Schouten House — Hotel in Tasmania

My wife and I had the pleasure of staying with Cameron and Jodie at Schouten House. Upon entering the lovely 1840s house you are greeted by a beautiful front door that, although requiring a slight duck to get under for the tall, warrants a second look. Inside, the accommodation is tasteful and welcoming, as were the hosts.

The individual rooms with self-contained ensuites were delightful, with extensive, comfortable beds full of character throughout. Every requirement and whim was catered for, including recommendations for our stay on the Freycinet and East coast. Local knowledge was priceless and substantially improved our enjoyment of our daily activities.

After a long day exploring, eating and drinking it was a pleasant feeling to return to such a welcoming home and hosts. An extended chat in the reading room before an early night was in order, with the promise of a breakfast to remember the next morning.

Breakfast. Well, Schouten house could do a trade in cooked breakfasts alone. The bread was freshly cooked the night before on site and to die for. Coupled with eggs, bacon and all the sides, we could of stayed and ate all day (although if you would like pancakes, they need to be ordered the night before). Unfortunately we had to leave, and we were saddened to do so. At the price paid for such fine accommodation and service, both my wife and I felt guilty. Our next stay on our "lap" of Tasmania paled in comparison to Schouten House, and we spent our time in St Helens regretting our inflexible schedule. If you do find yourself in or around Swansea, I cannot recommend Schouten House highly enough for an enjoyable, welcoming and...

Schouten House is a beautiful, Heritage listed property, located 100 m from the beach and an easy 5-10 minutes stroll to the centre of Swansea. I called Cameron with a couple of questions and then booked directly, selecting Room 4. Such an easy process. ||||Cameron and Jodie have a beautiful home, carefully modernised without losing that old world charm. Don’t think lace doilies here, think beautiful decor celebrating their home’s heritage, along with luxurious couches to sink into, soft jazz in the background, movies, books and magazines for those relaxing moments. After a day out, it was wonderful to come back and sink onto the very comfortable bed, with the various choice of pillows.||||After the lovely welcome upon arrival and a tour of the lounge and other guest areas, we climbed the stairs to our room. ||||With numerous extras in our room, we had no need to call upon our hosts for anything.||||Do not skip breakfast or you’ll kick yourself!! Cameron and Jodie have a wonderful selection of home made delights and whether you’re into Continental, or a cooked breakfast, you are in for a real treat. The menu is very detailed in listing the various dietary categories and during our visit, I noted how attentive Jodie was to ensure total satisfaction for another guests numerous dietary requirements.||||Cameron and Jodie are wonderful hosts, who were available if required however, left their guests to relax in the various lounges. I felt very much at home here and would not hesitate to book again. Please see their website for beautiful photos...

My wife and I stayed in the Schouten House for one night earlier this month.Swansea is a nice little town that isn't at all touristy on the east coast with a view across the bay toward the Freycinet National Park peninsula. When the term Bed & Breakfast was invented, this house may have been the prototype. Old yet comfortable, with the necessary amenities, but not too fancy. Jodie and Cameron were both great hosts and very fun to talk to. Jodie knows everything about the history of the place. I especially enjoyed my long conversation with Cameron about craft beers as we were about to leave - I was amazed at his knowledge of the craft beer industry in my home town of Chicago, and his advice on Tasmanian brews, which I put to good use! Breakfast was made to order in the morning and the food was excellent. The dining room is barely large enough to accommodate all of the guests, which made for a great group discussion with everyone while we ate. (We amazingly ran into one of the other couples two days later at a lunch restaurant in Richmond - at least 100 km away.) We had no complaints and thought the stay was a good value. We recommend driving (or walking) over to the small Swansea harbor in the morning before breakfast to watch the sunrise as the fishermen launch their boats and head...