instead of the scary 80’s bunk beds, you’ve got sleek single pods to sleep in. Plus, if you’ve got a group, you can rent out an entire pod room from $186 all up a night (which is quite a great adult sleepover option???).
Because I am old and extremely grouchy pregnant, I picked a queen ensuite private room for my husband and I and it had a queen bed, city view and private bathroom, for the far more reasonable price of $116 a night (this is an insane price for an inner city room, and size wise, it was about double the size of similar CBD rooms I’ve stayed in in cities like Japan and New York).
There are also a bunch of shared rooms, whether you’re looking for a quiet zone to read or a work environment to embrace your digital nomad. Also, I really expected the hotel to be purely filled with bright young things, where I would feel every inch of my 37 years, but there was an equal split between youths and families, due to the good prices, I assume. (Pod room with a family could be pretty great?) Plus, there’s an onsite restaurant – Miss Lucy’s – and also shared cooking facilities if you’re staying more long-term and looking to self-cater, and if you want to go out, you’re literally on the door-step of all the CBD options.
Most importantly, for someone who used to live in the CBD and solely survived with ear plugs and a white noise machine to block out the drunk yelling, it was completely silent at night. There are Lylo options opening up later on in Christchurch and Queenstown, which will add a great price point option for people/families looking to travel more cheaply.
Capsule was hosted by Lylo – however their opinions are entirely their own.
