For us, Hobart’s Hotel Grand Chancellor shall now forever be known as “the big building with the breakfast. And the pool’’.

We recently spent a night as a family of four at this Tassie landmark – it’s actually the second time we’ve stayed in the past 12 months – and it’s a getaway both my young sons adore. Because what’s not to like about a place where you step inside a sunny glass atrium and swim in a heated indoor pool for hours on end. Or sit down to a mouth-watering breakfast buffet where you can eat whatever your heart desires – whether that’s a make-your-own juice combination, a custom omelette or a pile of fluffy pancakes smothered in fruit compote and vanilla bean cream.

These are the things dreams are made of when you’re five and seven, apparently.

My boys love to travel to new places and experience new adventures.

But they really don’t mind whether that involves a five-hour car ride to the furthest reaches of Tasmania’s West Coast or a five-minute car ride down the road from their Hobart home.

In fact, a shorter journey avoids the constant “are we there yet?” questions, as well as car sickness, boredom and the need to pack a million snacks and soft toys.

And in a Covid world where interstate and overseas travel comes with a lot of uncertainty, enjoying a weekend getaway only a few minutes from home can be surprisingly refreshing.

We spent a night in two – interconnecting – superior harbour view rooms which was perfect as the kids were close, but not too close! It was nice to have the extra space, rather than the four of us being squeezed into one room. The boys were excited to have some independence too, with a double bed each (exciting when you sleep in single beds at home), as well as their own bathroom, TV and comfy chairs overlooking the waterfront. And perhaps, most exciting of all, was the bowl of Mentos in the corner and the Lindt chocolates placed on their pillows.

While the Grand Chancellor is a great base for exploring Hobart – we love that it’s close to favourite family hangouts like Fish Frenzy, Van Diemens Land Creamery, Nutpatch Chocolates and Salamanca Place – but on this occasion, with a weekend of heavy rain forecast, we decided to spend our time exploring everything the hotel had to offer.

After a swim and some relaxing in our 19th floor rooms – where we spent ages just admiring the stunning view across Constitution Dock – we headed to the Atrium Bar for happy hour, where bar staff serve Tassie offerings including Lawrenny Gin and Hobart Brewing Co’s Cream Ale (and soft drink for the little people). We then enjoyed an early dinner at the hotel’s Tasman Restaurant, where attentive staff served up a delicious feast for me and hubby including chargrilled octopus, crispy skin salmon with citrus salad and a roasted Wild Clover lamb rump with fried polenta, kale and beetroot, which I followed with a Dasher + Fisher gin tasting paddle.

The boys ordered cheeseburgers from the children’s menu. They were starving after an afternoon of swimming and were impressed by the generous-sized burgers and chips placed in front of them. Our friendly waiter mentioned that not all kids are able to finish such a decent-sized meal, and my boys took this as a challenge. They both made a decent dent in their meals, with my five-year-old declaring at the end of our dinner sitting that he had “crushed it”.

I was keen for dessert and so were the boys, but they were getting sleepy after a big afternoon and an equally big dinner, so we ordered a raspberry brulee and some children’s ice creams and took them back to our room to enjoy as the boys perused the pillow menu and got ready for bed.

Our morning started early – as mornings usually do with young kids – but with their own TV the boys were happy to stay curled up in bed watching cartoons on Netflix, giving us adults a chance to relax and enjoy the view as the sun came up.

The Tasman Restaurant’s buffet breakfast lived up to the boys’ expectations, with my seven-year-old proudly presenting me with a juice concoction he’d made me especially for Mother’s Day. There’s something to suit all tastes here, with a spotlight on Tasmanian produce – whether it’s mushrooms and sausages from the Huon Valley, Hastings honey, Westhaven yoghurt, Tassie cheeses or the housemade pastries. The omelette station is popular with diners and the pancakes get a thumbs up from us.

We still had a couple of hours until our 11am checkout, so we headed to the pool for another swim. The previous afternoon had been a little hectic at the pool, but we got lucky with our morning visit and had it largely to ourselves, which was a nice relaxing way to end our stay.

As we headed back to our room to pack our bags my five-year-old’s expression suddenly dropped because he didn’t want to leave “the big building with the breakfast. And the pool’’.

“No, not home! I love it here, I’ll miss it forever,” he exclaimed.

If that’s not a glowing review, I don’t know what is.

The author was a guest of Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart.

MAKE A NOTE

Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, 1 Davey St, is a great weekend getaway for families. Standard rooms which sleep up to four people, start from $204 (mountain view) or $239 (harbour view). A superior harbour king room ($259) can interconnect to a superior harbour twin room ($259) to cater for family groups of up to six people.

While you’re there: Swim in the heated indoor pool, relax in the sauna, enjoy a cocktail at the Atrium Bar, dine at Tasman Restaurant, or simply sit and enjoy the stunning views of Hobart. A great base for exploring Hobart too. Buffet breakfast is daily from 6.30am and is open to everyone, not just hotel guests. $31 for adults, $13 for children. Bookings are recommended.

For more info: grandchancellorhotels.com or call 6235 4535.