43 Degrees Bruny Island — Hotel in Bruny Island

I was deeply disappointed with my stay at 43 Degrees Bruny Island. While the location is undeniably beautiful, the accommodation itself was far from acceptable.

Firstly, there were numerous maintenance and cleanliness issues. The TV was faulty (electrically), and Wi-Fi did not work- we were required to restart the router numerous times- note that “Free WIFI available in all areas” is mentioned throughout the advertisement for the property. This is not something that would usually concern us, however, due to the weather and the nature of the phone reception on the Island, we had picked a property with accessible WIFI and TV etc to enable us to have contact with our children whilst away and “stay in” when the weather didn’t permit other activities. I sent videos of the TV fault to the caretaker who at the time agreed that it “was terrible” however then did not offer any form of fix or compensation.

The accommodation was clearly not cleaned properly. Dust was visible on surfaces, cobwebs across majority of the ceilings, the floors had spill marks that had not been cleaned, and the blanket provided was stained and obviously unwashed. The heat pump, which was located above the bed, was coated with so much dust in the filter that it couldn't be used safely and when turned on blew dust and dead bugs onto the bed. There were also property inclusions on the listing, such as a mini bar, that were not provided.

The most concerning issue, however, was the stagnant smell coming from the drains. The sink emitted a strong, unpleasant odour that made the bathroom unbearable to use, and we needed to place towels in the sink to mask the smell which still permeated even with towels and the door closed. This rendered the spa bath completely unusable due to the smell becoming worse when other items in the bathroom were use. The spa bath (listed as a hot tub/jacuzzi) was one of the key features advertised for this property and the property came at additional cost for this feature. This issue was raised as a hygienic issue with the caretaker, and they advised they were going the send someone around the following day to look at it, we were provided a 4 hour window and when we asked for some notice we were told “they will knock”. On the day it was raining heavily and we were inside the apartment, we raised concerns about the drains being cleaned whilst we were still staying and requested it to be done when we left as we did not want to risk needing to stay in the room during a drain clean when the smell was already so putrid. This has now been used against us and we have been advised that “due to us not allowing access” no compensation will be provided. We requested a later check out as a means of compensation and were advised the only compensation we would be getting would be an additional hour- we declined this offer due to not wanting to stay in the apartment for longer than needed.

The caretaker was unprofessional and abrasive when I raised these concerns. Rather than acknowledging or addressing the issues, they outright denied any problems and dismissed my feedback. I had to firmly advised her to stop messaging me after I informed her that we would be raising our concerns with the booking platform we had booked/paid for the accommodation through. This lack of accountability and courtesy was extremely frustrating.

43 degrees used to be one of our favourite places to stay, and to recommend for others to go when visiting Bruny Island. I expected far better than this substandard experience. Unfortunately now, I would not recommend 43 Degrees to anyone looking for a relaxing or enjoyable stay on...

We were very disappointed with 43 Degrees. I booked our 1 night stay in a queen suite on 17 March 2025 through Booking.com and paid $334. It was to include breakfast and a bottle of wine. On the receipt it stated "Present your photo ID that matches with the guest name and your check-in number upon check-in." I heard nothing else from them but I wasn't worried as I thought there would be some type of reception at 43 Degrees. We arrived late afternoon to find the place unmanned. We saw a notice on the wall in the car park with the name of a lady and a mobile phone number. I phoned her and she told me we were in Cabin 5 and gave me a number to put into a lock box to access the key. We gained entry. There was an information book in the room but it had very little relevant information and no password for accessing the Wi-Fi so I had to call again. She also told me that breakfast would be left outside the door at 8.30am. The Nissan hut was lined with pine board and a had chip board wall around the bathroom area which offered no noise protection. There was no window coverage for the windows at either end of the hut so awake very early. It was quite nicely decked out and looked relatively new. There was one tiny carton of milk which we used in the evening. The breakfast left at the door in a plastic container was a small ciabatta with sachets of jam, vegemite and butter and 2 small ramekins of yoghurt with a topping of muesli. There was no more milk provided to have a morning cup of tea or coffee. After eating breakfast and washing the dishes I read the notice above the sink which said that if the crockery was not washed and put back in the cupboard there would be an extra charge. The hut contained a wine fridge which to us seemed unnecessary. I think that by farming out to contractors the off site reception, catering and probably cleaning services there seems to be a lack of customer care and generosity attached to this accommodation. Another annoying thing was that I couldn't put a review on Booking.com even though I made the booking with them as it was booked through their partner apparently and so no reviews...

We instantly fell in love with Bruny Island, and staying at 43 Degrees Bruny made it extra special. Want to know why?

The studio suites are tastefully decorated, quiet, private, only 5 units in the compound, wallabies and rabbits come to visit at night, the sound of waves makes it more romantic.. it’s just bliss!

We received a nice bottle of Tassie red wine in the room on arrival and breakfast the next morning was simple but delicious. It consisted of a freshly baked bread roll, selection of jams and yoghurt. Breakfast is delivered outside your studio between 8 and 8:30am.

There is a small kitchenette in the room and a gas BBQ on the deck which was clean and works perfectly.free bottle of wine too, which was really nice.

Oh, we loved the spa bath too!

Tips.. wake up early and watch the sunrise from Adventure Beach (less than 5 mins walk away). Bring a nice steak from the mainland for the BBQ. Prepare to take the rubbish with you. Go and find the white wallabies. Make it a point to...