I'll start with the hotel since I stayed here for a weekend. You really can't beat the location, being a few hundred metres from Salamanca Place (which is the main activity hub for Hobart) and the ferry for MONA is right across the street. But it seems like, because the hotel has such a prime location, it hasn't bothered upgrading the facility itself - upgrades that the hotel really needs. The carpet in the hallways is peeling off, the carpet inside our room was stained with some unknown substance, the furnishings in the room are old and falling apart, and the bed was so uncomfortable that I thought seriously about sleeping on the floor as it probably would have been more comfortable. The hallways are a bit of a maze as you have to go up and down several steps to reach many of the rooms, so if you're carrying a heavy suitcase or you have mobility issues, this could be a problem. Finally, the noise from the bar carries up the stairs and through the windows so if you're on the street side or a lower floor, you might want to bring ear plugs.
Now for the restaurant. I'd heard that the wallaby fillet was the star attraction so I decided to order that for dinner on my first night in Hobart. Having never had wallaby before, I have no basis of comparison, but on its own it was really fantastic. It's a much more tender meat than kangaroo and doesn't need to be cooked as rare as roo (which is why it's a bit of a turn off for me). The flavour is also really subtle and not gamey at all. My partner had the steak and it was pretty tasty as well. I had mussels for an entree and they were quite nice, although the portion is a bit small if you're sharing.
Breakfast was included with the price of a room so I figured if the dinner was so good, the breakfast should probably be pretty decent as well, right? Wrong. The eggs Benedict I had was cold and the eggs were overcooked, the ham tasted old, and the service, which for dinner was friendly and courteous, was cold and unhelpful for breakfast.
Overall, it was a pretty below-average experience. The next time I'm in Hobart, I'll pop into the Customs House for a wallaby fillet but I'll stay somewhere else. read more