Villa Howden — Hotel in Hobart

My partner and I recently had our wedding at Villa Howden. We had, from start to finish, an absolutely amazing time. We had previously stayed a Villa Howden a few times, so we had high expectations for our wedding day. Jess helped us over the past year plan, arrange and detail the big day's events, and was so wonderful to deal with. When the day finally came, even those high expectations were exceeded by Villa Howden's execution. Little things, like the fact that they prepared the Pavilion area for our guests to hide from the sudden cold change that came through after the ceremony, to the big things, like the outstanding dinner (we had Salmon and Lamb - the Salmon especially was glorious). The staff were uniformly lovely in dealing with, from kitchen to wait staff to hotel. Everyone had a smile on their face and was happy to help. The grounds themselves make for spectacular backdrop for a wedding. We ended up with 38 people at our wedding, and it made for an intimate wedding where we felt the surrounding beauty of Villa Howden really came through. It also made for such an easy, stress free day - the bride was up in the Tower suite from the night before, so getting ready during the day was a breeze, and there was plenty of room for her friends and family to join her. As the groom, I arrived midday and spent time catching up with family, friends, and seeing if there were any last minute questions/changes from VH side....but I ended up just lazing about since they had things so well under control! After the ceremony itself, we did lots of photos at/around Villa Howden, given the natural beauty that surrounds the place. Again, it made for a very easy, stress free afternoon as we didn't have to bundle up and go anywhere, everything was right there for us. Canapes were served, which our guests loved, and bubbly was readily available for the celebration to start. By the time everyone moved in for dinner, our pictures were done and we settled in for a great night of fun and food. We can't recommend Villa Howden highly enough for those thinking of holding a wedding here (and as just a great getaway location for non-wedding events too!). Everything went so well, and we were so happy...

We booked for 25 people way ahead, provided all dietary requirements ahead and paid ahead for Mother’s Day high tea and a friends farewell. Booking was for 1.30pm. They requested we come around 1.45pm. Upon arrival we found they were busy and very distracted and short staffed so decided to enjoy the premises and take pictures etc... By 2.30pm we started losing patience as most of us had other Mother’s Day commitments. We made it a point to sit at the table to get staff attention for service. Food platters came in dribs and drabs of 15 minutes intervals. No drinks provided. When we asked for our glass of champagne which upon booking we were told was part of the high tea, the manager announced that they changed their menu recently and only provide tea now indicating we should have checked the website. We had to pay further for champagne. Our tea order was taken in dribs and drabs. Around 3ish we lost our patience and asked why so much delay for food, the manager said because we were not seated on time they had to reheat our food. But the platters had nothing that needed heating. Very poor variety from what is displayed in their website. They chicken sandwiches were actually Tuna. We had a good time because we planned a few fun things to do there but Wi-Fi wasn’t available, they didn’t have sound system and just kept trying to add to the price but cut cost in quality and quantity of food as well as staffing! It was noticeably intentional as they had over two months of notice from us to plan. Very disappointed at how much the standard has dropped since the change of hands. I have previously booked large family events there and booked accommodations out which is why I encouraged my friends to join for high tea. The current ownership has...

Faulty Towers in Howden

Where to start…

This place looks amazing online, on Lux holiday booking sites, however it has been such a let down. I am giving this a rating of 1 star, only to gain attention! It deserves “maybe” a 2 star.

Let’s start with a breakfast that looks like it’s been cooked by a 10 year old, (see pic) (good thing there was a garden salad, lol) to the torn blinds (see pic). Toast that my Makita would struggle to get through… yum! Spider webs on the windows 2 inches thick..

I had to make the fire in the living room, as 4 guests had already “called” for service and we were waiting 20+ min until someone actually arrived. Cracks in the walls and a pool that wasn’t open - I lost faith in having dinner here and canceled.

After chatting with a few other guests - we all agreed this place was a massive disappointment, and will not be returning.

I am certain there are only 1-2 girls working here in total. Delivering your meals in “Crocks” isn’t the best look ladies… 🤦🏼‍♂️

This place had such high expectations from me, and it was such a let down.

After a bit of Googling - seems it’s changed hands a few times since its peak in 2017-2018. I suspect overseas investment is a key driver to this place being such a disappointment. Lessen to be learnt - do more research!

It’s not all doom… The place is beautiful. Had such potential. The garden is well maintained and truly this place has such charm!

Note to the management- invest in $15 a month and get Spotify, so your lovely music that you play on YouTube isn’t interrupted by ads - it’s a bit of a turn off 🤪

It wouldn’t take much for this place to go from 0-10. A bit of love. More staff. A bit of investment in covering off the “details” from a room that is $300+ a night...