Islington Hotel

"Visiting the Islington is like diving into a favorite family bolt hole. While the location is unassuming - a short drive from Hobart's city centre along a quiet road that appears entirely residential - the mansion itself is so cozy and enticing that it is genuinely difficult to leave. It is a mélange of styles; the result of a restoration project in which a down-at-heel 1847-built Regency home has become an architectural object d'art - although at first glance you wouldn't know it. From the front, this appears to be a traditional, sandstone town house. Walk inside the 11-bedroom boutique bed and breakfast and the picture changes. Beyond the formal reception rooms lies a soaring, modernist glass conservatory which engulfs the entire the back of the original building. High, transparent doors open out into a landscaped garden designed to maximize the view of Mount Wellington beyond. Inside, every nook and cranny - from the dark red-walled cigar study to the chandeliered dining room - showcases an eccentric collection of curios, the most fascinating of which relate to the history of the house. In the bedrooms understated luxury is the key, with under-floor heating in every en suite and locally crafted beds so comfortable you will leave the Islington feeling like an angel."