PARKLANDS DAY SPA, BLACKHEATH, NSW, AUSTRALIA

I lead a busy city life, sometimes far too busy for my own good, and with a milestone birthday to celebrate, I found myself craving an escape to the Blue Mountains for some much needed R&R. It’s an effortless 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney to the Parklands Day Spa, set amid the picturesque Grose Valley, yet it feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Cruising slowly down the tree-lined driveway to the charming country estate, I pass seven luxury garden cottages set among sprawling English gardens and beautifully manicured grounds, flooded with winter sunshine and a symphonic potpourri of butterflies, cockatoos, geese and ducks. I’m escorted to one of the five double treatment rooms upstairs with a perfect view of the back gardens and a heavenly array of white fluffy cushions and angelic flowing curtains. I find myself exhaling already and all I’ve done is lay down on the table. My massage therapist enters the room and proceeds to give me what can only be described as one of the best massages I have ever had in my life. There was magic moving through her hands and radiating across the table. I could feel the tension in my back and shoulders melting away like freshly churned butter, while nature’s symphony conducted its perfect harmony outside in the gardens. Next time, I am definitely coming back to Parklands as an overnight guest.