MONA PAVILLION BY FENDER KATSALIDIS

Once considered to be on the outskirts of civilization, Tasmania is still an island at the bottom of the world. But that hasn’t prevented Australia’s smallest and most remote state from taking center stage by being at the cutting edge of luxury hotels.

Separated by a vast body of water from the south-east coast of mainland Australia, Hobart has been the long-time butt of jokes in its splashier Big Sister cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Yet when The Henry Jones Art Hotel burst onto the scene in Tasmania's capital city in 2004 the global luxe set had to take notice. Set on the waterfront, this 56 rooms hotel merged cool, contemporary design into the original wooden beam and stone walls of this 1820s jam factory and showed just how high-end historic could go here with Australia's first dedicated art hotel. 

The original four pavilions: Arthur (Boyd), Brett (Whiteley), Charles (Blackman) and Sidney (Nolan), have been completely refurbished to reflect the open plan design, opulence,and simple understatement. The four new pavilions (opened in November 2009) have been named for architects who have influenced Australia's architectural landscape: Roy (Grounds), Robin (Boyd), Esmond (Dorney) and Walter (Burley Griffin).

The MONA pavilions perched high overlooking the Derwent River offer the epitome of up-market, first class, boutique, luxury and stylish self contained accommodation in Tasmania built with privacy, indulgence, relaxation and comfort in mind. Admire the sunrise from your private balcony, relax in air conditioned comfort and enjoy breakfast from the gourmet provisions in a 'state of the art' kitchen or in the restaurant. Each pavilion has a private wine cellar featuring wines from Moorilla and Moo Brew Beers.

MONA Pavilions are bold and elegant in design, generous in space and feature modern furniture by young Tasmanian designers, along with a who's who in international pieces all complemented by feature artwork of the highest standard from the MONA collection. All MONA pavilions at Moorilla have access to the heated infinity lap pool, sauna and well equipped gymnasium.

The interiors respond to the external forms, with a luxurious dark mood to the warped aluminium clad pavilion, playing off the angled walls defining the internal spaces. The glazed volumes of the diamond framed apartments elicit a lighter response, reflected in the materials and finishes selected. Each apartment has an individual character, expressed through the forms and finishes, the inclusion of art works from the much anticipated MONA collection and the eclectic selection of furniture.