It’s a birthday weekend for the husband, so after working Saturday morning in the Howick Market selling my gorge leather handbags from Italy, I packed down (thanks to his help), headed home and after a quick bite of lunch, we packed a duffel bag and hit the road.
It’s a quick drive these days from Auckland, only an hour and a half, thanks to a lot of State Highway 1 being 110kph (ahem, did I say 110?) and pretty soon we were exiting to Cambridge.
Since the new road bypasses Cambridge these days, it’s been years since I’ve detoured through here, but it’s still as sweet as ever.
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The Clements Hotel is housed in the oldest commercial building in Cambridge, originally built in 1866. It’s had various incarnations, most recently the Masonic Hotel which was known for its icky sticky carpet and not a place where a lady might frequent.
Today, after a multi-million dollar nip and tuck over several years, she’s a fabulous boutique hotel with 29 elegant rooms and a back garden with olde worlde lawn games such as corn hole, petanque, and jenga – for those who don’t mind being watched by the rest of us sipping a Cosmopolitan in the late summer sun.
The minibar is complimentary for the first night, Rosie explained at reception as she offered a prosecco with Chambord and freeze-dried raspberries, which we agreed to with alacrity and took up to our room.
We were on the second floor, with a sumptuous superking-sized bed accessorised with green-gold velvet chairs and covered headboard. The huge bathroom has a big tub and an ever bigger walk-in shower, underlined by black and white marble tiles. Large bottles of Lalique lotion, soap, shampoo and conditioner stand ready for use.
The Clements retains some of its original century-old details like stained glass windows soaring above reception and rich native timber doors and trim, but with a thoughful and understated modern refit.
However that does include about eight LED neon lights that glow all night in the rooms and can be annoying when trying to get to sleep. I have a friend who travels with masking tape for such moments!
The ground floor is nearly all dining areas, along with the reception, a meeting room and a private dining room. The restaurant spills out onto the veranda where tables gather under bright yellow umbrellas, leading down to the aforementioned games on the grassy square.
But one of the hotel’s highlights, and which draws locals and guests alike, is the speakeasy downstairs in the basement. The decor smacks of Chicago or New York in the prohibition era, with an art deco pressed metal ceiling, and deep velvet curtains.
Accessed by stairs from the road front, or a lift inside, is 1866. This very cool speakeasy bar would nestle anywhere in the world.
But before we descended, we enjoyed a delicious dinner on the veranda. It was the busiest night so far in the new hotel’s life, we were told. I’m not surprised.
Word is getting out about the newest, flashest hotel in the region and I congratulaed the girl in the hen party sash who was heading to the speakeasy around happy hour.
A young family giving jenga a try, groups of friends throwing the corn sacks and several couples checked in while we sat in the afternoon. There were birthdays and anniversaries being celebrated at tables around the lawn.
The latter I decided when watching a couple that I declared to be a dairy farmer and his wife tucking into their meal. I was right! Well on the anniversary, we’re not sure of his vocation, but the plaid shirt and shorts make me think I’m not wrong.
We started dinner with another cocktail, this time French 75 for me and an Old Fashioned for him. Husband opted for the beef tartare which was flavoured with spices and served with an egg yolk and toasted bread.
I decided to wait for the main which was melt-in-the-mouth steak with peppercorn sauce and seasonal veges. He had venison Wellington, wrapped in pastry and also served with carrots and broccolini.
Lo and behold, there was just enough room for dessert so we shared the pannacotta with strawberries and lemon curd, and the dessert special which was banana and feijoa icecream on a stick coated in chocolate and served on chocolate dirt with coconut fluff. Super rich!
Then downstairs to 1866 to check out the after dinner vibe. It was busy, but we scored a great spot by the piano, where alas I could not convince my husband to open the lid and play. (Probably just as well, as he cannot).
The next morning was Sunday and the sun was out, so after breakfast in the tropical inspired dining room, we check out and went for a wander to the weekly market and a browse of the shops.
My stay was hosted by the Clements Hotel, but all these thoughts are my own. Visit Clements Hotel website for a good look around and to make a reservation.