Wrest Point Hotel and Casino, Hobart - review - Argentina Star

This 4 star hotel, casino and entertainment complex is situated on the foreshores of Sandy Bay in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, Australia. Tasmania, sometimes known as "the apple isle," is an island off the southern most tip of eastern Australia. Wrest Point was the first casino hotel developed in Australia, in 1973. It remained Australia's only casino for quite some time although in recent years casinos have been established in every capital city in the country. Casinos have also been established in Tasmania's second largest city, Launceston, and in Queensland tourist destinations Townsville, Cairns and the Gold Coast.

Wrest Point is Hobart's signature landmark occupying 4.5 hectares of waterfront land overlooking the Derwent River. The hotel comprises a 16 storey tower adjoining the original Wrest Point Motor Inn. The 4 star tower is complemented by the 3 star motor inn rooms, providing the hotel with a flexibility of catering for all sectors of the market. Pretty smart as any casino depends not only on the high rollers but the mums and dads and seniors coach groups that like to play the pokies. Wrest Point has it's share of poker machines in a number of lounges and bars, in addition to the main gaming hall. The complex also boasts a major entertainment centre and very expansive conference and functions facilities. Atop the tower is a revolving restaurant with panoramic views of the Hobart skyline and waterfront.

Rates vary widely on the International Hotel Search.com website with some rather special rates which are not generally available through the hotel direct. The site offered a rate of $143 per night for a harbour front room, whereas most of the rates were in excess of $200 a night. These rates are all in Australian dollars. We took advantage of the $143 rate, which was for accommodation only. All rooms are of a standard size, which is a little on the small size, which seems to be a feature of most circular hotel towers. The furnishings were quite good, a touch tired but well appointed and kept. The carpet, bedspreads, drapes and the coverings on two of the room's 3 chairs, were all a rich red, which was a little overwhelming, however for a casino hotel, not out of place.

The rooms have plenty of drawer space, a standard wardrobe and a mini bar stocked with liquor and confectionary. The mini bar pricing we found was quite over the top. Beers cost $5.30, soft drinks $3.20, shots of spirits ranged from $8 to $9 and potato chips cost $5.80. Complementary tea, coffee and hot chocolate were provided in the room, each of which also has a toaster. The best thing about the rooms is the giant window which looks out over the Hobart harbour. Rooms located in the back part of the tower overlook Mt. Wellington, a quite large mountain adjoining Hobart. There are also rooms with views of the city.

The hotel has a broad range of food and beverage facilities. Adjacent to the lobby is the Birdcage Bar with live entertainment every night. The main gaming hall is nearby. It has a bar and an auditorium called Blackjacks. Concert acts include a number of ageing international stars. At the time of our stay there were no acts but Australian stars (of some years back) Kamahl and The Delltones were expected the following month. The main hotel restaurant provided a lavish buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reasonably priced at $29.50 the buffets offered good value and varied (somewhat) each night. The Asian Restaurant, simply called by that name, opened for dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and whilst untried, has a good reputation. The revolving restaurant on the 17th floor of the tower is Tasmania's only revolving restaurant. Known as The Point the restaurant is a fine dining restaurant, not found too often in hotels these days as most fine dining estblishments have given way to coffee shops, bistros and theme restaurants (mainly Italian). The Point provided an excellent cuisine and service to match.

For the informal meal you couldn't go past The Boardwalk. Opening out onto the water, this terrace offers a choice of inexpensive, pre-prepared meals that were both tasty and plentiful. Whether a hearty soup, fish and chips, a farmhouse pie, Chinese dishes, sandwiches, shepherds pie, or carvey, you'll find it at The Boardwalk. The facility also has a bar. All tables overlook the water and many are located outside.

Directly opposite is a lounge where local entertainers play out 60s and 70s music which appears to be popular in Hobart. Most of the entertainers we experienced were only reasonable and seemed more intent on their breaks rather than their brackets.

Located in the motor inn wing is Regines Nightclub which is principally for the younger set.

The hotel also boasts gymnasium facilities including an indoor heated pool, spa, sauna and exercise equipment. There's a 9 hole putting course, barbeque area, jetty for cruise craft, all weather tennis courts, a visitors information bureau in the main lobby, Thrify Rent A Car desk (which is not manned very often), a hairdresser, giftshop, newsagency, fashion boutique and beauty shop.

The two major features of the hotel, however, are the conference centre and the casino. The conference centre is the leading purpose built conference facility in Tasmania. It has a capacity of 1,600.

The casino features roulette, blackjack, baccarat, Caribbean stud poker, keno, a wheel of fortune and of course rows and rows of poker machines. We are told minimum bets on the tables are from $2, poker machines start at 5 cents. Table games in the main casino are open from 2pm daily, with keno from 10am and pokies from 9am.

Wrest Point, I would say, is the premier accommodation facility in Hobart. It is an entertainment venue which supplements quite acceptable rooms with a large range of restaurants, bars, tourist, casino and conference facilities with a range of live entertainment and sporting facilities. We found the hotel enjoyable, the staff quite friendly and welcoming, and the variety of on-site activity very time consuming. A good value establishment of some long standing in one of Australia's vibrant smaller cities.

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