The Tasman Hobart
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You know you are at a luxury hotel when the concierge immediately offers to look after your bags and promises to have them in your bedroom in no time. You realise this again when you proceed to the small reception desk and as soon as you both sit down in the two comfortable chairs a waiter appears with a tray and two crystal glasses offering today’s complimentary drink, a local G&T with a slice of lemon.

We hear that their Deco Lounge offers complimentary drinks at 4.30pm, that our dinner is booked for 7pm at Peppina Restaurant and that we are welcome to the Mary Mary Bar for an after dinner drink. We see through the glass windows of the elegant Deco Lounge that it is already full of afternoon guests.

After check-in, still sipping our comp drinks, we continue along the modern corridor with glass windows on one side and a heritage sandstone wall on the other towards the lift. Once inside the feeling of luxury continues because the lift is covered in dark brown wood panelling reminiscent of an older age. This blend is typical of The Tasman. The hotel exterior shows the Art Deco building, the Victorian building that was a hospital in 1847 and the brand new Pavilion building all collectedly joined, while inside there is a flow from era to era. The history of the area is also kept alive with small items discovered during the excavation displayed in the Mary Mary bar.

Our bedroom is understated, consisting of a medium size space with a round table and small occasional chairs. There is plenty of space in the open wardrobe shelf for our two small travel bags and plenty of hanging space above. My companion commented that she would prefer to have full floor to ceiling windows, but even though our window only started from the waist up we had a charming view of the water and boats bobbing in the bay.

The small leather-bound bible suggested that there might be a few nice shops with local products nearby. After savouring the local chocolates supplied to the room, I googled some interesting local shops and we were off to explore Hobart on foot. The sky was moody, with sheets of a delicate, barely visible rain that managed to wet the streets and old buildings of Hobart, but we supplied ourselves with some dark blue umbrellas featuring The Tasman rope logo so we weren’t much inconvenienced.

Luckily all the shops were within a short walk of the hotel. We couldn’t resist the quality of the handmade products on offer. My friend enjoyed complaining to the retail person about the bamboo socks she had purchased elsewhere while buying a pair of warm woollen socks displayed among other soft, woollen items, scarfs and gloves. I walked out with a small purchase from the next shop, a chocolate brown, quilted leather handbag. In the next, a small but delicious smelling store with a fun logo, we both got a raw honey-based face cream and some handcrafted soaps while my friend engaged in small talk with the shopkeeper about the handmade process and the various benefits of the honey.

We managed to achieve all this before 4.30pm and were right on time for happy hour at the Deco Lounge. The comfortable chairs, open glass-fronted fireplace, beautiful large photographs of Tasmanian landscape and good quality drinks created an atmosphere of relaxation, and the whole lounge was enveloped in a continuous murmur from animated guests chatting away. Some of the guests came out of the private dining room they had used as a meeting room during the day. They had to walk only a few meters to the Deco Lounge and claim one of the seating areas to close their meeting with casual drinks and food.

The little bit of time between drinks in the Deco Lounge and dinner we spent reading in the bedroom. I took up a seat in the small tubular chair by the window and she lay on the king-size bed.

Peppina restaurant was just a little bit further along the same long corridor past the boardroom and private dining room. The restaurant was buzzing with guests and service staff carrying drinks and food between the tables. We were seated at one of the booths, with their inviting soft, light brown curved seats. The space was open, with a high glass ceiling, and was decorated in light wood, open brick work and light brown leather chairs and booth seats. The bar in the middle with the wooden framed windows above it, some open at an angle, evoked beach and outdoors. It was a perfect centre piece in the large open space, adding a little touch of fun and casualness to a well-run, top end restaurant.

We opted to share a few entrées with a side of cabbage salad (Insalata di Cavolo with celeriac, candied walnuts, chick peas, parmesan and macadamia cream).
Here is our exact list of entrée plates:
Polpette al forno – wood-fired meatballs
Barbabietole – lightly pickled beetroots, goat’s curd, hazelnuts, red wine vinaigrette
Pesce Crudo – raw fish, shaved fennel, chilli, fried capers, dill, citrus dressing.
And the most delicious of all: Pizza Fritta – two fluffy, doughnut-like bread pieces served with a soft dip from zucchini, garlic, mint and lemon. Each plate offered fresh, simple and a touch surprising flavour.
Dinner at Peppina was outstanding, exceeding all our expectations. Having made the most out of our time dining we didn’t feel a need to continue at the Mary Mary bar. Instead we retired to our bedroom for a good night’s sleep.

Though I admit I didn’t have the best sleep, this had nothing to do with the bed or pillows or noisy neighbours. Most likely it was that first night away from home feeling, plus I got too hot during the night, possibly due to perimenopause.

We were up at 7am and down at the little gym, with its natural light coming through large arched windows and a view of the handsome sandstone wall. Then after a quick shower in the grey tiled, stylish and luxurious bathroom we were back at Peppina restaurant. After an overnight makeover this was serving buffet breakfast and good – very good – coffee. The buffet offered everything you would expect at the five star hotel and more. The ‘more’ was the freshness and creaminess of the cheeses. I was forced by my friend to finish the breakfast with some cheese and I am glad I allowed myself to be forced into it.

On the way out after check out I had to stand outside the hotel entrance waiting patiently for my friend, who was chatting with the friendly concierge man. I have no idea what she was talking about with this person but I wasn’t surprised that she found something to comment on.

I like to travel with this friend for many reasons and now I can add an extra one: she has mastered the art of small talk to a state that allows me to stay in the background and just be.
At the moment The Tasman is best suited for your small to medium leadership meetings but they are going to have a new conference room in a year or so that will allow them to cater to slightly larger groups too.

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