Saffire Freycinet: TripAdvisor’s ‘best luxury hotel in Australia’ on the island of Tasmania goes green
- Celebrating a decade of decadence next year, the 20-suite property is leading the way in sustainable tourism
- Visitors get to meet the island state’s indigenous devil, explore the area’s natural beauty and slurp on the freshest oysters
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.
