Travel guide Cygnet

TakeABreak Awards 2009
Winner, Hotel and Motel Accommodation: Cygnet Hotel

The historic Cygnet Hotel has two important accomplishments to celebrate. The first – reaching its 100th year of service in the pretty town of Cygnet which is nestled in the Huon Valley. The second is being chosen as the winner of the Hotel and Motel Holiday Accommodation category of TakeABreak Awards 2009!

Building of this heritage-listed hotel began in 1907 and was completed in 1910. However, you won’t find one hundred years of dust and decay in this place; recent owners John and Helen have been busy with restoration projects to ensure this beauty easily wins awards for the next hundred years. Each room is clean, cosy, loaded with character, and lovingly cared for by friendly staff. With seven Heritage rooms, each sleeping two people (one sleeps three), and seven Budget rooms (for backpackers who prefer a bit of history and style when they take a kip!) there are affordable options for everyone.

This is not a typical generic hotel with room for hundreds. A maximum of 32 people can stay at the Cygnet, so each guest can rest comfortably knowing that staff have time to answer questions and offer attention to the finer details of their stay. Equally, the services available are special. For example, weekend afternoons bring music to the hotel in the form of jazz, blues, and folk music from talented local musicians. Kick back with a Tasmanian wine or a cold beer and allow the music to waft over you.

The Cygnet’s fine dining restaurant, the Black Swan, provides tempting dishes made from the best local produce, with a delightful selection of Tasmanian wines to accompany each dish. Prefer to skip the food and just indulge in some fine wines? The hotel also has a wine bar where you can sample a vast variety of wines and beers. The quaint ambience of this gem is further highlighted by the local art on display, before heading out on the Cygnet Art Trail in search of further masterpieces. Clearly – this is a hotel of style and great character.

The town of Cygnet itself is a delight. Several art galleries and a museum offer interesting displays to those who would like to browse. Rolling hills and peaceful waterways provide a scenic vista around the town, with plenty of excellent spots for romantic picnics. If you are able to plan your arrival to coincide with their annual folk festival, you’ll be able to see the town at it’s brightest and celebrate with the locals.

The Cygnet Hotel is a perfect base for exploring other parts of the Huon Valley and southern Tasmania. Less than an hour from the bustling port of Hobart you can enjoy day trips to this exciting ocean-side city yet return to the simple elegance of a small town hotel.

If you’re up for some adventure, a half-hour drive will take you to the Tahune AirWalk where you can experience the exhilaration of wandering among the canopies of 20-metre-high huon pines, with a 48-metre cantilever above the river. This is not a walk for those with a fear of heights, but is actually an easy stroll regardless of your level of fitness. If you like to live on the wild side, you can also arrange to cable hang glide from one of their platforms.

The Bruny Island Ferry is only a 25-minute drive from the Cygnet Hotel, and well worth a visit. The 15-minute ferry ride takes you out to a nature reserve with dolphins, penguins, a variety of birds and plants, and spectacular coastal rock formations. Cruises around the island are available, and exploring this reserve is truly a photographer’s paradise. Be sure to pack a picnic!

While you’re in the region, you may want to take consider renting a kayak for a romantic paddle, or get your adrenaline pumping by arranging a jetboat tour. The nearby d’Entrecasteaux Channel beckons water lovers and the scenery is breathtaking.

But you needn’t leave the Cygnet Hotel to have a good time. Cosy rooms, excellent service, fine wines, tasteful art, and talented musicians ensure any visitors will be raving about their stay when they reluctantly return home.

For more information or to make an enquiry, please go to the Cygnet Hotel listing on TakeABreak to contact the operator direct.

About the Author
Kylie-Jane Degeling is a freelance writer who has lived in Adelaide, Yulara (Uluru), Alice Springs and Canberra, as well as five different countries throughout the world. After backpacking around Australia, she worked as a tour guide in Central Australia, before training for her Commercial Pilot License and working as a flight instructor, scenic flight and charter pilot. She later worked as a travelling IT trainer for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which involved spending time in each of their 16 District Offices around the country on a rotating basis.

Having experienced Australia as a backpacker, tour guide, pilot and business traveller, Kylie now enjoys family holidays with her husband Alex, and children Jezzy and Jordan. She says, “I have been lucky to see Australia from a variety of perspectives, and as a travel writer can use this experience to inspire others to find holidays they would enjoy.”  Kylie currently works as a travel writer in addition to being a government writer and columnist for two parenting magazines.