Best of Wellington: A ROOM FOR THE NIGHT (OR MORE)

Ever since our first visit a little over two years ago, we here at Metro have been huge fans of Puffin, a hidden wine
bar down an unassuming corridor off Ghuznee St in Te Aro. We loved its selection of glass pours, its snack plates and, if we visited at the right time, the occasional pop-up dinner.

We’d been told from the get-go that Puffin was merely the first stage of what would soon be the development of a new boutique hotel from Sean Golding, who is also an owner of award-winning restaurant Shepherd and craft-beer bar Golding’s Free Dive and Concord (opening soon). But (understandably with everything that’s been going on lately) that hotel took a while to eventuate. Until now.

The Intrepid is an 18-room hotel for travellers looking for a unique experience, a “low-lux neighbourhood hotel right in the heart of Te Aro,” says Lissita Santana, The Intrepid’s guest services manager. Every room is unique, from the Persian rug to the artwork, so every time someone stays they’ll get a slightly different experience. “Our hotel rewards curiosity,” she says. “People should be prepared to be surprised … in a good way!”

And it’s a personal experience. There’s communal coffee and tea at all times and croissants from Leeds Street Bakery. There’s a shop where local retailers sell an artfully selected range of goods from vintage watches to records by local bands. Guests are given a handwritten card every night with tomorrow’s weather and a Pinky Bar for a late-night treat — a sly nod to the building’s origins as an office and warehouse space for Cadbury.

The goal, says Lissita Santana, is for guests to feel comfortable and at home, just in a really cool home; and to experience Te Aro — a place where Wellingtonians work and eat and drink — as the locals experience it. “All the best restaurants and cafes are a stone’s throw from the door,” says Santana. “A base for people to feel like a local and have access to the city.”