Saffire Resort, Tasmania, Australia
Mar 21, 2018, 5:55 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
May I add for the group, one of the most intriguing recommendations I can make for Australia is a Lunch booking at Brae, followed by a stay in one of their on-site suites. Fantastic meal, and an incredible stay. If I can get my act together I’ll post a comprehensive review.
Brae is currently my favourite restaurant in Victoria. Note that it is a long drive from Melbourne. You might be prepared to drive back the same afternoon after lunch there, but I certainly wouldn't recommend doing that after dinner.
Mar 22, 2018, 12:08 am
#32
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
As far as I know, the main tourist attractions in Tasmania are the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites = Port Arthur, the old penal colony which seems even more spectacular than the one at Norfolk Island; and the interior wilderness. The coastal scenery around Cape Raoul looks utterly incredible, like a vertical Giant's Causeway, and there is also the iconic Wineglass Bay, just north of Saffire.
A lot of Australians we've met over the years regard Tazzy as a bit like New Zealand - a few years behind the curve and wonderful if you rent a mobile home. Personally I'd rent a car at Hobart and do a driving tour. Saffire looks great for a night or two but lacks ready access to a beach, it doesn't seem to have a pool (?) and those dipping pools in the suites look singularly ugly and walled in.
A lot of Australians we've met over the years regard Tazzy as a bit like New Zealand - a few years behind the curve and wonderful if you rent a mobile home. Personally I'd rent a car at Hobart and do a driving tour. Saffire looks great for a night or two but lacks ready access to a beach, it doesn't seem to have a pool (?) and those dipping pools in the suites look singularly ugly and walled in.
Last edited by Pausanias; Mar 22, 2018 at 2:10 am
Mar 22, 2018, 7:52 am
#33
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
There is a small beach walking distance away from Saffire, but no pool. But, like in the rest of Tasmania, beach weather is only available for a very limited portion of the year. Personally I wouldn't plan a trip to Tasmania around beach access (and if it was part of a broader trip to Australia, there are plenty of other places in the country to find much better beach options).
Mar 22, 2018, 8:58 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
There is a small beach walking distance away from Saffire, but no pool. But, like in the rest of Tasmania, beach weather is only available for a very limited portion of the year. Personally I wouldn't plan a trip to Tasmania around beach access (and if it was part of a broader trip to Australia, there are plenty of other places in the country to find much better beach options).
As far as I know, the main tourist attractions in Tasmania are the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites = Port Arthur, the old penal colony which seems even more spectacular than the one at Norfolk Island; and the interior wilderness. The coastal scenery around Cape Raoul looks utterly incredible, like a vertical Giant's Causeway, and there is also the iconic Wineglass Bay, just north of Saffire.
A lot of Australians we've met over the years regard Tazzy as a bit like New Zealand - a few years behind the curve and wonderful if you rent a mobile home. Personally I'd rent a car at Hobart and do a driving tour. Saffire looks great for a night or two but lacks ready access to a beach, it doesn't seem to have a pool (?) and those dipping pools in the suites look singularly ugly and walled in.
A lot of Australians we've met over the years regard Tazzy as a bit like New Zealand - a few years behind the curve and wonderful if you rent a mobile home. Personally I'd rent a car at Hobart and do a driving tour. Saffire looks great for a night or two but lacks ready access to a beach, it doesn't seem to have a pool (?) and those dipping pools in the suites look singularly ugly and walled in.
Spectacular sunrise views of Frecinet National Park , did not manage the highly recommended walks there . Fire alerts on last visit closed the park . Besides it is too steep a hike & definitely not to be attempted in intense heat !
I can easily stay more than 3 nights to explore the area leisurely - Tassie pace .
Tassie is the backwoods for the Aussies especially the mainlanders who are now discovering how beautiful it is here - so getting more ‘ crowded ‘ & prices are going up ..
Posted about our stay , think on another Australia / Tasmania thread on this forum .
Last edited by FlyerEC; Mar 22, 2018 at 9:06 am
Mar 23, 2018, 12:56 am
#35
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 110
The beach at Saffire is actually quite nice and on the property. When I went it was too cold to swim, but we kayaked from the beach into the bay. Which is massive.
Then it's a quick 10-min drive over to the main park, which has plenty of hiking--and you can hike quite quickly to the gorgeous beach at Wineglass Bay. You can go on your own, or Saffire will take you. They do hikes out there every day. Then of course you can also do boat trips in Oyster Bay or all the way around to Wineglass Bay.
I thought there was plenty to do around the property.
Then it's a quick 10-min drive over to the main park, which has plenty of hiking--and you can hike quite quickly to the gorgeous beach at Wineglass Bay. You can go on your own, or Saffire will take you. They do hikes out there every day. Then of course you can also do boat trips in Oyster Bay or all the way around to Wineglass Bay.
I thought there was plenty to do around the property.
Dec 4, 2018, 3:38 pm
#36
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,745
This property is amazing, near perfect in every way. The hard product is gorgeous. The service is intuitive. Staff only know how to say yes. I highly recommend a stay.
We arrived just past the time to visit the Tasmanian Devils. They only feed the devils every second day. Instead of checking us in, they whisked us onto the tour. The first night at dinner, I asked about scallops. The second night, they had them off menu for my husband and me. I wanted a desk in the room so my husband could enjoy the amazing view while he got some work done. (The desk is built into cabinets so you face the wall.) It was delivered. We wanted a recipe for a delicious pumpkin salad. The chef wrote it out and another person is typing it to email us so that we won't lose it. This place hits it out of the park over and over and over and over. What amazes me is that the bulk of the staff is transient. We've met young people from Spain, Malaysia, USA, France, and more. Some have been here for as few as 2 weeks. Yet they have the service focus down pat. Kudos to Justin, the GM, and whomever works along side him.
We were only able to make a 2 night booking as the third night was booked months ago. We are sad to leave. That almost never happens on our travels. We are always ready to move onto the next adventure. Not here.
We arrived just past the time to visit the Tasmanian Devils. They only feed the devils every second day. Instead of checking us in, they whisked us onto the tour. The first night at dinner, I asked about scallops. The second night, they had them off menu for my husband and me. I wanted a desk in the room so my husband could enjoy the amazing view while he got some work done. (The desk is built into cabinets so you face the wall.) It was delivered. We wanted a recipe for a delicious pumpkin salad. The chef wrote it out and another person is typing it to email us so that we won't lose it. This place hits it out of the park over and over and over and over. What amazes me is that the bulk of the staff is transient. We've met young people from Spain, Malaysia, USA, France, and more. Some have been here for as few as 2 weeks. Yet they have the service focus down pat. Kudos to Justin, the GM, and whomever works along side him.
We were only able to make a 2 night booking as the third night was booked months ago. We are sad to leave. That almost never happens on our travels. We are always ready to move onto the next adventure. Not here.
Dec 4, 2018, 10:10 pm
#38
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MEL
Programs: QFF, AA, LM, EY
Posts: 762
This property is amazing, near perfect in every way. The hard product is gorgeous. The service is intuitive. Staff only know how to say yes. I highly recommend a stay.
We arrived just past the time to visit the Tasmanian Devils. They only feed the devils every second day. Instead of checking us in, they whisked us onto the tour. The first night at dinner, I asked about scallops. The second night, they had them off menu for my husband and me. I wanted a desk in the room so my husband could enjoy the amazing view while he got some work done. (The desk is built into cabinets so you face the wall.) It was delivered. We wanted a recipe for a delicious pumpkin salad. The chef wrote it out and another person is typing it to email us so that we won't lose it. This place hits it out of the park over and over and over and over. What amazes me is that the bulk of the staff is transient. We've met young people from Spain, Malaysia, USA, France, and more. Some have been here for as few as 2 weeks. Yet they have the service focus down pat. Kudos to Justin, the GM, and whomever works along side him.
We were only able to make a 2 night booking as the third night was booked months ago. We are sad to leave. That almost never happens on our travels. We are always ready to move onto the next adventure. Not here.
We arrived just past the time to visit the Tasmanian Devils. They only feed the devils every second day. Instead of checking us in, they whisked us onto the tour. The first night at dinner, I asked about scallops. The second night, they had them off menu for my husband and me. I wanted a desk in the room so my husband could enjoy the amazing view while he got some work done. (The desk is built into cabinets so you face the wall.) It was delivered. We wanted a recipe for a delicious pumpkin salad. The chef wrote it out and another person is typing it to email us so that we won't lose it. This place hits it out of the park over and over and over and over. What amazes me is that the bulk of the staff is transient. We've met young people from Spain, Malaysia, USA, France, and more. Some have been here for as few as 2 weeks. Yet they have the service focus down pat. Kudos to Justin, the GM, and whomever works along side him.
We were only able to make a 2 night booking as the third night was booked months ago. We are sad to leave. That almost never happens on our travels. We are always ready to move onto the next adventure. Not here.
May I ask which room type you stayed in ?
Dec 4, 2018, 11:54 pm
#39
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,745
Dec 5, 2018, 2:04 am
#40
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
Floor plans on the website:
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...ture464784.pdf
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...lione96e19.pdf
Dec 5, 2018, 1:01 pm
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
interesting re unobstructed view vs obstructed, dont recall that mentioned before
(6) 1448 > (10) 1654 > (4) 1930 USD
103pp fee for in-room chef
great report as always, justin has been GM since sep 2012
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Dec 5, 2018 at 1:39 pm
Dec 5, 2018, 1:32 pm
#42
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: Skymiles Plat/1MM, United Prem, Marriott Silver, HH Gold
Posts: 326
I was there in Oct 2017 in a private pavilion (which I highly recommend to any foodies since a chef will make you dinner and it was awesome). As others said, it’s in my top five places - service was amazing. The whole non-pretentious attitude in that part of the world is just what I like.
Dec 7, 2018, 5:11 am
#43
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MEL
Programs: QFF, AA, LM, EY
Posts: 762
The top-end suite (Private Pavilion) has a dining room and the benefit of the bedroom having unobstructed views into the landscape. It is actually one of those rarest of resorts, where I feel having the top-end suite was actually worth it. The plunge pool is beautifully warm, but I did comment to the GM that it being in an inner courtyard and being so small seemed a complete after thought - and it turns out it was.
Floor plans on the website:
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...ture464784.pdf
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...lione96e19.pdf
Floor plans on the website:
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...ture464784.pdf
http://www.saffire-freycinet.com.au/...lione96e19.pdf
Mar 14, 2019, 2:03 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MEL
Programs: QFF, AA, LM, EY
Posts: 762
Just got back from two nights in a private pavillion. This place is amazing. Service quite polished certainly for this part of this world though I must say I don't often stay at this level. In terms of hard product, service and food this place ticks all the boxes. Would not hesitate to recommend.
One of our delicious desserts
Living room
View from the patio/bedroom
View whilst having lunch in the main building
One of our delicious desserts
Living room
View from the patio/bedroom
View whilst having lunch in the main building
Dec 26, 2020, 8:15 pm
#45
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 842
Just booked here for four nights in November 2021 (my 40th); it's a lot of money but it seems to get fantastic reviews pretty much everywhere - but the opinions here on FlyerTalk have definitely helped as well!
Probably also going to do four nights in Macq01 afterwards (we were due to stay in Hobart this December but closure of borders to NSW due to COVID prevented that).
Probably also going to do four nights in Macq01 afterwards (we were due to stay in Hobart this December but closure of borders to NSW due to COVID prevented that).
