I agree with TIMP stay in Hobart and drive to Huon Valley. The Tahune air walk is not to hard at all and is fantastic.

As for food I love Kelleys It does not have the great views but fantastic food and good service.

Richmond is a great little place to visit. You can go through a small jail and get that Port Arthur feel without the long drive! It�s also the home of Australia's oldest bridge. It amongst the wine trail and I would recommend a stop at Meadowbank they have some great wines and a fantastic restaurant.

Anyone stopped by Pooley's Wines, near the Coal river?

Whenever I see the wines mentioned, I wish to be there!

Thanks to TIMP and others for comments. I hope your keyboard now fixed TIMP and it you have additional comments please let me know. I greatly appreciate it.

Keyboard fixed... I really shouldnt do bead work on the same desk as my laptop!!
I cant really think of anything else to say, except if you have any questions ask!!!

I'm planing an OZ trip in late April and will be visiting Southern Ocean Lodge (which has its own thread) and Saffire Freycinet (which does NOT have a thread here). Although I don't have any specific questions, I thought I'd start a thread on Saffire so we may exchange ideas and solicit recommendations, etc.

Anyone who has visited there, can you share some of your experiences? In specific, information about getting there (Hobart vs. Launceston airports and their respective driving time to the lodge), what to pack, which activities you found interesting, offsite activities/places to visit, or in general, whatever you wish you knew before you set out for your trip would be very useful.

So far, I'm finding air connections between Southern Ocean lodge and Saffire Freycinet very frustrating. From KI one has to take a Rex flight to ADL, then to MEL and then to either LST or HBA. The connection times in ADL are such that you either end up with a very tight window (35 minutes in my case), or having to sit around in the airport for over 3 hours.

I will report back after returning.

I am moving this thread to the Oceania Forum.
Obscure2k
Moderator
Luxury Hotels

Haven't been to Saffire, but I have been to the Freycinet Peninsula, and I found it... underwhelming. I mean, the peninsula is nice enough, but not particularly different from approx 10,000 km of other coastline in Australia, and I get better and cheaper seafood at the Sydney Fish Market. Also, being Tasmania, no matter how pretty the beach, the water's too cold to swim unless you're a penguin.

Also, I'd think twice about spending $1800+/night on a hotel in Australia, even if I had that sort of money to throw around. High-end accommodation in Oz is generally poor value anyway, and a $150/night 5-star hotel in Southeast Asia will wipe the floor with a $800/night 5-star in Australia.

Two comments. When we went to Tasmania, most of the aussies said that it was the Ozark of Australia.

Couldn't agree more on avoiding supposedly high end resorts in Australia. Service levels and quality are very low by European or Asian standards. You will be disappointed. We stayed at several before we came to our senses and started traveling elsewhere for better value.

The Australian high-end resorts certainly aren't for everyone. For example every Oscar nominee gets a stay at El Questro (worth $12,000). Now is it worth $12,000 when some guests stay for free (never mind that it is Kate Blanchett next door)? Along with stunning scenery and generally decent food and wine (maybe better than you'll get at those great value SE Asian 5-star resorts). Saffire/SOL/etc. are definitely not mass market, priced to keep it that way, and one-of-a-kind in the world experiences. Highly cost effective for some, a waste of money for others.

As for the OP's desire for hints and tips, you won't get much that is useful on FT. I haven't stayed at Saffire yet, but love SOL, hate Qualia ... so shows you how fickle it can be. Chartering a plane is pretty cost-effective for SOL to Saffire transfers, fwiw. I've had good luck with http://www.flightoptions.com.au/corporate-jet-charter/

I find your post very interesting. Why would I want to subsidize some celebrity stay when they can more easily part with money than me? Why would I want them next to me knowing I'd be paying and getting a lower level of service. And why would should someone expect "decent" food and wine at a high end resort as opposed to something matching the one of a kind experience stunning scenery. To each his own but I'd want a lot more value out of my travel spend.

We have been to Australia more than a half a dozen times and enjoyed each time. We think we have a reasonable expectation and we are not disappointed. As to one of a kind experiences, our favorite Australian adventure was to Arkaroola in south Australia. We were flown from Adelaide by Doug Sprigg the son of a famous geologist who runs an eco resort. He is a real celebrity in that area. We got to see uranium and the night time activity was star gazing and looking through a telescope to see the rings of saturn. It was awesome and most people have never heard of it.

My wife and I have a 4 night reservation at Saffire in early may. Our travel agent is a "Premier Aussie and Kiwi Specialist" and recommends this resort very highly. Our research has also been very positive, especially on trip advisor. Many people have different perceptions of what is good value. It's like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We are very much looking forward to our stay there.

I will report back when I return to the states in late May.

I've been to Saffire twice so I guess I'm one of those who sees value in what it offers.

A couple of observations:

1. All the rooms are gorgeous. All have very nice views (generally partial water views across to the national park IIRC with coastal bush land in the foreground) but it is worth asking for one that is off to the right as you walk towards the rooms from the main building. I found these rooms had slightly less foot traffic past them and somehow felt more private, although it's hardly an issue with such a small number of guests and no day visitors allowed.

2. There is really no particular need to upgrade room category unless you particularly want a bath with a view. The entry level rooms are lovely, and extremely large.

3. There is a small spa - book ahead. I thought the treatments were very good there.

4. I drove in from Hobart. The drive takes about 2-3 hours depending on your preferred driving speed. I find the air connections to Hobart more convenient than to Launceston, but I gather the driving time is more or less the same from either. I don't think the OP will be able to improve on the flight connections except by chartering. One option is to break the journey for a night or two in Melbourne because otherwise it would be a long day of travel once you factor in the drive as well. Alternatively Hobart is enjoying a bit of a renaissance these days so could be worth a night's stopover.

5. There is a variety of activities on offer. Everyone seems to enjoy the oyster shucking - you are taken out to the oyster beds in waders, so the oysters are literally straight out of the water. We enjoyed mountain biking along the beach and short hikes in the national park. If you are interested in conservation, one of the reserves that has been set up to try to save the Tasmanian Devil is nearby. Various boat trips are also usually on offer. But if that all sounds too active, there are other more sedentary options like cocktail mixing or just lounging around!

Micara let me reemphasize trip advisor. My wife had looked at the pictures and showed them to me tonight. It looks spectacular.

Just stayed here for 2 nights recently as part of a honeymoon trip. If you can stomach the price, I can't recommend it highly enough.

SERVICE

Haven't done any of the other Aussie "luxury lodges" so can't say how it compares to its peers, but at least for Saffire I will take issue with the poster above saying that Aussies can't do European/Asian-level luxury service: I thought the service here was impeccable. It is true that it is very Australian in style, so more friendly than formal -- all first names -- but the attention to detail and personalization was just as good, if not better, than you might see anywhere else. Staff all knew who we were and offered their congratulations on our wedding, and had heard of the preferences and interests we provided in advance (which actually made me wish I'd put more thought into what I said, as seeing how they operated, I'm guessing they would have made an effort within reason to make sure any favorite foods were on the menu, for example).

The hotel also did an exceptional job of making everything effortless. When we arrived, we were greeted by name without even needing to introduce ourselves, whisked out of the car with glasses of sparkling wine, and given a brief tour of the highlights of the property, before being brought to our suite where our bags were already waiting as well as another bottle of sparkling. There was no need for a formal check-in process, neither at the front desk nor in the suite. When we left there was a brief check-out process but otherwise we left our bags in the suite and they were loaded in the car for us.


THE ROOMS

From looking at the property map, it appeared that there are 6 luxury suites, 10 signature suites, and 4 private pavilions. We booked a luxury suite and were upgraded to a signature suite (because we booked through Virtuoso and/or because of the honeymoon), which is not a huge difference though the bathroom upgrades are definitely nice to have. Given the relative room counts I suspect upgrades from luxury to signature are reasonably easy to come by if you book through Virtuoso, but then the property is small so the risk of a sell out is elevated.

Our suite was lovely. It was very large, and felt more spacious than some proper two-room suites I've had at city hotels despite being just one large room. The views are really spectacular and the rooms are set up perfectly to take advantage of it, with the bed and sofas both looking out at the view. (There is a TV, hidden away, awkwardly positioned for watching from the couch, and just about impossible to watch from the bed, but I can't imagine many people come to Saffire to watch TV.)

Toiletries are custom Saffire-branded and very nice.


THE FOOD

The food was consistently great and a highlight of the experience. I'm not sure how much more to say, really. We did a degustation menu with wine pairings for dinner the first night, and then a la carte with a single wine the second night. If anything I might protest that the portions on the degustation (and the pours on the wine pairing) were a bit too big -- we were stuffed and past tipsy by the end of the meal. But everything was fresh and exquisitely prepared.

Breakfast and lunch were less elaborate, but just as good. Breakfast in particular exceeded expectations with some relatively unique options that were notably better than standard hotel breakfast fare. Lunch was the least elaborate meal of the day, served in the lounge rather than the dining room and consisting of a buffet of prepared salads and a choice of two hot main courses, but everything was consistently delicious, and it was hard to get too hungry in between breakfast and dinner anyway.

I'm not an expert by any means but I thought the wines were also excellent, with a heavy emphasis on Tasmanian wines in the inclusive menu.


THE ACTIVITIES

We did a few of the offered activities, including the marine farm, the Wineglass Bay Lookout walk, archery, and the Tasmanian Devil experience. All were great. The staff were highly knowledgeable and friendly and could answer pretty much any question that guests presented. They also did an excellent job of being prepared for any eventuality, with sunscreen and bug spray always at the ready, and light jackets and other gear available for guest use as needed.

We also got massages at the spa, which were a bit of a mixed bag. My husband quite enjoyed his though I didn't love mine. We went for the relaxation massage and in retrospect I would have preferred something more like a deep tissue massage, which they don't explicitly offer but the remedial massage seems like it might have better fit the bill.

For anyone else staying at Saffire, I would definitely recommend reaching out to the hotel as soon as you book your stay to indicate interests for the activities: the schedule is generated entirely from guest requests, so as long as you give them sufficient notice they will certainly make sure your requested events happen. A schedule is also then published and if you have empty timeslots you can also request to add or change activities upon arrival.


OTHER

We booked through a Virtuoso agent (http://travelbykatie.com/ , highly recommended), and it's probably worth anyone else doing the same, as there don't seem to be many public discounts from the standard rates, so you might as well take advantage of the Virtuoso benefits. That said we did have to ask at check-out to get the $100 spa credit applied, though once we asked it was done immediately with no issue. And the noises from the property in advance suggested they perhaps did not intend to honor the 4pm late checkout. As it turned out the hotel was showing as full the night of our departure so I did not push the issue but I would not book depending on the late checkout.

Only complaints I might make are minor. One slight surprise was that the website gives an impression of the activities being private, whereas they were generally group affairs -- which is totally fine and a nice way to meet other guests, and I guess probably should have been obvious, but it was a bit of a surprise relative to what I had pictured in advance.

And they also might rethink the way the all-inclusive package is presented. There were a few minor things that were chargeable that I would not have expected: for example, I knew that there were premium bottles of wine available for purchase and that's fine, but was surprised to see that all non-wine beverages were listed with prices at dinner, even soft drinks (A$6 for a Coke). I suspect they don't actually charge if you order a soft drink with dinner, but especially if so it seemed a bit tacky to put it on the menu. Likewise cocktails are available at no added cost in the lounge before dinner, but are apparently chargeable if you take them at the dinner table, which seems silly. Especially because the minibar selection is included, and contains some fairly pricey options -- I saw the 200 mL bottle of local gin that was offered in the minibar on sale at a Tasmania-focused shop at the airport for A$50. (We didn't end up consuming much from the minibar since we had already had so much food and drink at dinner.)

I also do wonder how much full-price traffic they get: several other guests we met during our visit were travel agents and I suspect were staying on significantly discounted rates. I couldn't justify the price for just any trip, but for a honeymoon or other special occasion trip it was really quite delightful. Maybe we'll return for an anniversary someday.

NICKEL AND DIME "FOUR STAR" HOTEL

The location of this hotel is fantastic – a couple of blocks away from the information centre as well as where the hop on hop off bus commences. The views of the harbour are spectacular, once you reserve a harbour side superior room and the staff is friendly.

The location is also excellent as the airport shuttle bus drops you off beside the hotel. If you are 1 or 2 individuals travelling to Hobart, I would recommend taking the airport shuttle as it is $19 one way and $30 return. On the return, I took a cab from the hotel to the airport early morning and the cost was $50. However, Uber has arrived in Hobart and the price range was $30 - $40, so that is probably a better alternative.

I would like to now begin commenting on the “room for improvement” for this hotel:-
1) Even though I forgot my travel adaptor, 100% my fault, when I landed in Sydney and stayed at another four star hotel, travel adaptors were provided free of charge in the room. To my surprise, this hotel charges $15. Given that this chain is predominately situated in Australia and New Zealand, I highly doubt that this request occurs often and for a four star hotel, you could easily provide this request for free by including in the reservation notes that the person has a travel adapter. You inform the guest that the adapter is to be returned to the front desk upon check-out and if not returned there will be a $30 fee.

2) No complimentary bottles of water provided but you can purchase 1L bottles for $9. Wow – again, even at other 4 star and even 3 star hotels, you receive complimentary bottles of water. Luckily, in the elevator, I noticed alot of Woolworth bags, so googled it and walked there less than 10 minutes to purchase basic stuff such as bottled water and chilled it in the fridge.

3) Finally – your room is allotted free wifi of up to 400MB data per day. However, you can purchase 4GB of data for $23 and the rationale is that you can download Netflix etc. Again, you can allot 1GB of data, but the disparity of 3.6 GB is consistent with the horrible soft product offered by this hotel. After this hotel, I travelled to Cairns and everybody was allowed free wifi unlimited access to download their emails etc. lf you wanted to download movies, the cost to access this wifi was $14.
As such for these reasons, I indicate that this hotel doesn’t provide excellent 4 star hotel service and it’s sole reason is to nickle and dime its customers.

4) I saw many business people as well as tourists at this hotel, so I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the gym of such archaic machinery in quite awhile. Have low expectations if you intend to exercise there as you will be able to accomplish light workouts.

Based on my experience at this Grand Chancellor, I highly doubt that I would stay at another one. I noticed that the wifi situation is similar at the one in Melbourne, as I went to the lobby to verify if the same webpage with the limited wifi was uploaded to my phone, as the one in Hobart CBD,

I would choose an airbnb product over staying at the Grand Chancellor.