Schouten House

My wife and I stayed in the Schouten House for one night earlier this month.Swansea is a nice little town that isn't at all touristy on the east coast with a view across the bay toward the Freycinet National Park peninsula. When the term Bed & Breakfast was invented, this house may have been the prototype. Old yet comfortable, with the necessary amenities, but not too fancy. Jodie and Cameron were both great hosts and very fun to talk to. Jodie knows everything about the history of the place. I especially enjoyed my long conversation with Cameron about craft beers as we were about to leave - I was amazed at his knowledge of the craft beer industry in my home town of Chicago, and his advice on Tasmanian brews, which I put to good use! Breakfast was made to order in the morning and the food was excellent. The dining room is barely large enough to accommodate all of the guests, which made for a great group discussion with everyone while we ate. (We amazingly ran into one of the other couples two days later at a lunch restaurant in Richmond - at least 100 km away.) We had no complaints and thought the stay was a good value. We recommend driving (or walking) over to the small Swansea harbor in the morning before breakfast to watch the sunrise as the fishermen launch their boats and head out into it.

The Bed and Breakfast was just great! The beautiful building felt really warm and welcoming. We had such a nice time there, that is especially because the house owners were super friendly and just made the best breakfast which was freshly cooked. My highlight was the smell of cinnamon granola in the evening when we arrived. Something really special!

We had 3 nights stay at Schouten House. We had the ground floor room which was spacious and furnished with lovely furniture and a super comfy bed that was hard to leave in the mornings. ||The building is gorgeous and historic. ||The breakfasts are simply sumptuous and amazing, made more so by all the home made items available. Proper home made bread and jams, baked oatmeal, yum, poached fruits from their garden, and delicious well prepared cooked breakfasts with good choices. And their tea served in a pot is fantastic. ||Cameron’s shortbread served on arrival with a cuppa is THE BEST!||The additional things that I really liked were the hospitality tray in the room with tea and coffee, the battery clock not the digital ones that I dislike, extra towels, complimentary tea and coffee in the guest lounge. ||We really loved the decor and the care and generosity that is so much like the traditional good quality bed and breakfast establishments we so loved in the UK. ||Jodie and Cameron are justifiably proud of what they do and how they care for their guests. I loved being spoiled.

Schouten House is a beautiful, Heritage listed property, located 100 m from the beach and an easy 5-10 minutes stroll to the centre of Swansea. I called Cameron with a couple of questions and then booked directly, selecting Room 4. Such an easy process. ||||Cameron and Jodie have a beautiful home, carefully modernised without losing that old world charm. Don’t think lace doilies here, think beautiful decor celebrating their home’s heritage, along with luxurious couches to sink into, soft jazz in the background, movies, books and magazines for those relaxing moments. After a day out, it was wonderful to come back and sink onto the very comfortable bed, with the various choice of pillows.||||After the lovely welcome upon arrival and a tour of the lounge and other guest areas, we climbed the stairs to our room. ||||With numerous extras in our room, we had no need to call upon our hosts for anything.||||Do not skip breakfast or you’ll kick yourself!! Cameron and Jodie have a wonderful selection of home made delights and whether you’re into Continental, or a cooked breakfast, you are in for a real treat. The menu is very detailed in listing the various dietary categories and during our visit, I noted how attentive Jodie was to ensure total satisfaction for another guests numerous dietary requirements.||||Cameron and Jodie are wonderful hosts, who were available if required however, left their guests to relax in the various lounges. I felt very much at home here and would not hesitate to book again. Please see their website for beautiful photos of their home.

We loved our 2 night stay. Jodie and Cameron are wonderful hosts and ooze love and passion for what they do. Breakfast is homemade, local and in season, served on beautiful crockery. We were on the ground floor. 4 poster bed was super comfy, a choice of pillows, warm room and very quiet. The fridge was handy too. We loved the lounge open fire and jazz music in the background with plenty of literature to read . Town within walking distance, and beach a stones throw away. Thankyou Jodie and Cameron for a most relaxing stay. We can’t wait to return!

We stayed one night in this beautiful cosy bed and breakfast and our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer. Our hosts were friendly and welcoming. Our room was elegantly furnished, clean and comfortable. I would highly recommend the breakfast which was of a very high quality. We complimented their Bircher Musli and they kindly offered to e mail the receipe to us. A very relaxing and positive experience.

Our group of 6 booked three rooms at Schouten house for a two night stay.|The room we had was exceptionally clean and functional. We were welcomed by the owners and they took the time to explain the attractions of the area in addition to a history of the property.|Very friendly and warm people. Heating was on in the house on a quite cold two days. Plates and cutlery were provided for our grazing platters free of charge.|Breakfast was magnificent. Try the oatmeal muesli.|We would have no hestitation in staying again and recommending Schouten house to others.|

Loved the house, the decor, ambience, comfortable rooms. Every detail was thoughtful.The afternoon tea was delicious. Cooked short bread and real leaf tea. Breakfast was also delicious, home made bread, baked oats, yogurt, home made spiced apples and honey. Cooked breakfast was exactly the way I like it. Highly recommend! Host was lovely.

In a ten day trip in Tasmania that saw us stay at five bed and breakfasts this took the cake by far. We arrived in the afternoon to a complimentary tea and cookie service (homemade shortbread). The hosts provided us with a special cheese plate (that ended up as our dinner because we were too tired to venture to town) after hours. The next day they packed the most fantastic picnic lunch for our hike at Wineglass Bay. We were the envy of the beach. With all this talk of the food you could be forgiven for thinking that the accommodation was subpar but my fourposter bed with awesome ensuite was also the most comfortable room we had in Tassie. If you don't stay here when visiting Freycinet, you are cheating yourself.