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The Duke of Marlborough has been Refreshing Rascals and Reprobates since 1827 and holds New Zealand’s first liquor license. The Duke, as it is affectionately known is located on the waterfront in the picturesque village of Russell in the stunning Bay of Islands and is a great place to recharge the batteries, catch up with friends or simply enjoy the moment. With easy access to an exciting array of activities or sipping a glass of wine on our balcony there is plenty to see or do. There are three levels of accommodation our waterfront rooms with views across the water to Waitangi Treaty grounds and Paihia, bigger family rooms when you need extra space or our convenient standard rooms. All rooms have their own en-suites, Sky TV, wifi accessibility and tea and coffee making facilities. With an award winning chef and restaurant manager the restaurant at The Duke focuses on a menu packed with fresh seasonal Northland produce. The bar has an extensive list of New Zealand wines and beers – something for everyone to enjoy while watching the sunset.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Qualmark.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We arrived in Russell on Sunday & booked a table for that evening. We received a very warm welcome and we Thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The service, food & atmosphere was marvellous. The staff were brilliant. Very knowledgable & friendly not to mention efficient & cheerful. Such a pleasant experience all round. Thank you
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We revisited the Duke. You could never beat the location and the sense of history. However our stay was not quite as good as our last. If you book on phone or on line make sure that if you are travelling with others ask for rooms either adjacent or near each other. We were moved to another part of the hotel and when we tried the key, the lock was faulty. We were then moved up to where we were near our family members and all was well. As residents we had hoped at 3.30pm to be able to book in for dinner but they could only offer 8.15pm which we reluctantly took but too late for our digestion. Food was lovely however but desperately short of staff in the bar and restaurant. At this famous establishment more staff are definitely needed. We still enjoyed our stay but would not go back in peak season as they were struggling to cope with so many guests .
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Â Rooms over looking the bay are superb
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I'm told that the entire property has been renovated and it certainly shows with every area, including the rooms, freshly painted. The decor and artifacts are superb, befitting the history of the place. The bars evoke memories of faraway days. The food and wine list are superb. We enjoyed 3 courses, which we seldom normally do, with matching wine and excellent service from a very attentive waiter.
Our room was rather small but it was the last room available when I booked 4 months earlier. It was, however, spotlessly clean. From seeing other rooms, it would appear that most are much larger.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Ours was a small double room - try to get a larger room or, preferably, a balcony room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We came to the Duke for lunch. Took 20 mins before the waiter first came to our table to take a drinks order. A further 20 mins before we got water at the table. Ordered raw oysters, they were served at room temperature on a hot plate. We asked for cold oysters so they brought out another batch but still on a hot plate. The Hapuka crudo had no flavour at all, beef rump was cold, the burger was totally raw in the middle, chicken over cooked and calamari salad was less than desirable too. All round a bad experience. The Duke has gone downhill which is very disappointing as we have been here quite a few times before and have never had such a poor experience. We hope the Duke can sort things out as it’s a real shame
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DUKERUS, Owner at Duke of Marlborough Hotel
Responded Jan 13, 2020
Hi, thanks for taking the time to feedback and I’m sorry that your experience was not as you expected. We have had a busy and challenging Christmas period which has put pressure on our normal levels of service. This has meant there have been a small number of occasions where we have dropped the ball. A change of computer/ordering system which didn’t live up to expectations and some more challenging menu items resulted in us unable to sustain the quality of service we like to provide during the heavy numbers that we did over the period that you dined. We have taken significant steps to rectify these, including some additional staff training, refining our menu and a fix for our IT systems. We believe we are back to our previous levels of service and food. We have a lot of pride in what we do and have worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to provide a quality dining experience and are constantly challenging ourselves to make sure we provide this. Thanks for taking time to feedback and hope you will visit again. Thanks Jayne
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I had the pleasure of staying a night at the Duke of Marlborough with a friend in January. From check in to check out the whole experience was wonderful. The rooms are charmingly decorated and there was no noise, despite looking out onto the street front.
There was a hiccup with the beds not being split when we arrived, but the receptionist was very apologetic and fixed it within 10 minutes. We left our bags and enjoyed a G&T at the bar while we waited. The only other mention is that the car park is opposite the hotel across the street, and not adjacent to the hotel as you would expect, due to space constraints within Russell.
The hotel were accommodating with a room service option as my friend was feeling unwell, and the meal was impeccable. The tempura oysters were especially a treat.
The quality of service here is faultless and it's a stay I'll remember for a long time. I would highly recommend staying at the Duke.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for 2 nights while visiting the Bay of Islands, we had a small room but was fine for our needs, the bed was comfortable and the bathroom fully equipped. The reception staff were great and very helpful ,Breakfast was not included but we still ate here both mornings, coffee and tea was extra which is a bit of a pain, but we only had it the first morning and didnt bother on the second , just having juice. We ate here in the evenings and although not the cheapest the food was excellent , the restaurant was always busy and you really needed to book. The location of the hotel couldnt have been better , as well as being an historic building it is right on the sea front with lovely viewsout to sea.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I had lunch here the day before New Year's Eve. We were very excited about coming to eat as a special treat since my husband and I had enjoyed the restaurant two times before a couple of years ago. Granted, it was a very busy day. However, we were really disappointed in a few things. It is evident they have brought in quite a few young wait staff that are inexperienced and the restaurant has not trained them well in understanding much about the menu or the food itself. The wait time was extreme. We waited over an hour for our food and some of it was cold for half of our family. We waited for that entire hour for water for our table also. The table beside us had also been waiting a very long time for drinks they ordered. I have waited tables myself in the past (three summers in a row as a university student). I understand that things are busy during peak times but they have not properly trained their staff or kitchen to handle the amount of tables that they are allowing to sit down. Also, the food was good but not fabulous. Three in the family ordered the burgers and they were good but not great. Mine at home are better and are actually made by myself! My daughter and I ordered two different fish dishes. They were tasy and cooked well although I feel that the various types of tomatoes that come with the fish of the day as the only accompaniment is not quite enough for the price tag! Try Terra, a brand new restaurant in Paihia. My daughter and I were blown away by our food there. Similar price but amazing quality and service.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DUKERUS, Owner at Duke of Marlborough Hotel
Responded Jan 13, 2020
Hi, thanks for taking the time to feedback and I’m sorry that your experience was not as you expected. We have had a busy and challenging Christmas period which has put pressure on our normal levels of service. This has meant there have been a small number of occasions where we have dropped the ball. A change of computer/ordering system which didn’t live up to expectations and some more challenging menu items resulted in us unable to sustain the quality of service we like to provide during the heavy numbers that we did over the period that you dined. We have taken significant steps to rectify these, including some additional staff training, refining our menu and a fix for our IT systems. We believe we are back to our previous levels of service and food. We have a lot of pride in what we do and have worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to provide a quality dining experience and are constantly challenging ourselves to make sure we provide this. Thanks for taking time to feedback and hope you will visit again. Thanks Jayne
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We visited The Duke as some many people had recommended it to us, it’s a great setting right by the waters edge. Our entree was delicious we opted for The taste of Fish which was three types of fish, two of which were served ceviche style, one cooked - sumptuous. For our Main we picked the 1.2kg Slow Roasted Northland Lamb Shoulder (gf) (for 2 people) which sounded great and the meat was, but it was served with Cos lettuce leaves (only 2 each) which you were supposed to make wraps of the meat with using the Mahoe’’ Yoghurt / Mint / Sambal / Kimchi, not only did the flavours not mix but the meagre helping of the yogurt, mint and kimchi left you with an awful lot of meat to eat by its self. Maybe we just chose badly but if I were the chef I would rethink the accompaniments for the lamb it seemed just a wrong combination of flavours. We constantly had to ask for more water there was no bottle put on the table which would have solved the problem. The rest of the meal was good, nice wine and good cheese board.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It will be hard to add to the narrative for one of the country’s most iconic establishments but a brief attempt. We booked in for 2 nights in a Queen room that was spacious, comfortable, well appointed and clean. There was an adjacent roof top patio via French doors, very pleasant. I really enjoyed a decent arm chair!
The location is simply excellent, the weather was fine but a bit windy and chilly in the evening so I would love to be there on a balmy evening in high summer. We dined one night and it was very pleasant out on the veranda if a bit pricey, even in 2020. Drinks in the atmospheric bar on a couple of occasions. The staff were friendly and helpful.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience to be recommended. The area in general is suffering from a lack of overseas guests so local support is much appreciated. Recommend Pompallier House and the ferry trip over to Paihia. Also make the walk up Flagstaff Hill for an important slice of NZ history.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â Queen room upstairs worked for us.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for reasons more sentimental than economic. I suspect there is a premium paid for being here but it is a great site and a nice place. Our room was a reasonable size with, for once, a bathroom that had sufficient surfaces for stuff plus a hook or two. We were at the back and had a balcony that had a good arrangement where the wall between the balcony next door could be swung back and shared with friends there.
We ate one meal at the restaurant which was ok but not outstanding. Our parking was over the road which was a bit of a walk but short of digging an underground carpark it is as good as it can be. The staff were helpful.
We had a pleasant and enjoyable stay.
We had a pleasant stay
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sorry - can't help - we ate and drank there a couple of times - would have stayed but the place was booked out - very popular with wedding parties apparently
There are more places to choose from in the Russell area.
PRICE RANGE
₱4,962 - ₱6,501 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
duke of marlborough russell
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandNorthland RegionBay of IslandsRussell
NUMBER OF ROOMS
38
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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