Accommodation
Ten days and ten nights in Tassie means we visited many motels during our stay. In total, we stayed at seven different locations which are listed below with a brief description including likes and dislikes, a star rating, and whether we'd recommend the place to others. In most of the towns we stayed there were many choices for accommodation. However, we were very hard-pressed to find availablities since we booked so late (see Planning page to read all about it), so, often times the place we ended up staying was our only choice. But this did not always mean that it was not a nice place, and a couple of these last-minute bookings are ones that we would happily recommend to others.
Leisure Inn: Penny Royal Hotel and Apartments
Location: 147 Paterson Street, Launceston
Type: Hotel and Apartments
Cost: $110 for Dec 25
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★★★
Description: This stone facade hotel is tucked away a nice corner of the Launceston CBD in such a way that you only need to walk a few blocks to be in the middle of the city while maintaining the quiet peacefulness of a suburban neighborhood in the immediate surrounds. The facility is nice; the building looks old but well-kept such that is has character rather than being decrepit. The room we were in was decorated in a mildly mideval theme with big chunky doors and black steel hanging light fixtures, but this was softened by the cushy, white-linened beds and matching, dark wood furniture. The room was clean and relatively spacious, the furniture and fixtures were in good condition, and the bathroom was adequate.
Amos House & Swansea Ocean Villas
Location: 3 Maria Street, Swansea
Type: Motel
Cost: $125 for Dec 26
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★☆☆
Description: This motel overlooks the bay enclosed by Freycinet National Park in the very tiny town of Swansea. Swansea is technically only about 15km from Coles Bay and Freycinet as the bird flies, but ends up being about a 45 minute circuitous drive since the roads aren't direct. This was the closest place we could find to Freycinet; we had originally wanted to stay closer to the park. But, this strange motel was all we could manage and it served the purpose. The room we had was very small (with an even tinier bathroom) but nicely decorated in an old lady sort of way. There were many oddities about this place, the most obvious being that the walls were as thin as paper and signs were plastered everywhere requesting all guests to keep quiet at the consideration of the rest of the guests. Very odd indeed. Fortunately, we were not present for a particularly noisy night, so we had no problems. But the comments book, which they oddly leave in the room for you to fill out and (if you're nosy) read previous entries, had more than one description of dissatisfied visitors due to the noise. I think they have some double story apartment-type rooms behind the main building, which may be nicer if you have a group, but overall I'd say this place was relatively mediocre.
Comfort Inn Port Arthur
Location: 29 Safety Cove Road, Port Arthur
Type: Motel
Cost: $116/night for Dec 27-28
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★☆☆
Description: This odd place at least has the feel of a converted army barracks, whether or not that's really the case. There are two rows of cinder block rooms with a very narrow carpark between them. There aren't a lot of rooms and they aren't really anything to write home about. They were clean and contained the necessities, so we didn't complain a whole lot. This is the only accommodation actually adjacent to the Port Arthur Historic Site (see Sights), connected by a gate which you can open with a special key obtained from reception. The on-site restaurant appeared nice enough but really serves nothing more than overpriced pub food that they try to make into something fancy. There isn't much in the area though (for food or accommodation), so you may in fact end up here even if you don't necessarily intend to.
Dover Beachside Tourist Park
Location: 27 Kent Beach Road, Dover
Type: Cabins, Powered and Unpowered Sites for Motor Home/Camping
Cost: $110/night for one bedroom Cabin w/ queen bed on Dec 29
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★★☆
Description: This Tourist Park is quite the diamond in the rough as far as I'm concerned. Dover is a tiny town where you cannot acquire food for purchase after the hour of about 8pm. Yep, all stores and all three of the restaurants are closed by then. Needless to say, you should come prepared. And even though we didn't, we were fortunate enough to meet these fine hosts at this location who were so kind in showing us around the park (Andrew even removes his shoes before stepping into the cabins), telling us of the limitations of the local cuisine, and, best of all, letting me nuzzle their two cute doggies (who they even love enough to feature on their website, I love these people already). The cabin was very, very nice: all hardwood floors, full kitchen, couch, tv, queen bed, and heater (thank goodness). The trailer park surrounding our little nugget of solitude didn't seem quite as nice, but that may have been due to the volume of unruly children wandering, biking, and skateboarding around. If you like a quiet place by the beach and away from the city, this is the place for you. And if you're just stopping though, like we were, I'd recommend it anyway since the hosts are excellent and the cabins are highly satisfactory.
Leisure Inn: Hobart Macquarie
Location: 167 Macquarie Street, Hobart
Type: Hotel
Cost: $160/night Dec 30
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★☆☆
Description: This odd hotel was by far the biggest rip-off of our trip. You may notice that this is the same chain as the hotel we stayed at in Launceston: Leisure Inn. Thus, this hotel had the same furniture and bedding themes as the Launceston hotel, which were nothing to complain about. The hotel itself is situated right smack in the center of the CBD, hence the price (and we did have a nice view). The room we got for $160 was a teeny tiny space (don't be fooled by the nice pic below, I made it into a panoramic) with two twin beds, a cramped bathroom and pretty much nothing else (nothing else would fit). The only upside of the room was the flat screen tv, but the remote was so ridiculously unintuitive and uncooperative, it was almost not worth the effort. The hotel itself was an odd mix between high class and under construction: the lobby and general amenities were nice, but the lift was a rickety antique that was, quite frankly, terrifying; the motion sensored hallway lights were not quite sensitive enough; and the room itself had lots of scuffs and generally could have used a paint job. Plus, the window in our room was not sealed properly and let in cold air and a whistle all night long. It was sort of like they remodeled this very old building about 90% of the way to make it into a nice hotel, but then just said "to heck with it" for the last 10%. Certainly not a bad place in total, and maybe other rooms are nicer, but not nearly nice enough for the price in my opinion. A little bit more work would go a long way here.
Willow Court Motel
Location: 15 George Street, New Norfolk
Type: Motel & Backpackers
Cost: $100/night Dec 31
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★★☆
Description: This nice little motel is about 45 minutes outside Hobart. We were unable to find accommodation in Hobart proper for New Year's Eve, so had to resort to a longer drive than desirable after the fireworks. The great thing about this place was that the hosts, knowing that we were arriving late, arranged to meet us in Hobart on NYE to give us the key and code to the door to get in at 1am. All went smoothly, and they even left a little note on their chalkboard pointing us to our room upon our odd-hour arrival. Very nice. The facility itself was simple, clean and our room was spacious. We actually had a room with a queen bed and a bunk bed with an attached bathroom that may also double as a backpacker unit. It was very simply but adequately furnished and, if we had shared the cost with two other people, the price would have been excellent. No complaints here, great place just outside of Hobart.
Cosy Cabins: Strahan Backpackers
Location: 43 Harvey Street, Strahan
Type: Cabins & Backpackers (rustic)
Cost: $75/night Jan 1
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★☆☆
Description: This rustic park of cabins and backpackers is just a few miles from the west coast of Tassie in Strahan. We stayed in one of the cabins, and I have to say, I think it was a bit rustic for me. Our cabin was a tiny, decrepit hut with four walls and a tin roof. Thank heavens there was a heater and a working outlet so that we didn't freeze all night in our un-insulated shack. The sheets seemed clean and tidy enough, but the army-barrack-style sink, unfinished ceiling, and stained carpet left something to be desired. The bathrooms are in a separate unit about 100 feet away and include showers, toilets, and sinks, all of which seemed clean enough. There is a small communal kitchen and living space that we didn't really utilize. Basically, it's a no-frills backpackers where you get what you pay for.
Silver Ridge Retreat
Location: 46 Rysavy Road, (near) Sheffield
Type: Cottages
Cost: $60/night Jan 2-3
TasmaniaInTen Rating: ★★★★★
Description: We actually had an atypical experience at this lodge, since we stayed in their only "backpackers" unit. The rest of the cottages at this retreat are self contained separate units that appear to be spacious and nice, though we didn't get the change to actually go inside one. Our unit appeared to be a tiny shed converted to a bedroom by adding a rug and some bunk beds. Still, I found the room to be quite inviting and cosy, save the fact that there was no heating. I don't blame it on the facility, but I was miserable the entire first night that we stayed as it was the coldest night of our trip and I could not warm up enough to sleep. My partner, on the other hand, slept just fine in the next bunk over. All of the other units are heated, so this wouldn't have been a problem for any of the other guests. There is an indoor pool that is stark but fun (and warm enough to actually be used) and the kind host takes curious guests up the hill of this expansive property for a guided night walk. Just show up at reception around 10pm and he'll hand out the flashlights and walk you up the hill to see all the pademelons grazing in the fields. The final destination of this walk is a treehouse-shanty where the local possums know him and flock to be fed fresh apple each night. It's quite adorable. This location is peaceful, the grounds and surrounds are beautiful, the host is nice, and the price is right. If you're looking for a relaxing place in the middle of nowhere, here's your paradise.