As other reviewers have noted, John is friendly and eager for his guests to have a great stay. However, I think it is also important to have truth in advertising. We booked the suite and found that it is in poor condition. There is significant water damage on one wall, leaving a big moldy patch. The bed is worn and lumpy. The settee is tattered and really not meant to be sat on. The bathtub is cracked and the luxury toiletries consisted of a recycled plastic bottle with a handwritten “bath salts” label. The tv lounge is now dominated by a second bed that is on a low frame that rocks back and forth. I appreciate that John gave us a partial refunded when we opted to leave, and we met another couple that were happy repeat customers when we checked in. So my take away is to book here for the company, not the luxury.
We started our adventure here and John was the perfect host. He served up a wonderful breakfast accompanied by great conversation. Our room was clean and comfortable. We walked down to the marina and found lots of food and shopping. Great place to stay if you want to bypass stuffy hotel rooms.
The property is unique as a former family home then flats and now a B&B with the owner working to restore the building and furnishings to its original albeit faded splendour. Charming step back in time
Without a doubt the most charming and all-round best bed&breakfast experience I’ve ever had. Our hosts, John and Melaia, are wonderful people. They will go a long way and beyond to ensure you have a pleasant stay. I hope to come back some day.
A unique property with a kind and knowledgable host. We stayed one night in the Victorian Room. The room was beautifully decorated and I am sure all the pieces had lots of history to it that I wish we got to stay and learn about. It was a bit odd having a bathroom (toilet, sink, and shower) in the room itself with only a privacy screen to separate it from the rest of the room. It would be good if this was made a bit more apparent with photos on the website - especially for future guests who may not be comfortable with this layout. All in all, we had a comfortable stay during the short time we were there.
Beautiful historic house in the heart of Auckland. Our host was wonderful: friendly, good conversation, deep knowledge about Auckland, and makes truly fluffy scrambled eggs.
Our hosts at Braemar went truly above and beyond during our two-night stay as part of our honeymoon! John gave us the Victorian room, which was delightfully retro -- just as we wanted. He also got up super early (before 6am) just so that we could have some breakfast before our Hobbiton/Waitomo Caves tours. Our hosts were always incredibly gracious and a joy to get to know.
This was a delightful, authentic place to stay, with a delicious breakfast and personal attention from the owner. It is very centrally located and comfortable.
It’s a property that is 100 years old and maintained in a lovely authentic manner. Very friendly owner. Wonderful breakfast and others quests were equally lovely. Slept extremely well. Mattress was great.
The house has an old world charm with history dating back to the 1900s. The location, in a quiet residential neighbourhood is wonderful and within easy walking distance to sites, shopping and restaurants.
John is a charming host with lots of stories, history and sightseeing tips to share....plus he makes a fantastic breakfast which sets you up for your day of sightseeing. A bonus is the glass of wine when you return for happy hour.
I highly recommend the Braemar on Parliament if you are looking for local colour and the B & B experience in Auckland. We'll be back!
This property was terrible. It smelt damp and musty. The bed covers were very old and tatty,it looked like it hadn't been washed or replaced for 50 years. The property owner as nice as he was, seemed very used to people complaining about the room and when we said we couldn't sleep there the night and would have to find a new hotel he said this happens sometimes but you can't cancel and I will be talking the full amount from your credit card. I have stayed in better back packers. This is the worst hotel I've seen in a long time.
What an excellent location and amazing host. I would love to bring my future bride to be here in the near future. I loved the one on one time with with the owner and I love that he is passionate about preserving this property in the historic manner that it is. Highly suggested!