What with scones and towers we nearly missed the 5 pm ferry to Bruny Island. That ferry was the main reason why we chose Bargain Car Rentals - they were the only company that insured a ferry trip to Bruny. The crossing itself took just 15 min but with boarding and disembarking time it added up to half an hour.
The directions to the hotel were:
The directions to the hotel were:
After disembarking from the ferry at Roberts Point, drive south for approx. 30 klms...
I wondered which road I should take, but I shouldn't have worried - there was just one starting at the ferry wharf. It was called Main Road. As we were going south we passed many places which we intended to visit later - a smokehouse, a cheese company, a chocolate factory and a berry farm. Finally we arrived at 43 Degrees Apartments in Adventure Bay.
The apartments were actually located at two different addresses. Both Google Maps and the booking confirmation directed us to Waterfront Two Bedroom Self Contained Apartments at the southern end of Adventure Bay. What we booked was called Beachside Studio Spa Unit and only in the morning of the check-in day we were informed by SMS that it was in a different location. Luckily, at that time we were in a place civilised enough to have Vodafone mobile coverage, namely Hobart, and were able to receive the message, or we would be trying to evict some innocent tourists from their two bedrooms. On arrival we realised that the difference in the number of rooms was not the only one: while the Waterfront qualification delivered the view of Adventure Bay, vistas seen from Beachside Apartments were inexplicably limited to Adventure Bay Road. Possibly, my interpretation of the name was too literal as I expected to see a beach from that place.
On the positive side, "Apartments" also appeared to be a misnomer, they were stand-alone buildings with the only common areas being the yard and the deck. The units were positioned in a manner that obstructed direct line of view between them and created an impression they were completely self-contained. In fact, we only saw our neighbours once - when we just arrived and had to walk between the buildings. The couple was so lulled by the atmosphere of privacy that they were visibly startled when we found them enjoying themselves on the deck in a state of undress close to au naturel.
The hoteliers used a smart way of handing over the keys - a key safe attached to the apartment wall near the entrance. The same text message which gave us directions also contained the safe's code. I liked that trick, it was much better than calling the management and trying to find a garden gnome under which they had hidden a set of keys.
Unusually for a family-operated hotel, we didn't see its owners during our 2 days' stay. We got the keys from the safe, in the mornings a breakfast basket appeared magically near the door, and once we found a card which informed us that the owners tried to visit us but we were away. I wish I met them in person so I could express our gratitude for one particular piece of information they provided, namely the location of white wallabies. They only live on the Bruny Island and we were keen to see them, but without the hint in the booklet put together by Ericka and Peter we would never have found the place where we could reliably meet those beautiful marsupials.
On the positive side, "Apartments" also appeared to be a misnomer, they were stand-alone buildings with the only common areas being the yard and the deck. The units were positioned in a manner that obstructed direct line of view between them and created an impression they were completely self-contained. In fact, we only saw our neighbours once - when we just arrived and had to walk between the buildings. The couple was so lulled by the atmosphere of privacy that they were visibly startled when we found them enjoying themselves on the deck in a state of undress close to au naturel.
The hoteliers used a smart way of handing over the keys - a key safe attached to the apartment wall near the entrance. The same text message which gave us directions also contained the safe's code. I liked that trick, it was much better than calling the management and trying to find a garden gnome under which they had hidden a set of keys.
Unusually for a family-operated hotel, we didn't see its owners during our 2 days' stay. We got the keys from the safe, in the mornings a breakfast basket appeared magically near the door, and once we found a card which informed us that the owners tried to visit us but we were away. I wish I met them in person so I could express our gratitude for one particular piece of information they provided, namely the location of white wallabies. They only live on the Bruny Island and we were keen to see them, but without the hint in the booklet put together by Ericka and Peter we would never have found the place where we could reliably meet those beautiful marsupials.
I can't finish this story without mentioning what I liked most about that hotel - its name, 43 Degrees. In our days when each place on Earth has its proper name, a reference to geographical coordinates makes you feel like an explorer in an uncharted territory. So romantic.
No comments:
Post a Comment