Sleeping and eating in Hobart

There are many hotels close to all the action if that is what you want. If not, Hobart also abounds with romantic hideaways where you can get away from everything. Some of the best hotels are along the waterfront, either on Salamanca Place, or near Constitution Dock. This is a great position to appreciate how Hobart and the water are in such harmony.

Battery Point is the other excellent option. This is where you can find luxury B&Bs, boutique hotels, and colonial accommodation. This area has many restaurants suitable for a relaxed lunchtime snack or a romantic dinner.

Tasmania is renowned for its gourmet fresh foods, boutique wines, and friendly atmosphere. Salmon, trout, oysters, mussels, scallops, tuna, and rock lobsters, are some of the seafood delights seasonally available in Hobart.

Dine al fresco on fine Tasmanian food and wine at one of the numerous cafes and restaurants that dot the landscape. Many are in Salamanca Place or on the nearby piers and quays. Local lamb, beef, berries and cheese are some of the crowd pleasers. The local cool-climate wines made from chardonnay, pinoy noir and merlot win medals at shows around the world.

Quick Tips:

There is a wide range of accommodation but at peak periods it can be heavily booked. We arrived when there was a visiting U.S aircraft carrier in port and we struggled to find accommodation. Consider booking your first night before arriving.

Many of the up-market restaurants have special lunch menus. These are reasonably priced and allow visitors the chance to experience the food and the atmosphere without breaking the bank.

Wander into some of the pubs and enjoy the history, ambiance and fun for the price of a beer. Friday afternoon is the peak time so either avoid this or revel in the crowds, the noise, and the poor service.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you stay close to the city or to Battery Point, you want need a car. Walk the streets and find hidden restaurants, cafes and pubs with heaps of local atmosphere.

Cost: A$190 one bedroom apartment

Oakford on the Pier is a 40star all-suite apartment hotel, stunningly located on the Elizabeth Street Pier. The early 1930s pier building incorporates the striking lines of modern architecture with the historic exterior of a waterfront landmark.

We thought the location was brilliant. You are only a short walk from the central city, Salamanca Place, and Battery Point. Antique stores, craft studios and galleries, and great restaurants were just a stroll away. Our apartment featured great views across the Derwent River. The loft-style bedroom was striking but entirely practical except that the bathroom was downstairs quite a long way away. The apartment featured kitchen facilities and a laundry.

We liked the individually controlled air conditioning/heating and the direct dial telephone. We appreciated the minibar with its wine and Tasmanian produce, but didn’t use this facility. There was a television with 24 hour in-house movies, and a CD player. My wife really appreciated the hair dryer and the iron and ironing board. All accommodation is on the first level (accessible by stairs and elevator).

The hotel provides room service, 24-hour reception, a gymnasium, café, restaurant and tavern bar. I must confess we didn’t use any of these facilities and, in fact, didn’t even see most of them. We were too busy enjoying the room and exploring the fascinating area just outside. We did see the two bedroom units – the downstairs area was similar to our double suite, but there were two bedrooms upstairs together with a two-way ensuite bathroom.

We stumbled upon this place when we arrived in Hobart without a booking and discovered that the town was almost fully booked out by the crew of a huge U.S. naval ship. It turned out to be a real find because of its great location in the centre of Battery Point.

The hotel is the local village pub for this area. The modern structure has a bar, TAB, and all the usual pub facilities. There are 10 rooms situated on the first floor (second floor in U.S. speak) with a separate entrance from the car park. A security system controls unauthorised entry. The rooms are strictly functional but are suitable if you plan to spend your day sightseeing. The beds have electric blankets and there was a room heater so the room provided a warm refuge at night. The ensuite bathroom had a shower, toilet and handbasin. Facilities were clean but a little worn.

Accommodation included a Continental breakfast in the downstairs restaurant. This was a help-yourself affair. A choice of cereals, fruit, juice, bread for toast, and tea and coffee was on offer. We were satisfied.

The location was excellent. Several interesting restaurants were in the surrounding area. We walked around admiring the Georgian architecture and the quaint streetscapes. We walked to Salamanca Place, the waterfront and the central city. We happily left the car in the hotel carpark. At A$85 for bed and breakfast it was good value.

Cost: lunch A$50 for two
Mures Upper Deck has been a dining institution for the past decade. The main attraction is the fresh fish which come direct from the restaurant’s trawler to the restaurant. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and in the past it has been considered somewhat pricey. We discovered that there is a way to enjoy the great food and location at lunch time without it breaking the bank.

The secret is the special Meal for Two deal. At lunch time there is a three course set menu that includes a bottle of wine, for A$50 for two people. The menu is not extensive but it is just what most visitors will want. It starts with the soup of the day served with fresh bread. We had a chowder made from trevally which was thick and delicious.

The main course was a choice between char grilled fish with salad and new potatoes or a combination of scallops, prawns, squid rings, and fish lightly crumbed and deep-fried. We tried both and decided that we prefered the char grilled fish. We finished with icecream served with chocolate fudge sauce. Tea and coffee with Mures Fudge was also served. The wine was a choice of Lindemans Chardonnay, Riesling or Shiraz. This lunch is available seven days a week.

While there, we looked at the regular lunch menu. Starters were from A$8.50 to A$19.50. Light lunches, which the menu advises need a side order, were from A$10.50 to A$14.50. Main meals were from A$16.50 to A$26.50. I must admit that the garlic scallops with bok choy and garlic butter served with a light spinach salad sounded great.Puddings were A$8.50, cheese A$12 and coffee or tea A$3.

The food was satisfying, made even more pleasurable by the great views. The wine list featured several local wines. The service was friendly and efficient. It was not hard to see why it is so popular.

The sun was shining brightly, there was a soft breeze, the gardens were a real picture, and we were having a great time in Hobart. This was the setting in which we entered the Botanical Gardens Restaurant. How could we do anything but enjoy our meal here?

Not only did we enjoy our meal, we thought this was a really great place for a quiet hour. The atmosphere was relaxed, the food excellent and the views just wonderful. The restaurant is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Lunch is served from 11am to 3pm.

The restaurant has a summer menu and a different winter menu. We just scrapped into the summer period so most dishes were light and tasty. We shared the soup served with warmed pita bread (A$7). I had the toasted ham and cheese pannini (A$13.20) while my wife ordered the prawn and avocado salad (A$15.50). We both thought the salad was excellent. There was a selection of desserts listed on a blackboard but we thought these were unnecessary for lunch. Others were coming in and have a dessert with coffee for either lunch or an early afternoon tea.

The service was very friendly but a bit slow if you had a time constraint. We didn’t and were happy to talk and admire the view while we waited. All in all it was a very pleasant experience.

When I go to Thailand I eat Thai food. When I go to Vietnam I eat Vietnamese food. So why was I eating Vietnamese food in Hobart? The answer must have been because it was great value, at least in the Vietnamese Kitchen.

We arrived in Hobart late afternoon in the rain. By the time we had found some accommodation it was dark, cold and damp. The last thing I wanted was to tramp around looking for a restaurant. Fortunately, just 500 metres from our hotel, we found this restaurant and tried their special. Two meat choices and rice for A$7 sounded like good value, and it was. The serving was genuine and the food was good. It was no surprise that we had trouble finding a table.

During our stay in Hobart we walked past this restaurant on several occasions. Almost every time, from early in the morning till mid-evening it was crowded with people. The operators had perfected the volume throughput principle but had managed to preserve an attractive atmosphere. We returned again on our final day in Hobart. This time we looked past the special and selected dishes from the menu. There were most of the favourites. We decided on noodles and soup. I had a laksa which was excellent. My wife had something that she enjoyed. We paid about A$20 including a drink. We would have happily gone back again had we been staying longer.