Hobart's newest luxury boutique hotel effortlessly gives you the feeling that you are staying in someone's home.

The Islington is one of those hotels you leave wishing you could stay just one more night. Hobart's newest luxury boutique hotel effortlessly gives you the feeling that you are staying in someone's home. Someone wealthy.

With only 11 rooms, The Islington is intimate and welcoming…even when, like us, you arrive feeling somewhat dishevelled and dirty, and carrying only a small backpack, after just completing a four-day hike. When a place charges $600 a night and boasts a former footman to the Queen as its “houseman”, you might expect some snobbery…but there was none at all, just a friendly welcome and a suggestion that the bath-salts are very good for aching muscles.

So the first stop at Islington, after a quick marvel at the artworks hanging on the stone walls as we made our way to our room in the new extension, was the deep freestanding bathtub in the ensuite attached to our elegant sun-lit room.

Revived, it was time to explore further. Islington is lavishly but tastefully decorated with fine artworks and antiques, its contemporary extension blending beautifully with the original 1847 building.

The Regency-style house has been restored over the past two years by owners who were looking for a place to house their extensive art collection. The corridors and rooms are filled with art and antiques, an ancient, modern and eclectic mix which give you pause at every new discovery.

As one of the first houses built in Hobart’s “dress circle”, the house itself is unremarkable along the streetscape of Davey Street, which is lined with similarly impressive residences.

Inside, it is another story. The entrance opens into an expansive marble-floored hallway, off which run three elegant rooms — the drawing room (or “rose room” for its rich colour), perfect for intimate private dinners, the library, which houses a collection from the works of Louisa Anne Meredith, an early settler who wrote of the colony and is an ancestor of the present owner, and a drawing room for cigars and brandy at night.

Opening from the hall is the heart of the hotel, the conservatory, which opens out onto a marble paved terrace with views of Mount Wellington. The conservatory has soaring glass walls and ceiling, one end formed by the original sandstone block wall of the main house.

Cosy sofas and small tables are arranged to allow conversation or privacy, and an honour-system bar operates at all times. A fireplace — one of five in the house — is a centrepiece for those chilly Tasmanian winter evenings, and even the marble floor is heated.

At the edge of the terrace is a large infinity pond studded with Murano glass spires, and to one side a covered pavilion. The full effect is stunning.

Islington’s chef, Annie Parmentier, formerly of Sydney’s Bathers Pavilion and Lunch restaurants, whips up wonders in the open-plan kitchen. Annie's menu for breakfast varies from day to day — we opted for a three-mushroom omelette, which almost defeated the heartiest appetite among us. Dinners are available on request.

Four guest rooms are in the original house, with another three near the conservatory, overlooking the garden. Four more are downstairs, leading out onto the garden, the focal point of which is a century-old heritage-listed willow tree.

General managers Nicholas and Amy Parkinson-Bates believe they have charge of the most beautiful, personal and exclusive small hotel in Australia.

Over drinks in the conservatory each evening, Nicholas and Amy are the perfect hosts, happy to talk about the restoration work on the house, Hobart’s many attractions and their life before Islington. Amy’s extended family is from Tasmania, so settling in has been almost like coming home for her.

Despite its long history, Islington is keeping up with the times, with all mod-cons expected in hotels today: flat-screen televisions, DVD players, broadband internet connection in all guest rooms as well as wireless in the public areas, and hand-made soaps using Tasmanian ingredients in the bathrooms. And it’s in a fantastic location, about 10 minutes walk from Hobart’s city centre.

For those like me, who’ve experienced Tasmania’s great outdoors to their fullest extent, it’s wise to plan ahead and book a massage, available 8am to 10pm on request.

At the end of the day you’ll sink into an “Islington Angel”, a King-size bed custom-made in Tasmania, which will guarantee a fabulous night’s sleep.

You may just never want to go home.

Details

For more information visit: www.islingtonhotel.com