At the foot of Mount Wellington, in the quieter, greener folds of South Hobart, Islington Hotel is the kind of address that rewards the guests who find it. Regency architecture. An art collection that would make a serious gallery envious — Matisse on the wall, Hockney etchings in the corridor, objects and antiques gathered across four continents of careful travelling. All of it woven together with a lightness that feels genuinely personal, not performed.

The rooms reflect that same sensibility: heritage features alongside contemporary flourishes, bespoke beds handmade specifically for this house, marble bathrooms, rain showers, and a level of considered detail that takes a moment to fully appreciate. The Loft Suite catches the morning light beautifully; the Signature Suite commands it. Shared spaces — the Rose Room, the Morning Room, the Library — invite the kind of unhurried conversation that only the very best travel tends to produce.

Dinner in the mountain-view Conservatory Restaurant is a celebration of the island's exceptional larder: locally sourced, treated with real respect, served against a backdrop that entirely earns the setting. After, the established heritage gardens are yours entirely.

Sandy beaches to the east, true wilderness to the west, colonial history at every turn — and one of Australia's most distinctive boutique hotels at the centre of it all. Islington is Tasmania made tangible.