This famous Aussie resort costs $3000 a night. But is it justified?

They have a policy at Saffire Freycinet that begs to be tested. The idea: “no nos”. As in, no one on staff will ever answer your request with the word “no”.

“We just don’t say no,” says general manager Dylan Counsel. “The idea is that we make everything happen. Or we at least think about how it could be done.”

It’s tempting to push the limits of this in the most obnoxious of ways. A bowl full of green M&Ms, thank you waiter. A bottle of vintage Cristal to my room, free of charge. A few extra nights’ stay on the house? No nos, right?

Beauty from every angle: The Hazards are framed from most windows.Credit:

But you don’t do that, as probably almost all guests don’t, because you’re not like that. Instead, it’s just small things you ask for. And you get.

Can you sub out one of the wines offered at the restaurant tonight for something else you prefer? Yes. Can you have your evening cocktail sent to your room instead of drinking it in the bar area? Yes. Can you have your entire dinner sent to your room because you don’t feel like eating with everyone else tonight? Yes.

These are just small requests because, honestly, you’re rarely left wanting at Saffire Freycinet.

Signature Suite.Credit:

This Tasmanian resort is one of the Luxury Lodges of Australia, and the sort of place with instant name recognition, even if you’ve never stayed there. The resort is also celebrating its 15th birthday this year, so it seems an ideal time to revisit an old favourite and see how it fares.

This might be one of Australia’s leading properties, but it’s also up there with its most expensive, at almost $3000 a night – can any hotel or resort justify that price?

Blending into the landscape.Credit:

Begin on arrival, as you’re welcomed and led down a narrow hallway that suddenly opens out into the key attraction here: a jaws-to-the-floor stunner of a view of the Hazards, the rugged mountain range in Freycinet National Park, visible here across moody Coles Bay.

Soaking up the views.Credit:

That view stays with you almost every step of the way at Saffire (as long as the weather is playing the game). It’s there when you wake up in the morning through floor-to-ceiling windows in each guest suite. It’s there as you have breakfast, via towering windows in the dining room, lobby and bar. It’s there during many of the resort’s included activities too, its nature walks, bee-keeping tours, Indigenous cultural activities and more.

What does $3000 a night get you? It gets you anything you want. Or at least, that’s the idea.

Meet the locals.Credit:

All meals are included, from a la carte breakfast to degustation-style dinner. All drinks are included (except the top-end stuff), more than 90 wines, mostly Tasmanian, available by the glass. Your minibar, stocked with full bottles of wine and miniatures of local spirits, is included. Plenty of daily excursions are included, from visits to an oyster farm to tours of a local whisky distillery.

The rooms here – there are only 20 – still feel fresh and modern. That’s down to the Nordic design, full of natural materials: wood floors, wood walls, wood ceiling. There are separate lounge and bedroom areas, each with those floor-to-ceiling windows framing the ever-present Hazards.

Dramatic vistas.Credit:

There’s a large kitchenette too, though that feels unnecessary in a resort where meals are taken care of.

And what meals. Dinner is the main event, where there’s a choice of a five-course tasting menu or a three-course a la carte dinner. Want to replace something in the tasting menu with a dish on the a la carte list? No problem. Want the entree on the tasting menu as a main meal a la carte? Consider it done.

There are matching wines too, or you can get a full bottle. Or you can get a full bottle and the matching wines.

But then you probably wouldn’t be feeling great for the morning’s visit to Freycinet Marine Farm, where Saffire has special access to the oyster beds for a tour and tasting. There’s a table set up here right in the water, which you walk out to while donning waterproof waders. It’s spread with a white tablecloth, all ready for a pile of oysters and a bottle of sparkling wine to be plonked on top and consumed.

Can we stay here an extra half hour for a few more oysters, to finish off the bottle? Of course. No nos.

THE DETAILS

Saffire Freycinet is in Freycinet National Park, a 2½-hour drive north of Hobart. Suites from $2900 a night, includes meals, selected drinks and daily experiences. See saffire-freycinet.com.au

The writer stayed as a guest of Luxury Lodges of Australia.