Hobart | The Alabama Hotel

A few weeks ago, while my step sister Jaime was staying with us, we took a trip to Hobart to show her around. When we visit Hobart we usually just stay with friends, but I thought it would be fun to book two rooms for us at The Alabama Hotel (which I've been ogling online for months). I bought tickets to see Ben Folds with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 6 months prior, not knowing who we'd get to mind Theo that night, so Jaime was kind enough to stay back at the hotel while C and I had one of our extremely rare evenings out - thankfully Theo slept the entire time.

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The hotel was really lovely. It calls itself budget boutique accommodation, so there are shared bathrooms and the facilities are simple, but it has a lovely vibe, comfy rooms, the sweetest decor and a wonderful little bar and reading room downstairs with a balcony that overlooks Liverpool Street. It's a nice big step up from a backpackers/hostel but not as pricy as a hotel. It was very comfortable, cute and affordable ($80/night) and I highly recommend it.

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Ben Folds was fantastic. It was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. Even though I've loved his music since I was a little kid (my brother made me a mixtape in the late 90s which I played a lot), I didn't quite realise just what an amazing singer he is, masked beneath his Southern accent and slightly nasal tone. An exceptionally talented musician. And seeing him with the symphony was a total treat. He even made up a song on the spot and directed each part of the orchestra to play along.

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I started reading A Bone Of Fact which was in the reading room at the hotel and I got pretty hooked on it. It's a memoir by David Walsh, professional gambler and owner of MONA. I hope I can buy myself a copy sometime, it was very engrossing.

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