The Hunter Valley’s wine and food options will have your mouth watering, but its impressive wellness offerings will help keep your mind and body balanced too.
- 4 min read
Check in to a health retreat
Healthy, wholefood-based meals plus a huge program of activities and lush treatments are on the menu at Elysia Wellness Retreat in Pokolbin, the Hunter Valley’s premier health retreat. The wellness programs range from three to seven nights and focus on fitness, healthy eating and rejuvenation, and the day spa is also open to the public for massages, facials and more. The luxurious suites have king-sized beds, bathtubs and balconies overlooking the rolling hills.
Elysia Wellness Retreat, Hunter Valley - Credit: Elysia Wellness Retreat
If you’ve got a group of friends, family or colleagues who all need a little time out, book a private stay at Nu Leaf Retreat. This gorgeous guest house in Pokolbin has 10 spacious ensuite rooms, many overlooking the shiraz vines. There’s a huge commercial kitchen and open plan dining area, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, firepit, yoga studio, gym, day spa facilities and steam room for you to customise your own retreat.
Nu Leaf Retreat, Pokolbin - Credit: Nu Leaf Retreat
Focus on your fitness at Miliya Health Retreat, where bespoke programs focus on reformer and mat pilates, hot yoga and bootcamps. Ice baths, infrared saunas, meditation and breath work classes are sure to relax you. Packages include three nutritious meals a day, prepared by a local chef and using the best local ingredients. Guests can also enjoy on-site wine and cheese tastings. Wind down with a treatment in the day spa before retreating to one of the nine stylish rooms in the aptly named Stables building. Retreats are capped at 18 guests so you're guaranteed excellent service. Keep an eye out for the beautiful horses that call the property home.
Miliya Health Retreat, Lovedale - Credit: Abbie Melle
Indulge at a day spa
Part of the five-star Spicers Vineyards Estate, the small and elegant Spa Anise is open to both hotel guests and the public. Treatments include aromatherapy massages, a full-body treatment and the spa’s very apt signature treatment, the Vino Therapy. The treatment features a rejuvenating facial using products enriched with shiraz and cocoa.
Spa Anise, Spicers Vineyards Estate - Credit: Spicers Vineyards Estate
Chateau Élan at The Vintage is an award-winning resort and golf club that’s also home to one of the largest and most luxurious day spas in Australia. Start on the Hydro Deck and soak in one of the two mineral spas before moving to the float tank where you can switch off from the world. Then retreat to one of the 17 treatment rooms for massages, facial therapies, body wraps and scrubs.
The Spa at Chateau Elan, Hunter Valley
Rolling fields of vines and breathtaking views of the spectacular Broken Back Range provide a tranquil setting for Reflections Day Spa, set on the grounds of Adina Vineyard in Lovedale. Book in for a luxurious package to enjoy scrubs, massages, facials and treatments. Order a cheese and fruit platter to receive a complimentary glass of local wine after your treatment. Inside the Rydges Resort (formerly the Crowne Plaza), Ubika Spa is a calm sanctuary offering indulgent treatments that use the exclusive Skeyndor range of products. The innovative formulas use ethical ingredients and scientific methods to leave your skin glowing. Their hot stone therapy and aromatherapy are popular treatments.
Ubika Spa Hunter Valley, Lovedale - Credit: Ubika Spa Hunter Valley
Reset at an off-grid cabin
Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all. Into The Wild Escapes can offer just that; a handful of tiny homes and off-grid cabins dotted around the Hunter Valley. Set on private farms or in untouched bushland, these secluded retreats are perfect for quiet contemplation, walks in nature, midnight stargazing and disconnecting from technology. Choose between Christopher, Clancy, Madeline and Elizabeth, then switch off from the world.
Elizabeth Cabin, Into The Wild Escapes - Credit: Into The Wild Escapes
Find your inner zen
Feeling too cosy in your accommodation to leave? Book a massage to come to you. Heavenly Hunter’s therapists offer a variety of massage styles but specialise in the Hawaiian therapies of Lomi Lomi and Kahuna. Yoga in the Vines and Wine, Body and Spirit runs private classes in beautiful locations. Their philosophy focuses on balance and a realistic approach to wellness, so you’ll pair yoga, meditation and mindfulness with a tasting of Hunter Valley wines.
Yoga in the Vines, Hunter Valley - Credit: Yoga in the Vines | Hunter Valley VIC
Set on 37 acres of gorgeous countryside in Broke, The Wellness Farm describes itself as ‘the perfect place to disconnect to reconnect’. Dedicated retreats focus on things like yoga, stress and nutrition, and there’s a range of indulgent features like a red cedar barrel sauna, two hot tubs, an ice bath, a float tank and a saltwater swimming pool. If you need a little time back in the real world, the farm is very close to wineries and restaurants.
The Wellness Farm, Broke - Credit: The Wellness Farm
Focus on your fitness
Saddle up for an escorted trail ride through the region’s undulating countryside with Hunter Valley Horses. There are easy 30-minute vineyard rides for beginners or more adventurous 90-minute rides along old stock routes in the Brokenback Ranges. Early risers will want to book in for the Rise and Shine sunrise ride, meandering through the vines and bushland as the day comes to life.
Hunter Valley Horses, Pokolbin
Golfers are spoilt for choice with three championship courses in the valley. Top-ranked courses include Vintage Golf Club, designed by Greg Norman, and Oaks Cypress Lakes. Both have adjoining resorts so you can finish your round with a dip in a swimming pool or a drink at the bar.
Off-road enthusiasts might like to hire a mountain bike and ride the Old Great North Road. Built by convicts to connect the Hunter to the north in 1836, it’s part of the Convict Sites of Australia World Heritage Area. Or grab a map and go further and faster on a Sutton Estate electric bike.
Sutton Estate Electric Bike Hire, Hunter Valley
