GOLDEN DOOR HEALTH RETREAT & SPA ELYSIA
In theory, it’s possible to treat your stay at what is arguably Australia’s best-known health retreat like a low-key, pampering getaway. No-one will stop you spending your days in a cabana beside the pool or indulging in back-to-back Babor facials. But once you’ve been woken at 6am for tai chi, followed by a brisk march around the property and had a how-can-this-be-good-forme clean-eating breakfast (the rice porridge with coconut and lime is a standout), it suddenly makes sense to keep up the good work. Guests are encouraged to try everything on the daily schedule, from yoga to vigorous weights and cardio. The retreat is set high on a lavender-strewn hill in wine country and the irony is not lost when you realise there’s no alcohol served at dinner. “Change your life” is the philosophy here and by the end of your retreat (which can range from two to seven nights), you’ll emerge determined to do just that. Whether or not you resist picking up a few bottles of Hunter Valley semillon on the way home is entirely up to you.