Acclaimed Tassie hotel gets $65 million update, but rooms still a bargain

Wrest Point Hotel and Casino

Check-in

Sandy Bay is one of Hobart’s more sought-after suburbs, hugging the coast as it does, a fine home for yacht clubs and better schools. Wrest Point, on the water in the middle of Sandy Bay has hospitality credentials stretching all the way back to the early 1800s. The existing venue, complete with casino and Tasmania’s tallest building – the 17-story Roy Grounds-designed tower – opened in 1973.

The Wrest Point complex’s tower is the tallest building in Tasmania.

The Federal Group, which owns this sprawling venue and others around Tasmania (MACq01 and Saffire among them) has invested $65 million in refurbishing the rooms, bars, restaurants and casino of Wrest Point. There’s plenty of space here for parking and at reception, the welcome is warm and friendly.

The Look

From the outside, the tower’s design is undeniably dated, there’s no fixing that, but before long we may come to love it like a pair of flared jeans. And all the same, the refurbishment is so thorough as to override that, from the soft furnishings, uncanny carpets, artworks that embrace the era and the focus on those stunning water views, stretching as they do all the way up to Battery Point, across the river to Bellerive Oval and over the waterways beyond.

The Room

Inside one of Wrest Point’s Harbour View suites.

I’m in a Harbour View Suite, a 60 square metre space with more of those glorious views – water sparkling by day; the city and Tasman Bridge lit up by night. There’s a king bed, two big flat screen TVs, and a walk-in wardrobe with plenty of hanging space, a seat and plenty of room for luggage. The spacious bathroom has twin sinks, a bath and a walk-in shower. The lounge area of the suite has a mini-bar with room enough for your own drinks, a sink, pod-machine for coffee and plenty of bench space to set up the laptop, should you need to. It has been refurbished, but maybe thanks to its original era, the light switches are delightfully easy to use and even the controls for the curtains and air conditioning are straightforward.

Food + Drink

Longhorn, for lovers of the wood-fired grill.

Spoilt for choice on site. Longhorn, which opened in late 2022 is for lovers of the grill with sublime Tasmanian beef (from Robbins Island and Cape Grim) sensational Stanley octopus and even grilled seasonal vegetables; for some extra flavour, they use apple wood and old wine and whisky casks to fire the grill. On the top floor of the tower, The Point revolving restaurant is a Hobart icon. It takes 77 minutes to complete a rotation, and in that time you might find your neighbours on one side enjoying their 50th wedding anniversary and on the other negotiating their way to their first. It’s old school fine dining with prawns or steak cooked flambe-style at the table and Tasmanian rock lobster served in one of four ways. For a drink before or after, the Birdcage Bar has some cool cocktails and on the weekend serves up a Cocktail High Tea that includes a glass of sparkling wine and their signature Birdie Blush cocktail. Other restaurants include the Boardwalk Bistro for easy-going eating from breakfast onwards and Kwan Ho, an offshoot of Sandy Bay’s spectacular Chinese restaurant, Me Wah.

Out + About

The Birdcage Bar and its tribute to cabaret.

Fancy a flutter? Unlike the sprawling gambling floors of Melbourne and Sydney casinos, Wrest Point’s is more boutique in size and style with views to the water from the roulette and blackjack tables. There’s live music in the bars and lounges and true to their origins, cabaret is on the cards here, as are concerts on the lawns and live shows. Waterfront walks are a delight with paths heading down the coast to the lower parts of Sandy Bay or past the yachts and on towards Battery Point and the city.

The Verdict

Old school hospitality in a venue that has had some serious attention and affection applied to it over the last few years. Wrest Point might be 10 minutes’ drive from the city centre, but for a room this size with views this good, at MACq01 your starting price would be $680, and at the Tasman $980. You can pay less than half that at Wrest Point.

The Essentials

In the Tower, rooms start at $179 and a Harbour View Suite from $399. Accommodation is also available onsite at the Water Edge Hotel (from $149) and the Motor Inn (from $139). 410 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay. Phone [phone]. See wrestpoint.com.au

Our Score Out Of Five

★★★★

Highlight

The spectacular city and water views from the rooms and restaurants.

Lowlight

That ’70s tower only has two elevators; sometimes cramped and a long time waiting.

Jim Darby was a guest of Wrest Point.