Spent three nights at Saffire, room #10, Alpha Centauri (all rooms are named). Was Saffire five-star in every respect? No. I'll get to the negatives later. Ninety-eight percent of all aspects did, however, deserve every bit of a five-star rating. You can go for a mile-plus walk on the beach and maybe see no one else. Kayaking, archery and clay pigeon shooting are available. And, one of the best parts, every other day they have a feeding of captive Tasmanian Devils. When I say captive I mean four or five Devils in a 2.5 acre completely natural enclosure. If they weren't coming in for their feeding you'd probably never see them. A trained staff member gives a short talk, while the Devils are eating, about the current obstacles the Devil population is currently trying to overcome. The rest of the staff was the best I've seen anywhere, with the exception as noted below. The room was clean, extremely spacious, well laid out and had an extraordinary view. All the rooms face out to the sea and the Hazard Mountains. Number ten was also perfectly located for peace and quiet yet close proximity to the main building. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner every day at Saffire and never had the tiniest complaint. Just the slightest mention of your wishes and someone was there to ask you what and when you would like to eat or drink. Fresh from their garden, many herbs and vegetables go straight to the kitchen and to your plate. The common spaces are designed to take full advantage of the fabulous views and are well-constructed of natural materials. The deep tissue massage I received from Cecelia was painfully terrific. I really cannot write enough positive things about Saffire. However, as I wrote, a couple of things need improvement. One is easy. The staff are so attentive you no sooner say "no thank you" to one when another comes up to ask you the same question. And then perhaps a third. After a while the repetitive smothering gets a little old. The other negative is tough to fix, and frankly most people on vacation wouldn't care. The gym is tiny. Rarely used, apparently, but if someone else is in there with you it won't be comfortable. So, if working out in a gym on your vacation is important to you, you may be slightly disappointed. Also, Saffire is quite remote and quite expensive. If you're used to five-star luxury you will not be disappointed. If you're splurging for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, you'll never forget Saffire. read more
