MACq 01 Hotel
Situated directly on Hobart’s glorious waterfront is the luxurious, multi-award-winning MACq 01 Hotel, officially one of my new favourite boutique hotels.
At MACq 01 it’s all about telling stories. Stories that have shaped the landscape of Tasmania, past, and present. Everywhere you look there is meaning and a fascinating story behind it - told through the soft furnishings, the antiquities in the hallways, the artworks lining each of the rooms, and peppered through their menus.
Tasked with ensuring Tasmania’s personalities live and breathe through the property, the developers, architects and interior designers of MACq 01 have successfully created a hotel that goes well beyond providing a place to rest your head. Rather MACq 01 can be described as a space that oozes character, possesses a strong connection to place, and is truly an immersive, multi-sensory work of art.
THE ROOM.
With storytelling very much at its core, each of MACq 01’s 114 rooms is linked with one of five Tasmanian character traits - hearty and resilient; colourful and quirky; grounded, yet exceptional; curious and creative; fighting believers - which has inspired the design and aesthetic of the hotel’s incredibly spacious and luxurious rooms.
We stayed in a Superior Waterfront Room, which made the very most of the hotel’s prime location with floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony to savour the picturesque outlook. Like all the rooms and suites at the hotel, the room was modern with a neutral palette, with standout features, most notably an original artwork by Tasmanian artist Troy Ruffels, a deep-soaking bath, and walk-in robe.
Plus, staying in a Hearty & Resilient room (named after William Duke) meant the room featured rough-sawn timbers, rusted steel and bold textures, all to reflect the hardy souls who carved a living in Tasmania’s rugged, isolated environment.
amenities.
All guests staying at MACq 01 have access to dry cleaning, shoe shining, on-demand movies, games, use of the gym, and complimentary valet parking. Plus, the hotel offers insightful storytelling tours which are complimentary to all guests and are led by the hotel’s handful of Master Storytellers - handpicked as scholars of Tasmania’s past.
DINING.
Unsurprisingly, it’s all about locally sourced ingredients at MACq 01’s signature Old Wharf Restaurant and reimagining Tasmania’s traditional family dishes. With such a philosophy, on the menu you’ll find Bruny Island oysters, pan-fried Tasmanian salmon, King Island eye fillet with chips, slow-cooked Cape Grim beef cheek, and of course a homemade Tassie scallop pie.
View the Old Wharf Restaurant’s breakfast menu, lunch menu, and dinner menu.
WHAT WAS ORDERED:
BBQ SEAFOOD PLATE Stanley octopus, romesco sauce, southern calamari, shiitakes, salsa verde, Tassie half shell scallop, citrus dressing.
CRISPY PORK BELLY Winkleigh Farm pork belly, caramelised pear, celeriac and pickled radish
TASMANIAN SEAFOOD CHOWDER Spring Bay mussels, hot smoked wild salmon, Ziggys bacon, potato, cream and herbs.
HOMEMADE TASSIE SCALLOP PIE Bass Strait scallops, local white fish, sauce soubise, creme fraiche pastry, cos salad.
RYE HOTCAKES with lemon curd, blueberry compote, toasted coconut and coconut sorbet.
There’s lobby bars and then there’s MACq 01’s spectacular Evolve Spirits Bar. An unsurprising winner of 2021’s Australia’s Hotel Bar of the Year - as well as a bevy of other equally impressive awards - Evolve Spirits Bar offers guests a sophisticated and intimate place to savour a drink, combining ornate design with rare and local spirits and engaging service.
View Evolve Spirits Bar’s menu.
WHAT WAS ORDERED:
SPRING ROSE Spring Bay pink gin, fresh strawberries, mandarin, chamomile, lemon, rosemary, soda water.
Sit alfresco along the waterfront when the sun is shining or take a seat inside by the bar - adorned with newspaper headlines from decades past - to enjoy a drink or two of your choice in this refined watering hole. On Friday and Saturday nights guests can enjoy the sounds of Tasmania’s top performers with live music from 6pm-9pm.
View The Story Bar’s menu.
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