The Islington Hotel
Hip Regency guesthouse
Herb-scented ridge-top gardens
A grand old Regency house with a sophisticated glass, marble and sandstone facelift, The Islington Hotel sits genteely above Tasmania's capital Hobart with views of Mount Wellington. With a gorgeous garden and more art and artefacts – Asian and contemporary Australian – than you can shake a Sotheby’s catalogue at, it’s a small luxury hotel with the feel of an expansive but intimate private home.
Facilities
Rooms
11, including five rooms in the original 1847 house and six garden rooms in the modern extension.
Checkout
10am. Earliest check-in, 2pm, but both are flexible subject to availability.
More Details
Standard rate includes Continental breakfast and minibar soft drinks. Award-winning, cooked-to-order breakfast is at an additional cost of AU$33 a day, this can be arranged at the hotel.
Also
Poke around in the writing desk in your room and you should find a great guided Rivulet walk – with obligatory stop at local gourmet deli and cafe, Raw – ready to slip round your neck and under your Barber. If you fancy less exertion, beauty and massage treatments can be ordered in your room.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Library, music room, outdoor pavilion with open fire and barbecue, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: iPad, flatscreen TV, in-house movie and cable channels, DVD/CD player with library, iPod dock, minibar, Basic Earth Botanicals and Beauty & the Bees toiletries.
Our Favourite Rooms
Tucked away at the back of the new extension, smart and simple ground-floor Garden Rooms 6 and 7 have the best views, but stay in the old house to feel cocooned and connected – Regency Room 3, the Wellington Room, named after the mountain it overlooks, is generous, elegant and airy. The Attic Room is small and tastefully cluttered with views through its original casement window to the conservatory.
Packing Tips
Patterned pashminas for elegant dinners, reading glasses for close-up ogling of the fabulous art collection.
Also
Spend some languid downtime in the Andrew Pfeiffer-designed gardens, shaded by the 100-year-old willow.
Children
This is more of a couple’s retreat – no under-16s allowed.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Nab the corner table overlooking the reflective infinity pond with its ghost-white Murano glass stalagmites, or ask for a private dinner at the grand colonial table in the library.
Dress Code
Understated but well-pressed and designer.
Hotel Restaurant
The main dining area and fireside snug are housed in a two-storey sandstone conservatory with a chequered black-and-white marble floor and huge, fern-filled urns. The Islington’s talented chef cooks up a delicate but flavour-packed storm, with a mix of Mod Oz and European influences. Local, seasonal produce reigns – Cressy lamb, Highland wild rabbit and fresh-from-the-water fish and oysters – to be paired with a selection of superbly swillable wines.
Hotel Bar
An extensive honour bar, featuring all-Tasmanian wines, beers and local gin, whiskey and vodka, is available for guests whenever they fancy a tipple. The Asian-themed and darkly lush rose-hued drawing room is a soothing place for a late-night glass of tawny port, or house-speciality martini.
Last Orders
Dinner is served daily from 6.30pm till 9.30pm
Room Service
You can order dishes from the main menu to enjoy in your room during breakfast and dinner hours, and light snacks such as cheeses and soups are available at other times. Picnics can be arranged in summer.
Planes
Hobart International Airport (www.hobartairpt.com.au) is a 30 minute drive from the hotel. Despite the name there are no international flights into Hobart International Airport but most major Australian mainland cities have regular flights to Tasmania. Check out Qantas (www.qantas.com.au; 13 13 13), Jetstar (www.jetstar.com; 131 538), Virgin Australia (www.virginaustralia.com; 13 67 89), and Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com.au; 13 24 76) for flights.
Automobiles
You can take a taxi or hire a car from one of the major car rental companies at the airport. It’s a 30-minute drive though the city to the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
On a Saturday morning, take a five-minute cab ride to Salamanca Place for the 300-stall-strong weekly market – it sells everything from baked potatoes to bold ceramics. Feeling thirsty? Tasmania is in the throes of an alcoholic rennaissance and from Hobart you're in good sampling territory. Coal Valley, part of the Southern Wine Route, is within easy reach and will satisfy any grape-based cravings, and there are plenty of grain-based options in the city: Hobart Brewing Company for craft beer; Lark Distillery or Sullivans Cove for award-winning whiskies. For an artistic fix, make a beeline for the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) – it's a cliff-clinging work of art in itself, as well as being home to an impressive array of, you guessed it, old and new works.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
