THE FACTS ABOUT THE HENRY JONES ART HOTEL

Australia

The Henry Jones Art Hotel, which opened in October, has already established itself as incontestably Hobart's best hotel. The raw materials are hard to beat: the waterfront site overlooks the harbour from where Scott and Amundsen sailed to the Antarctic; and it is clear why Charles Darwin and Agatha Christie were so enchanted by Tasmania's capital that they contemplated retirement here. Then the building: the former jam factory of Henry Jones, a gruff, bull-necked teetotaller who provided jams for all the world under the label 'IXL'. His motto - 'I excel in all the products I make' - might also serve for the 50-room hotel that takes his name. Kim Millington, general manager and one of its three directors, brashly claimed that he would create the best hotel with the best service and restaurant in Tasmania - brash, because the island's service industry is famously deplorable. Amazing to report, he has succeeded. The Australian Hotels Association recently awarding the HJAH a rash of Bests, including Best Superior Accommodation in Tasmania. What makes it so good? First, the open-plan rooms designed by local architect Robert Morris-Nunn, where modern touches - elliptical spa baths, walk-in showers - are grounded by the exposed beams and stonework of the old building. Chinese silk eiderdowns smother the large beds, and the walls, painted in signature ox-blood ('Henry Jones red'), are hung with significant works by local artists. Second, the Steam Packet restaurant, where South African chef Andre Kropp makes the most astonishing bisque you will ever taste. WHEN TO GO Tasmania is loveliest from December to April ROOM TO BOOK The Peking suite has its own top-hatted ghost CONTACT The Henry Jones Art Hotel, 25 Hunter Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (00 3 6210 7700; fax: 6231 6393; www.thehenryjones.com). Doubles from A$240 (about £100); Peking suite about £310