No sojourn to Tasmania is complete without a trek around Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Enveloped by flourishing forests adorned with button grass, beech trees, and unspoiled bushland, this natural formation is one of Australia’s most mesmerising wilderness areas.
Most visitors spend the day exploring the hiking trails, skipping rocks in the glassy alpine lake, and hiking the mountains, but rarely do they ever stay here. If you want to extend your time in this slice of raw wilderness, there are many options, from cabins to luxury lodges and spas to pamper yourself in.
Here’s our edit of the best accommodation in Cradle Mountain for your next journey to the Alpine region.
Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge
Want to indulge in alpine luxury? You’ve come to the right place. Peppers Cradle Mountain offers stylish modern, apres ski rooms and one of Tasmania’s best dining experiences at Highland Restaurant. It’s considered a destination in its own right, famous for its seasonal menu showcasing local food and wine.
Apart from the amazing meals you’ll have, expect to be a stone’s throw away from walking tracks and the Waldheim Aplipe Spa, where you can choose from a long list of spa therapies. Note: if you book the King Billy Suite, you’ll have your own private hot tub to soak in. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Pumphouse Point
Pumphouse Point is one of the state’s most photographed buildings. The 1940s pump station turned super luxe accommodation is suspended over Lake St. Clair, offering guests a remote experience. Imagine waking up to views from your bed of the deepest lake in the Southern Hemisphere.
If you can’t get a booking in the building on the lake, the hotel has another building on the lake’s edge, offering the same stylish interior and experience. You won’t find art on the walls or Netflix on the TV. It’s about connecting to the land, so turn off your phone (the WiFi doesn’t work anyway) and step into nature.
Cradle Mountain Hotel
Although not as secluded as Pumphouse Point and not as Apres-ski as Peppers, Cradle Mountain Hotel offers a more modern experience, with Scandinavian design split-level rooms, a spa, and proximity to Altitude Restaurant, another well-known local restaurant showing off the region’s produce. Gather around the fireplace, enjoy forest views, and sip mulled wine on a cosy lounge. Don’t forget to try the house-made chocolates.
Tiny Escapes Cradle Valley
When it comes to Cradle Mountain accommodation, you will find the best ones are the ones you can’t see. Tiny Escapes has a trail of loft-style tiny houses plotted in the dense forests of the Black Buff Conservation area.
Each tiny dwelling is completely self-contained, so you can bunker down for a while if you want. The cabins are completely remote and deluxe, giving you the best of both worlds.
Whether you want a cabin perched on a cliff with mountain views or one tucked on the ridge line of the forest with its own unique views, there’s a tiny cabin waiting for you. Some even have outdoor bathtubs.
Felons Corner Wilderness Stay
Burrowed in 90 acres of dark forest, this brooding mountain escape is n ideal option for those wanting to isolate themselves in nature. The boutique cabin, furnished and decorated with Icelandic sheepskins, up-cycled exposed timber beams, and touches of French flair, is cosy, yet, it will make you feel like you’re living in an Architectural Digest issue.
What’s more, the deck bath is a great place to witness the sunset and dark sky ablaze with stars, thanks to its remoteness. If you need to stretch your legs, it’s only a short stroll from the cabin to the top of the hill, which rewards hikers with panoramic views of the Gog Range, Mount Claude, and the misty Mount Roland.
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