Saffire Freycinet: TripAdvisor’s ‘best luxury hotel in Australia’ on the island of Tasmania goes green

What is it? Saffire Freycinet is a super-luxe boutique hotel on Tasmania’s east coast, 190km northeast of the Australian island state’s capital, Hobart. The hotel has 20 spacious suites planted amid native vegetation with views of Great Oyster Bay, Freycinet National Park and the ancient, imposing Hazards Range. Just a short (uphill) hike or boat ride away is the glittering, turquoise arc of Wineglass Bay, which features in various “world’s best beach” lists. Saffire Freycinet itself has captured accolades aplenty, including being named TripAdvisor’s “best luxury hotel in Australia” for the past six years. Why should we consider visiting now? Next year, Saffire turns 10, and is celebrating by implementing a new sustainability programme, called Better Place. Leading up to the launch, the management is gathering data on the location of all the hotel’s suppliers, its connections to environmental enterprises, its electricity and water usage and its landfill waste. Better Place commits to verifiable improvements across all these categories, and staff are undergoing training. Compostable coffee pods, plant-based cleaning chemicals and solar torches are on their way; balancing sustainability with luxury is challenging but, from January, even the in-room slippers will be biodegradable. And how have they been looking after “the place” until now? Saffire’s owners have reduced the footprint of what was a degraded caravan park site by planting 30,000 native plants and, together with the local government, have helped create a freshwater catchment that supplies the nearby town of Coles Bay as well as the hotel. Plastic water bottles have become glass, toilet rolls are sustainably sourced and liquid amenities come in refillable bottles. Dry-cleaning is delivered plastic-free and interactive televisions, rather than paper notices, are used to deliver information. Saffire supports the Department of Parks and Wildlife’s free ranger public-education programmes, particularly promoting awareness about Tasmanian devils, a carnivorous marsupial with an unfair reputation for aggression. People are encouraged to respect and connect with this place, and at sunset guests can witness the pink-tinged granite of the Hazards Range turn purple from anywhere in the hotel. But it’s the complimentary experiences that scream “Tasmania”. What experiences can we get only in Tasmania? There’s nothing more Tassie than a devil. But Tasmanian devils are having a rough time, with 90 per cent of the population having succumbed to a disease that causes cancerous facial tumours. The hotel donates A$20,000 (HK$106,000) a year to fund a part-time research vet who is working on a vaccine. Saffire has two devils of its own, retirees from a captive-breeding research facility that live in luxury (obviously) in a one-hectare enclosure. Guests are educated about conservation as they watch the animals feed. Isn’t Tasmania famous for food? Yes, and you need to try the oysters. To fully connect, wriggle into plastic waders – as unflattering as they are functional – and slosh through a sustainable oyster farm to a bench covered in a white tablecloth. Sip local sparkling riesling as your guide shucks oysters direct from the water and slurp them down amid bemused black swans. For seafood that’s any fresher, you’d need to eat underwater. What’s for dessert? Trading ridiculous outfits, guests zip into Saffire’s beekeeping suits to discover Tasmanian honey. Looking like aliens, they squeeze a smoker to pacify the 60,000 workers in the hive before beekeeper Rob Barker explains the stages involved in honeycomb production. Raw honey has natural antibiotic properties and, like wine, a unique terroir, dependent on the bees’ chosen flowers. With many flowering plants being unique to Tasmania, the bees are turning the environment into honey, and there’s no sweeter connection to place than that. Is the food sustainable? For waistlines, no. The degustation menu features, for example, Stanley Bay scallop millefeuille and Tasmanian wagyu beef with bonito butter. At least 80 per cent of the hotel’s food comes from Tasmania and dishes feature hotel-grown vegetables and herbs. Wine from nearby vineyards, local whiskies and Tasmanian gin flavoured with sheep’s whey wash the lot down. What’s the price tag? Prices range from A$2,100 (US$1,400) to A$2,800 per night for a two-person suite or pavilion. Rates include all meals and drinks (excluding premium cellar beverages), minibar, the experiences described above, guided kayaking or hiking and A$100-A$200 credit towards spa or other experiences.