Manager's Blog

February

Mulberry Desserts and vampires!!!

I love February it is when our hundred year old mulberry tree provides us with a sexy and seductive taste of sweet sugar. Paul our chef has taken a challenge to bring an ancient French recipe of mulberry jam and what he has made over our large copper jam pot is simply stunning. The colour is that of blood and the consistency as well, this is kind of scary but blood has never tasted so good. I assure no guest have gone missing!!!!!

So it been a great couple of month and the hotel has been very busy, can’t complain we have been visited by writers, lords and ladies to a few politicians they don’t really count but we did like these ones. The events held at Islington have been simply stunning. From small wedding to birthday parties one coming up is have a 8 course dinner menu designed by Annie Parmentier accompanied by 8 different wines and all for 12 people, how lavish and don’t we simply love it!

Comments have been coming in from our regular guests about the garden and how it has certainly come on in the last year. We are glad too, I think from here on the garden will only improve and age like the finest of wines. The tomatoes coming from the herb garden are sweet and delicious, I and poppie the vicious dachshund are keeping a constant vidual as to insure our guests don’t over indulge, you know who you are!!!

The Islington website will be up dated at the end of the month with new images and a new brochure as well so lots more to show and tell.

The Priory Country Lodge is making a lot of progress and I aim to keep the opening on track for the end of April. Don’t forget as well to check in to the nant distillery website there is a few foundation whiskey barrels still on offer, this offer will never happen again.

So until next month keep in touch see you soon.

The Team....

Christmas & New Year Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Every one!

We hope you had a great time and are now looking forward to the New Year. We can’t wait for the new year with again an action packed year ahead. With the sister property The Priory opening early 2008 and the fantastic and exclusive whiskey distillery NANT due to open at the end of the January, it simply never stops. But I guess that goes for you all as well.

So what’s been happening?, Christmas party for both the staff and the guests have all been completed that's 2 parties and not to mentioned the one Amy and I had in Sydney with her parents and we have my parents christmas in late January so in total that will be 4 Christmas meals, that is what I call getting in to the spirit of things!!!!

Chef Paul and wife Tina have had a baby girl he is one happy dad and we are so pleased as we had to wait an extra week to see her, but all is good and she is healthy and has 10 toes and fingers, that’s all that matters, right?

Christmas lunch with our inhouse guests was a great day we had a total of 14 new "Islington Family Members" in the library, the table was set by the royal butler Daniel who did another outstanding job, (ashamed it can’t look like that all through the meal!!) the day was a sunny day and a pleasant 23 degrees a little different from Sydney and Melbourne but thats what we keep saying about Tasmania, just perfect and if its not just wait 10 minutes and it will be!. The sunset toped it off for it was a magical time for our guests, we thank everyone for sharing our 2^nd full year of operation of The Islington Hotel and being a part of our Christmas 2007!!!

The New Year is a full house, the drink and sumptious canapes on the marble terrece was perfect and then a few guests and staff headed down to watch the fireworks at the water front.

It is a very busy time in Hobart with the Sydney to Hobart race completed and all the boats in the harbour. I managed to see Wild Ots arrive in to win the race, totally amazing and filled with excitement. The boat is worth $25 million dollar and she looked worth every penny. If you havent seen it before its well worth a visit next year. Hope to see you soon if not for next years race..! 

November Blog

Finally summer is here and boy is it a beautiful thing. Me, well I get to get a bit of colour on the skin and start to look a bit normal and what is beyond normal is the garden its must be on steriods. Over the past year you may recal the two roses we planted by the front door, well have a look at them now. It is simply stunning and by this time next year it should have made it way to the top, a perfect and beautiful way to make your enterence into Islington.

November has been quite the award month for Islington and the team and we thank all our dear guests for patronage since we opened nearly 2 years ago, boy time flyes.. So this waht has been happening

Amy collecting the Tasmanian Tourism Council "Highly commended" award for luxury accomodation, Tasmania. Standing on the stage with Daniel Hanna the CEO. She looks just fab, almost to good, can some one say that about their wife, oh well hopefull get me some brownie points!

 

I also attending the AHA Australian Hotel Association winning the higest award for the hotel category of "Best Superior Accomodation" this was a fantastic award and we go now in to the national awards held on the main land in October 08. As I went by myself their is no image to show however just to prove I was there I tooka photo of the notice board, see picture.

With Islington sister property opning next year The Priory located in Bothwell, gate way to highland lakes, alot of activities will be on the cards one such activity is fly fishing and it is important that a bit of research is carried out. I had spent the day with Bob Mackinley from Fish Wild Tasmania. I had an amazing day and saw another part of Tasmania never see before I got bob to show the fish that got away and just how big it was. Bob never lies as well...

More to come so dont for get that special quite and exclusive weekend or mid week stay, see you soon and watch out for our summer and Christmas Newsletter.