Holidays with Benefits
Health and wellness travel is booming offering guests the opportunity to put aside the stress of modern life and recharge and reboot. Whether you are looking to lose weight, rev up your fitness game or touch in with your spiritual side, we’ve rounded up our annual feel good list of the best Australian retreats.
BEST FOR COUPLES AND ROMANCE
Elements of Byron
Elements of Byron, one of Australia’s leading luxury resorts, offers a refined and tranquil haven on the outskirts of Byron town. The villas enable guests to unwind in the epitome of Byron Bay nature, offering a perfect, private hideaway for those seeking to be energised and rejuvenated, with cosmic activities available – from daily yoga and meditation classes on the cusp of the Pacific Ocean, treatments at the Osprey Spa to organic de-stress sea salt therapies. Modern Australian and Mexican flavours are also offered at their five newly relaunched and child-friendly food and beverage outlets.
BEST FOR MINDFULNESS
Billabong Retreat
Billabong Retreat is an award-winning retreat close to Sydney offering wellness programs based on ancient wisdom and modern neuro-science. All visits include twice daily yoga, evening meditations and inspiring workshops that explore mindfulness, stress management, nutrition and gut health. Featuring delicious organic whole-foods, treetop cabins overlooking the billabong, a stunning magnesium aqua-therapy pool and most importantly a down to earth friendly relaxed vibe.
BEST FOR RELAXATION
Gaia Retreat & Spa
Nestled in the lush, sub-tropic Byron Bay region of Australia, Gaia Retreat & Spa was established in 2005, the founders Gregg Cave, Ruth Kalnin, Olivia Newton-John and Warwick Evans (affectionately known as G.R.O.W.). Set out to realise a shared dream, offering the highest of standards and service excellence, Gaia Retreat & Spa continues to shine as one of the country’s most authentic, most renowned and most awarded boutique lifestyle pamper retreats.
Gaia Retreat & Spa has established itself as Australia’s most renowned boutique lifestyle pamper Retreat, giving you complete freedom of choice and flexibility to tailor and personalise your experience. Check in any day, select an accommodation Retreat Package that suits and let Gaia take the thinking out of it for you.
The ideal escape from the perils of new millennium living, the 25-acre property offers 25 beautifully appointed rooms, suits and villas, a multi award-wining Day Spa, a heated salt water swimming pool, tennis court, hot-tub spa, sauna, steam room, walking tracks and its own organic garden.
Providing guests a unique and private space to realign themselves physically, spiritually and emotionally: at Gaia, it’s about the whole experience – the staff’s exceptional service, nurturing guidance and wisdom along with nourishing, award winning organic cuisine. The dedicated focus on tailored healing treatments in a safe and warm environment completes the story.
BEST FOR DETOXING
Kangaroo Island Health Retreat
The Dynamic Detox at Kangaroo Island Health Retreat is a hard hitting, truth bomb about the actual meaning of wellness and vitality. Located in Emu Bay on Kangaroo Island, , the program is about focusing solely on yourself, making your health a priority. Described as a holistic health boot camp, the retreat program is designed to give individuals a roadmap to mastering their own wellbeing. Challenging, enlightening and extremely rewarding, clients lose an average of 5kg and 30cm during their time on the Island.
Sue McCarthy has been running health retreats for over 40 years and is a true wellness expert with qualifications in naturopathy and nutrition. Long before the importance of intestinal microbiota became popular in mainstream health, she was teaching the benefits of balanced gut flora to ward off disease (including the connection between gastric issues and mental health). Her detox programs revolve around the anatomy of the digestive system, educating clients on the nutrient density/value of foods, and food as medicine.
Plus, if you are looking for them on social media, you won’t find them! They are bucking the trend by having no social media presence, finding it too image-obsessed. Health is about functionality, not appearance.
BEST FOR DIGITAL DETOXING
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is a complete health and wellness destination to help you rest and re-focus on health. Ecotourism certified, it offers an innovative range of fully inclusive packages with exceptional facilities and unique services, two infinity edge swimming pools, premium villas and Meditation Suites plus the stunning Spa Sanctuary, the largest spa in the Southern Hemisphere. Delicious organic meals, diverse activities and key wellness seminars help guests to recharge in a dedicated low-tech environment set on over 200 hectares of stunning bushland overlooking the coast.
BEST FOR SELF DISCOVERY
Samadhi Retreat
Samadhi is luxurious multi award winning private sanctuary for personal reflection and self-discovery. An exclusive wellness retreat handcrafting a bespoke journey for each and every guest. It is …. Your story. Your journey. Your time. Providing stylish luxury accommodations for more than 15 years, Samadhi has been delivering bespoke retreats tailor made and designed to the modern lifestyle. A distinctly intimate and authentic wellness escape, with a focus on living the ultimate high of emotional freedom as you journey towards a stronger sense of your own purpose and direction. Samadhi delivers an authentic place of personal healing and mindful self-awareness for the discerning guest. As a small intimate meditation-based healing retreat, Samadhi has developed a reputation as “the jewel of healing retreats®”.
BEST FOR PRIVATE ESCAPES
Eden Health Retreat
Set amongst 400 acres of lush subtropical rainforest, Eden Health Retreat is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Eden offers a full daily program with activities such as Pilates, yoga, Qigong, bushwalking, adventure activities, gym classes, as well as a luxury spa and therapies centre where expert health professionals will help you to escape and unwind. All stays are completely catered for with a menu sourced from seasonal, local and organic wholefoods. Eden’s instils a little bit of ‘simple’ back into your lifestyle during your retreat, that will ensure you leave with a renewed sense of energy and vigour!
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