As our art director presses print on our quarterly magazine, the FQ team roll up their proverbial sleeves and set the sleepover in motion to coincide with the on-sale date of the new issue (no pressure!). For this season, we kept things cosy for our cohort of cherished friends. Unlike previous hotel stays, for our winter ‘Motherhood’ issue we wanted to embody the theme of nurture in all of its forms. Our guests were invited to spend a night at Auckland’s Hotel Fitzroy curated by Fable, an inner-city sanctuary in the heart of Ponsonby exclusively offering 10 luxurious bedrooms with a world-class breakfast in bed. But as you’ll soon find out in our behind-the-scenes wrap up below, the Friend’s of FQ had their work cut out for them before they could retreat to the comfort of their respective duvets for said breakfast…
Everything that happened on the FQ Winter Sleepover
3 – 4pm | Check-in
It was grey, cloudy day in Tāmaki Makaurau, but checking in to the old-world manor that is Hotel Fitzroy, curated by Fable offered a much-deserved mid-week pick-me-up. Inside the luxe bedrooms full of contemporary comforts and premium details, the fabled (no pun intended) FQ goody bags were a welcome treat on arrival. Featuring the Ninja Thirsti Travel Water Bottle, a pair of Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless headphones (because life’s too short for anything short of exceptional sound quality), a copy of the latest Fashion Quarterly magazine, and plenty of other treats we’ll unpack later, we had everything we needed to settle in and put our feet up. Admiring the lofty ceilings and statement windows of the villa, we couldn’t think of a better place to turn the pages in solitude. As the hours melted away, we unboxed our Shark SmoothStyle™ and swanned around our room with a professional-looking blowout, got dressed, and touched up our make-up.
5.30 – 6.45pm | Pre-dinner drinks
It wasn’t long before ‘me-time’ evolved into ‘we-time’ as we stepped out into the hallowed corridors for pre-dinner spritzes, whiskey sours (featuring the FQ logo stencilled in cinnamon on the top, cute touch) and whole lot of catching up in the foyer. Hotel Fitzroy brought out their famed hors d’oeuvres including cheese and chutney crackers, prawn skewers, and lamb blinis, whetting our appetite for the dinner that followed in Ponsonby.
7pm – 9.00pm | Dinner at Beau
Just a short few minutes up the road, we were dropped off on the footpaths of the bustling Three Lamps end of Ponsonby Road where the private dining room at Beau awaited. Pulling out all the stops on the decor front, there was a specially designed table cloth, menus and matching candles complete with custom illustrations by the talented Brogan Scott, bringing every little touchpoint to life. We were served a smattering of Beau’s signature dishes, including fresh sourdough and burrata, avocado ceviche, roast lamb rump and a decadent chocolate dessert to finish – all accompanied by superb wine pairings from Kumeu River. We could’ve waxed lyrical about their chardonnay all evening, but alas we digress. There was laughter, joy, rich conversation that spanned espresso flavoured lip gloss and flight facts to new puppies and new borns, leaving us feeling full in every positive way possible.
9.00 pm | Winding down
When we returned to Hotel Fitzroy, our rooms had been carefully turned down, with all manner of measures made to ensure we had a serene and comfortable night’s rest ahead of us. Rinsing away the magic, we had the Eau Thermale Avène range on hand which included the newly released Vitamin Cg Radiance serum and Hyaluron Activ B3 Expert Care Night Cream to leave us with soothed, nourished skin as we zeroed in on sleep. If this is how our skin feels after one session, it’s clear why French women have such incredible complexions.
6.45am – 7.30am | The perfect start
After a revitalising night’s slumber, our guests were up and off for an early morning class at SALA. Conveniently located around the corner from Hotel Fitzroy, we donned our Lorna Jane activewear sets, mats and drink bottles and set off with our new Blunt Umbrellas in hand to ward off any incoming drizzle (just in case).
7.45am – 8.45am | Morning movement
For the next hour, we turned our attention to nurturing our minds, bodies and souls as we were led through a gentle Vinyasa session with Gamo at SALA. Flowing between our downward dog and warrior poses, we left feeling calm and restored after last night’s festivities, heading back to the hotel with packs of SALA incense in hand. Before resuming the rest of the day, the attentive team at Hotel Fitzroy brought up trays of breakfast to our respective suites to enjoy in bed. Absolute bliss.
10.00am | Check-out
And just like that, it was time again to farewell another FQ sleepover before easing back in to regular programming.
A special thank you to our winter FQ Sleepover partners:
@fablehotelsandresorts @ninjakitchennz @sennheiser @avene @sala_akl @lornajaneactive @bluntumbrellas @kumeu_river @beauponsonby
Imagery: Amberley Colby.
