I can't rave enough about Lemonthyme Lodge!
As a "wilderness retreat" it is way off the beaten path--even for Tasmania--and is situated near Cradle Mountain on a large tract of their own land, which means that there are beautiful nature walks and lots of wildlife to see right off the verandah!
We stayed there for only one night, but because my partner mentioned that it was my birthday the proprietor arranged for a discounted room upgrade for us--which meant we ended up spending the night in a luxury treetop cabin for much less than the normal price! The room itself was huge, and had a spa bath, cozy gas fireplace for the chilly Tassie nights, and a large back verandah where you could sit on the lookout for wombats and echidnas. We even managed to spot a few echidnas out in the bush in the short time that we were there!
Lemonthyme Lodge also has a restaurant that serves dinner and breakfast. It's a bit pricey, but it's basically the only option that far away from everything else, and it is SO WORTH IT. For dinner, you only have the option of ordering a two-course (~$47) or three-course (~$65) meal, but they were fine with each of us getting a two course meal and splitting one starter and one dessert (the portion sizes are quite generous) so we got to try a bit of everything. The food was, in a word, fabulous, and because the restaurant specializes in cooking with local Tasmanian ingredients, everything was very fresh and the meal was a great taste of what Tassie has to offer. The service was excellent and very friendly--they even put a birthday candle on our cheese platter dessert for me! Also, every night around dusk the kitchen staff feed a group of pademelons scraps off the back verandah of the lodge. As we were enjoying our dessert, pademelons started emerging from the bush in anticipation of their dinner, so we went out to watch them being fed. It was a great way to see cute wildlife and is definitely not to be missed!
Breakfast in the morning is included in the price of the room and in following with the quality of dinner that we had it was excellent. Fresh baked muffins, a cooked-to-order breakfast, and bottomless coffee were the highlights--and exactly what you'll need to fuel a day of hiking either around the lodge or at nearby Cradle Mountain.
Overall, our stay at Lemonthyme Lodge was brief but magical. The staff went out of their way to make our night special and enjoyable, and the remote setting offered a very peaceful way to enjoy nature and encounter shy wildlife. I would stay there again in a heartbeat, and I highly recommend a stop at Lemonthyme to anybody visiting the area! read more