saffire freycinet,
tasmania
in their words: An award-winning all-inclusive luxury resort, situated in the heart of Tasmania’s stunning Freycinet National Park. Saffire is so much more than a getaway resort. Take a guided hike through the pristine wilderness, explore the secluded coves of Great Oyster Bay, or simply relax on your private balcony and soak up the panoramic views. To experience Saffire Freycinet is to detach from ordinary life and become truly immersed in every moment.
location: australia, tasmania, freycinet national park on tassie's east coast
number of rooms: 20, all suites with a sitting area and outdoor patio
guides on staff: yes
spa: yes
children allowed: yes [no age restriction]
apartment rooms: yes, four have a separate bedroom with sliding door and kitchen.
price point: $2,000/night
rate includes: meals, alcohol, guided excursions [extra for spa and certain excursions]
minimum stay: two nights
in my words: Unbelivable. They just got everything right. To a fault, I have a critical eye when it comes to travel. My husband likes to say "ah yes, when Lily runs United Airlines... Marriott... the country of Vietnam" because I can 't stop myself from constantly little narratives of "it would be better if they just..." Saffire was the first time I've ever felt someone like me must be managing the resort.
The first impression of Saffire is the impeccable design. You pull your car under an expansive awning, then walk up the tail of the stingray, into the reception. There is a small walkway over a water feature that guides you to the windows. You look up and see that the massive lodge windows are built to mirror the humps of The Hazards mountain range. Check out Saffire's website to see another unexpected design feature: the lodge from above is a sting ray, gliding out to Coles Bay.
To your right, there is a library with comfortable armchairs, games to play and books to read. My favorite use for this area is when guests congregate here before morning and afternoon tours leave! I enjoyed how it fostered introductions and allowed guests to chat a bit before being thrown into the van together.
The all-inclusive nature of the property covers excursions as well. Even though Stevie held us back a bit of course, I'm actually glad in a way, as I think normally I would've felt obliged to get my money's worth and do both tours every day, and not given myself time to enjoy the property. At first I was a bit underwhelmed at the beach: with a property of this caliber and a sprawling essentially private beach with no other property in sight, you'd expect beach chaises with servers and cocktails, but that isn't the Tasmania vibe. It caused us to take long walks up and down the beach, pop into the kayak, and one day I even jumped in impromptu in my bra and shorts and swam. I think if a chaise had been there, I would've plopped myself down admiring the view, and missed immersing myself in the beach itself.
pro tip: Request an early arrival to join a morning activity on the day of your check-in. Official check-in time is 2pm, so your room will be ready after a leisurely lunch, then you can spend the afternoon relaxing at the property! It's subject to availability of course, but they were able to accommodate us which was very nice to enjoy some extra time there without shelling out the extra money for the night prior. (For us, 3 nights is the sweet spot for high end properties like this. Gives us enough time to fully enjoy and relax, without getting exorbitantly expensive.)
Note: Freycinet is pronounced "fray-sin-ay"
little luxury
a favorite little detail...
At first brush, it's being served fresh oysters and wine on a white tablecloth in the ocean. Despite that incredible experience, my pinnacle moment is frolicking barefoot along the secluded beach with its majestic view of the hazards mountain range.
lost luggage
areas with room for improvement..
The fact that a property like this allows babies is remarkable. The only awkward piece about it was they really wanted you to sit for the first seating at dinner. (I imagine they're telling other guests they're guaranteed an adults-only meal at the last seating.) It's a great compromise, I just wish they'd made it a clear "rule." Posing it as a suggestion meant we arrived ~30 minutes into service the first night, causing them to re-suggest it to us more strongly for the next day, which was a little embarrassing!
the ideal day at saffire freycinet a day for it
morning:
Don your hiking clothes and head up to breakfast. After enjoying your meal, head upstairs to the meeting area. If you're early, grab a newspaper or book and enjoy the view from the comfy reading chairs. Once it's time, you will find out which guide will accompany you for the morning, and meet the fellow guests.
I'd recommend starting the day with the Wineglass Lookout Walk. If you're like us, you might think "oh that's a straightforward hike, I can do that on my own before or after checkout" but we were so happy we had our guide Chris with us, and the lovely camaraderie of the other guests. He was a wealth of information (and it avoided us having to figure out the logistics of entry tickets and parking.)
This is one of those hikes where you keep stopping to take photos, as the view is great throughout, and keeps getting better as you ascend. It's also manageable for various fitness levels, which is perfect for Saffire's older crowd. Our group had the gamut, from us with the baby, to a gentleman with unstable footing, and Chris was attentive to make sure we all were comfortable.The view at the top is stunning, and we chose to linger a bit to enjoy our Saffire-provided snacks, feed Stevie, and soak in the view.
You'll return to the lodge just in time for lunch. Reward yourself with a glass of white from down the road, mainland Australia, or around the world. The wine by the glass list was extensive, and I loved choosing my own pairings with my lunch entree!
afternoon:
Saffire's flagship tour is a partnership with Freycinet marine farm. Hop in the van for a quick 10 minute drive, and pull up to what is very much a working oyster farm. No lodge glitz and glamour here! Suit up with some waders, and follow your guide into the water as you learn about the process of oyster farming. When you head towards the nets, your guide will set up the main event: a white tablecloth, bottle of bubbly and handful after handful of oysters from the pocket in his waders! They'll be shucked right there - freshest you'll ever get. Squirt a bit of lime and eat to your hearts content. (We downed at least 4 dozen between the 2 of us!)
The Oyster Experience is one of the shorter excursions, so you'll be back in time to join the 4:30 Tasmanian Devil Experience. (Don't worry if you're a bit late, it's a quick walk on the property, and the main event isn't until a few minutes in!) The Tasmanian government has a program to create a "backup" population of captive Tasmanian Devils, since unfortunately the wild population is dwindling. When the captive devils are young, they live in the breeding facility. Afterwards they can "retire" to places like Saffire, who pay for their habitat, food, and caretakers. It was incredible to see the unique gait of these carnivorous mammals run around the very large pen. They have plenty of room to roam, so they do have to fabricate the feeding environment a bit, or it would be impossible to see them. They clip a kangaroo carcass to a pole, true jurassic park style, and it's like nothing I've ever seen watching the animals devour it! I believe the experience is every other day, due to how they naturally feed, so make sure to coordinate it in your visit.
evening:
After the unique experience of seeing a new species of animal, head up to cocktail hour. The lounge is one of the spaces Saffire has created for natural camaraderie among guests - it was bustling every night! Sometimes we chose the two seater chairs gazing out at the view, and sometimes we chose seats on the couches, where we'd be joined by other guests to chat over a signature cocktail or glass of wine. If you have little ones like us, I highly recommend booking a babysitter through the hotel at least one evening. Often it will be a member of staff, for the utmost peace of mind that these individuals have been incredibly vetted, and know their way around in case of emergency! Definitely request Daisy if she's still around, she was so lovely as our first non-family babysitter ever, and as her main job is a server at the restaurant,we loved the added comfort of meeting her at every meal prior to her watching Stevie.
Afterwards, head to Palate Restaurant. The seafood is fresh from local fishing villages, beef and lamb is Tasmanian grass fed, and herbs, fruit and vegetables are seasonal. There's an a-la carte menu as well, but we always opted for the nightly coursed menu complete with wine pairings. If your stay is in the summer, your dinner comes with a show of the pastel sunset over the hazard mountains. Make sure to keep an eye out to the righthand windows as well, where a resident Kookaburra often alights on a branch!
Other experiences to consider if you are traveling to Tasmania without young children:
All of these would have been absolute prerequisites had we done this trip pre-baby. I can't wait to return once she's older!
- The Three Capes Track - multi-day hike with gorgeous luxury lodge accommodation reached by foot along the trail.
- wukalina Walk - multi day hike guided by native aboriginal people to learn about their relationship with the land. Glamping style accommodation, gorgeous design but shared bathrooms.
- Pumphouse Point - Adults only retreat focused on tranquility and low-touch but elegant service. Housed in a renovated over-lake pumping station only accessible via a mysterious long dock.
Typically this section shares nearby accommodation I decided between. While nothing's on Saffire's level, the next closest would be Freycinet Lodge. The nine Coastal Pavillion rooms are worth looking into - a gorgeously designed room nestled in the forest. We considered adding a few nights here. (~$1,000 /night, 70 rooms total, normal rooms ~$250.)
