Risby Cove Boutique Hotel

We chose Risby Cove to stay for three nights in our three week tour of Tasmania from the UK. I had tried to book either the Sawmill or Boatshed suites but they were fully booked despite me booking over six months ahead ( In the event they were closed for renovation). So I specifically chose The Jetty suite ( upstairs) which also has an amazing view over the water. I knew it was pretty basic accommodation as I had seen the photos but the hotel’s location is perfect for visiting Strahan. To my surprise just before we arrived we received an email saying we had been upgraded to the suite below The Jetty which had been upgraded and to expect some disturbance as works were going on to upgrade the hotel . In the event as we stayed across a weekend the disruption was minimal. I replied that I wanted to be in the room I had booked for personal reasons. The swift response was that yes I would be in the room I had booked, The Jetty. On arrival it was pretty casual, reception under construction, a lady showed us to our room and we were blown away. The renovation is amazing. We chose to have the two bedroom suite as we were travelling with a heap of luggage and golf clubs. The room exceeded our expectations. The bathroom with twin sinks, a stunning round bath which looked like a soufflé dish in a window over looking the water, beautifully appointed. This is where things get a little tricky. The hotel has one of the best restaurants in town and there are many non residents using it. As residents we had booked a table out on the deck but when we went down for dinner at 7pm all of the outside tables were full. We sat inside and when an outside table became free we moved. Please management, nothing is more annoying than non residents having preference over those paying to stay. We enjoyed a lovely meal with a fabulous view over the water. Then it is that same view that is an issue. All diners want to walk to the water and take pictures of the glorious sunsets. Nowhere is restricted access “ Residents Only” ! We had people stroll right under our balcony staring up at us relaxing. People walked passed the new rooms underneath ours looking in on guests. The two prime suites on the front are going to have hot tubs on their deck and a glass of something chilled whilst watching the sun go down in private will be impossible due to the non residents free to roam from the dining room. Management you have a fabulous location, restaurant, upgraded rooms with a glorious view please can you address this issue and you would get my five stars. PS The Railway trip highly recommended and the upgraded carriage. Like wise the Gordon River Cruise on the premium upper deck a flawless experience. I am so glad that we got to visit Strahan it was one of my favourite places in Tasmania.

Strachan is lovely. Hotel in excellent location with views across the water. A 10 minute easy walk to Gordon River Cruises, A 15 minute easy walk to the wilderness train and just across the road a 20 minute return walk to a waterfall, on a woodland track. Unfortunately on arrival of our 3 night stay, our booking through Uk Trailfinders could not be found. A cancellation was found. Not sure how error occurred but I suspect it was due to a recent change in ownership of the hotel. However the staff were very helpful, it took some time but following a few telephone calls and jiggling of rooms they managed to accommodate us, although we had to change rooms after the first night. This was not a problem to us. The hotel is currently being refurbished. The first night we stayed in a refurbished room. This has been done to a very high standard. It was very comfy and luxurious. The second and third night we stayed in a ‘balcony suite’ as per our original booking. This room had not yet been refurbished and whilst clean and comfortable it was very tired and dated. We did however prefer the location of this room as it was a little more private. Once the hotel refurbishment has been completed, I can foresee it will be a wonderful place to stay, although I am sure the prices will reflect the upgrade. Beautiful as the hotel is some of the rooms do lack a bit of privacy. The first room we were taken to, The Theatre I think it was called, whilst beautifully refurbished, both windows of the dual aspect bedroom faced on to the walkway, easily visible to other guests and possibly restaurant guests. So had we stayed in that room (the air con didn’t work and it was a very hot day ) we would have had the blinds closed most of the time. Privacy aside, I would definitely recommend this hotel for its location alone.

Refer to photos. This is what we thought we'd booked back in May 2024 for our stay in Jan 2025. And we subsequently received an email saying how lucky we've were to be in upgraded rooms. But this is what we got ....facing the car park and no view of the water. I did upgrade this review to 2 stars because the bed was comfortable and the bathroom facilities were excellent.

My wife and I spent a very pleasant night at Risby Cove Boutique Hotel on our recent trip to Strahan. On arrival it was disappointing to see the reception area resembling a jumble sale venue-later explained as the area for storing new furniture for the rooms. Our room was newly renovated to a superb standard-it was an absolute stunning room with high end furnishing and a very high quality bathroom. There is a high quality restaurant attached to the hotel that was fully booked on the night we stayed. Overall, Risby Cove comes highly recommended as a superb place to stay, relax and rewind.

Excellent staff and spacious apartment

Great view, could be so good The view is amazing, but the property is dated now. There are extensive room upgrades going on. Not great if you are staying there at the same time.