DoubleTree By Hilton Auckland Karaka
A garden pool retreat near Mount Smart Stadium
About this hotel
Karaka sits south of the city centre, and this property leans into that with a garden setting, an outdoor fireplace and a year-round outdoor pool that feels more like a countryside retreat than a CBD hotel. Family rooms, a fitness room and free on-site parking cover the practical side, and the restaurant serves lunch and dinner with buffet, continental, gluten-free and Asian breakfast options. Mount Smart Stadium and Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World both sit within easy reach for a family day out, and Auckland Botanic Gardens is 13 kilometres away. The War Memorial Museum, at 30 kilometres, marks this as more of a south Auckland base than a CBD one.
- Garden pool setting
- Near Mount Smart Stadium
- Family rooms
- Outdoor fireplace
Our take
DoubleTree by Hilton Auckland Karaka is the quieter, garden-set base I would choose for a family trip on the southern side of the city. The outdoor pool is open all year, and the garden and outdoor fireplace give evenings a relaxed, resort-style feel that many hotels in the area skip. Karaka sits well south of the centre, about 13 km from the Auckland Botanic Gardens, so anyone wanting to walk to the Sky Tower should stay in the CBD. A 9.2 score from 1,444 reviews is excellent.
- Check the Mount Smart Stadium event calendar before booking around a fixture, the venue is a short drive away
- Plan a Kelly Tarlton's morning for younger kids, it pairs well with an afternoon by the outdoor pool
- Use the outdoor fireplace area in the evening, it's a rare touch for a hotel this size
Why we love it
- A year-round outdoor pool
- An outdoor fireplace and garden setting
- Near Mount Smart Stadium
- Close to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World
Why guests love itFamilies travelling for a Mount Smart Stadium event or a Kelly Tarlton's visit tend to base themselves here for the year-round pool and the garden setting, treating an afternoon by the water as its own activity rather than downtime between sightseeing. The outdoor fireplace becomes the default evening spot once the kids are settled after a full day out. The garden setting and outdoor fireplace give the stay a resort-adjacent feel rare for this part of the city.