The Shakespeare Hotel & Brewery
by the TopOfHotel team
The Shakespeare is a 10-room heritage pub-hotel with real character — but recent reviews keep flagging cleanliness, so book it for the experience, not the polish.
The Shakespeare is a 10-room heritage pub-hotel with real character — but recent reviews keep flagging cleanliness, so book it for the experience, not the polish.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
All 10 rooms sit inside a historic heritage building, and they carry a classic, period character you won't find in a chain — stone walls, high ceilings and a distinctly old-Auckland atmosphere. Some guests love it, describing the place as charming and saying it feels like staying inside the city's history. That character is the real reason to come.
The honest caveat: recent reviews on Tripadvisor and Booking.com repeatedly raise cleanliness and upkeep, and a few use plainly critical language about room standards. The cleanliness rating sits clearly below the other hotels in this list. If a spotless room is your top priority, this is where the Shakespeare falls short — so go in with eyes open.
Food and amenities
The genuine draw here is Shakespeare's Pub & Brewery on the ground floor — one of the oldest gastropubs in Auckland, brewing several styles of craft beer on-site. Reviews praise the atmosphere and the beer, and for anyone into craft-beer culture it's a real bonus to have it one staircase away.
Beyond that, amenities are minimal: free Wi-Fi, but no pool, no gym and no separate restaurant. The central CBD address makes up for it — a wide range of cafes and restaurants sit within an easy walk, so you're never short of options for breakfast or dinner.
Location and getting there
This is the standout strength. 61 Albert Street is in the middle of the CBD: Sky Tower is about a 5-minute walk, with Queen Street, Aotea Square and Auckland Art Gallery all close. Viaduct Harbour's waterfront restaurants and bars are roughly 10-12 minutes on foot, and the Ferry Terminal for boats to Waiheke Island is around 12-15 minutes. Booking.com rates the location 8.7 from real guest reviews — and that score is earned.
From Auckland Airport, count on about 45-50 minutes by car or the SkyDrive bus into the city. One practical note: pub noise can carry up on Friday and Saturday nights, so the higher floors are the quieter pick.
Things to know before booking
Go in clear-eyed. The overall score is about 6.8/10 — the lowest in this list — and cleanliness is the recurring complaint in recent reviews, so read the latest ones first. The pub below means weekend nights can be loud on lower floors. And with only 10 rooms, it books out fast in high season, so reserve 3-4 weeks ahead and check the cancellation terms before you pay.
Our take
The Shakespeare suits the traveler who wants a local, authentic stay on a budget, loves craft-beer culture, and can accept that the rooms don't match the standard of the other hotels here — the appeal is the experience, not the luxury. If clean, modern rooms are non-negotiable, book a higher-ranked option instead. But if you want a stay with a story and a brewery downstairs, the Shakespeare delivers exactly that.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Genuine heritage character — stone walls, high ceilings and a period feel you simply don't get from a modern chain. Several guests describe it as charming and say it feels like staying inside Auckland's history.
- Shakespeare's Pub & Brewery sits on the ground floor — one of the oldest gastropubs in Auckland, brewing several styles of craft beer on-site. If you like beer culture, it's a major draw.
- The location is a real strength: 61 Albert Street is in the middle of the CBD, a 5-minute walk to Sky Tower with Queen Street, Aotea Square and Auckland Art Gallery all close. Booking.com scores the location 8.7 from real guest reviews.
- With only 10 rooms, it's small and personal rather than a faceless tower — a different kind of stay for travelers who want somewhere with a story.
- Budget-friendly for such a central address, starting around NZ$160 a night when comparable CBD rooms run far higher.
- The overall guest score is about 6.8/10 — lower than every other hotel in this Auckland list, and the cleanliness rating in particular trails the rest.
- Recent reviews on Tripadvisor and Booking.com are direct about cleanliness and room upkeep, with some calling it below standard. If spotless rooms matter most to you, this is the clear weak point.
- Noise from the pub downstairs can carry into rooms on Friday and Saturday nights; the higher floors are quieter, but light sleepers should ask when booking or avoid the weekend.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Shakespeare's, the ground-floor gastropub, is where locals come for craft beer in the evening — ask the staff whether a new batch has just been tapped before you head down.
- There are only 10 rooms, so book 3-4 weeks ahead in high season; it fills fast and cancellation terms are tight.
- If you want quiet, request the highest available floor and skip Friday and Saturday nights, when the pub below is busiest.