The hotel

The Clements Hotel, Cambridge, New Zealand

Check-in

We arrive at the newly opened Clements Hotel via a walled garden where diners quaff wine beneath sunny yellow umbrellas. Cameron Kellow, the general manager (hailing from Scotland’s grand Scone Palace), welcomes us. We’re handed a complimentary glass of Clements Royale champagne and shown to our room.

The look

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Named after Archibald Clements who built the original 1866 beaux-arts Masonic Hotel on the site, the Clements opened in October last year following a painstaking and expensive transformation (rumoured to be in the multimillions). Clements was Cambridge’s third mayor and one of the pioneers and founders of the township which has a genteel English feel and is known for its horse studs and antiques.

After the original building burnt down in 1911, it was resurrected by renowned architect John Currie who gave it its impressive beaux-arts facade, stained-glass windows and sweeping timber staircase. Inspired by London’s prestigious Claridge’s, the restoration leans into the building’s art deco heritage while marrying it with contemporary elegance. During the 10-year transformation, a local farmer sold the hotel’s original decorative columns back to the owners after they were stolen in the 1990s.

The room

There are 29 rooms and suites across three floors designed in classic style with complimentary mini bars (first night only), clothes steamer and Manuka Dreams sleep mist. Contemporary attic-level rooms offer street views while restored Edwardian rooms feature soaring ceilings. Our spacious executive room offers a king-size bed and porcelain-tiled bathroom with a freestanding tub positioned invitingly beneath a skylight. Plush furniture, Frette linen and curved velvet bedheads lend a luxe feel. The Clements Suite with its coveted 30-square-metre terrace is the pick. Former century-old horse stables to the rear, meanwhile, have been converted into three interconnecting rooms offering a luxe cottage aesthetic.

Food + drink

Anchoring the hotel is the Gallery Restaurant where exposed brick walls, high beamed ceiling and a wall of bi-fold doors open onto the terrace, lawn and garden. Comfy banquet seating encourages diners to linger over superb a la carte breakfasts. A basic poached egg on sourdough dish is elevated by fresh herbs and greens picked straight from the garden. While also featuring local Waikato produce, the dinner menu sadly doesn’t hit the mark (yet).

The charming corner bar spilling out onto Duke Street is popular with locals and guests alike, morphing from morning coffee and pastries to evening aperitifs. The coffee’s fine but arguably Cambridge’s best is found nearby at Daydream Espresso.

Downstairs, the original 150-year-old basement is now “1866”, a speakeasy bar. The bar is currently only open three nights a week, so I miss the chance of a martini in the dimly lit space inspired by Chicago’s Prohibition-era haunts.

Out + about

Take a heart-pumping ride along the mighty Waikato River in a 450hp V8 jet boat traversing the narrow Cambridge gorge, punctuated by squeal-inducing 360-degree spins. Owner and guide Aaron Crossan points out gushing waterfalls, native bush, wildlife, fish and rapids (see camjet.co.nz).

Tackle all or part of the picturesque 60-kilometre Te Awa River Trail on a self-guided e-bike tour. Start with lunch at the bucolic Punnet Eatery located in a former strawberry farm, cycle through rolling farmland and native bush and skirt the riverbank on your return to the town’s velodrome (see riversideadventures.co.nz).

Dine on antipasti through secondi to dolce at the much-loved trattoria Alpino, housed in a century-old post office, known for hearty pastas, wood-fire pizzas and its warm and welcoming atmosphere (alpino.co.nz).

Enjoy gin, vodka and limoncello tastings at the Cambridge Distillery, located directly behind the Clements Hotel (thecambridgedistillery.co.nz).

The verdict

An elegant, classy stay with warm Kiwi hospitality.

Essentials

Fly to Hamilton Airport, 90 minutes south of Auckland on new direct Jetstar (jetstar.com) flights four times weekly from Sydney. Cambridge is a 15-minute drive from the airport.

From $250 a night. The property has two accessible rooms. 68 Duke Street, Cambridge, New Zealand. Phone: +64 7 974 9050. See clements.co.nz

Our rating out of five

★★★★

HighlightG&T’s in the bar made from the hotel’s own gin crafted by the Cambridge Distillery Co using an 1860s Irish recipe.

LowlightDinner was lacklustre, but given the hotel was newly opened we put it down to teething issues.

The writer stayed as a guest of the Clements Hotel and Waikato Tourism. See waikatonz.com