Review: Golden Door Elysia Health Retreat and Spa, Hunter Valley

Australia’s biggest retreat centre offers guests a renewed sense of health and vitality

For over 25 years, Golden Door Health Retreat has been inspiring visitors to transform their habits and step into the healthiest, happiest version of themselves. Appealing to everyone from CEOs to yoga teachers, the retreat offers a smorgasbord of health and wellness activities, as well as delicious, nutritious meals and treatments to support you on your unique journey to ultimate wellbeing.

It probably goes without saying that this is not your typical Hunter Valley experience. In fact, alcohol is a contraband item (as is chocolate) so you’ll have to save your wine re-stock for the drive home.

Where

165 Thompsons Road, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW

The space

There’s something about the space that provokes internal reflection. Perhaps it’s the sheer expansiveness (there’s definitely no sign of any high rises on the horizon), or the meditation hill, perched in the centre and perfectly placed to greet the sun during morning tai chi.

Maybe it’s the fact that phones are not allowed in any of the common spaces, inspiring you to enjoy a little digital detox. But there’s certainly something in the air that invites you to look within, exploring parts of your psyche that you may not have visited in a while, if ever.

The light-filled space almost demands relaxation

The villas

There’s a slight whiff of the ’90s as you enter your villa (available in one, two or three bedrooms), which feels like a charming combination of old school corporate and modern luxury. There’s plenty of space, a fully self-contained kitchen, relaxing herbal teas, comfortable beds dressed with crisp linen, a balcony overlooking the perfect views and a deep bath if you can handle any more indulgence at the end of the day.

The program

Golden Door is the biggest retreat centre in Australia, so expect nothing less than a plentiful smorgasbord of activities to indulge in – all optional, of course. You can choose from a three-day, five-day or seven-day program, and to encourage guests to live in the moment, schedules are given out each evening after dinner.

The program boasts up to 16 activities a day, with each day bringing new activities, and at least something bound to tickle your fancy – from tai chi, yoga and meditation to seminars on healthy eating, sleep, stress and more. There’s also high-intensity workouts including fun activities bound to get you giggling, like disco cycling and ‘dance yourself happy’ classes. All up, it’s a perfect combination of stimulation and relaxation.

The staff are incredibly professional and helpful, and every effort is made to ensure that you reach your own unique goals – whether it’s weight loss, a health reset or simply rest and rejuvenation.

From tai chi, yoga and meditation – there really is something for everyone

The food

Think fresh, nutritious, delicious and colourful fare that will sometimes leave you feeling full to the brim, and at other times dreaming of a side plate of fries (you’d have to season them with spices though, because there’s no salt on the menu).

Prepared lovingly by the retreat’s executive chef, the menu encourages guests to experience the true flavours of wholesome food, not smothered in salt or oil (but just as delicious). Many guests come with the goal to shed a little weight or simply reset their health, and the food is perfect for doing just that, as well as inspiring you to rethink some of the less healthy eating habits you may have found yourself in. You’ll even have the opportunity to indulge in a cooking class to learn how to integrate some of these meals into your repertoire at home.

The spa

There are three treatments included in your stay – with the option to book extras if you like.

Of course, you’re spoilt for choice with options ranging from a simple Swedish massage to chakra awakening and balancing, one-on-one Zen monk therapy, and Golden Door’s signature treatment –Watsu therapy (a unique, water-based therapy known for its ability to relax you so deeply you feel as though you’re being held in the womb).

The friends

One of the highlights for many is the opportunity to make new friends. Guests consist mainly of bright-eyed middle-aged women and the occasional man. But everyone leaves their age and status at the door and there’s a very friendly and inclusive atmosphere.

Everyone seems genuinely pleased to be there – and many guests organise future stays with their new friends, even making it an annual ritual. It’s an easy place to visit on your own, as you’ll find a nice balance between solo time and socialising with others. You’ll find yourself chatting with other guests like old friends in no time, and returning guests are always happy to share their experiences and guide newcomers in the right direction.

After a few days spent here, there’s a good chance you won’t want to leave, and many guests actually return to participate in the volunteer program – a five-week commitment to living the Golden Door lifestyle and moving towards your own health goals.

The AT verdict

The perfect place to reset, refresh and renew

Score

4/5

We rated

The setting (incredible, peaceful views and an expansive horizon perfect for sunrise and sunset). The food (light, delicious, nutritious and colourful). The incredibly friendly and supportive staff. The opportunity to meet new friends on the same journey to health and wellness.

We’d change

Not a lot. The rooms are more beigey corporate-comfortable than uber luxurious, so if you’re looking for something six-star then you may think the space could use a tiny update. The only problem with the program is FOMO – you’ll inevitably end up missing out on a session or two in favour of a snooze or an extra spa session.

Notes

A three-night program starts at $2280 but this year, to celebrate its 25^th anniversary, the retreat is offering a number of 25 per cent off specials. It also runs regular specialty retreats if you’d like to home in on a particular topic.

And before you go (or bring as the perfect literary companion) read Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – a novel about nine strangers on a remote health retreat. Moriarty was writing the book during her stay at Golden Door.

Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour.

In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

“This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”. Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories.

couple walking in cave — You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves.

A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves

Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories).

The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of.

But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.