Yes health retreats are definitely having a moment! New ones are popping up all over the place however Golden Door is the OG having been around for over 20 years. I’ve wanted to visit Golden Door for a number of years having heard rave reviews from a list of friends.
After returning home from my last overseas trip I realised you always bring home extra baggage you don’t necessarily want… and I’m not talking about all the shopping! I mean hello extra kilos. For lack of a better or more original word I needed to “cleanse” and thought Golden Door would be the perfect place to do just that.
Before heading to Golden Door I definitely had pre-conceived ideas about what it was “for”. I thought everyone going was looking to get fit or lose weight but I was so very wrong! Yes there were those who were there to lose weight or the typical Toorak mum trying to escape her kids, but many had come for totally different and personal reasons. The friendly and welcoming environment GD creates is able to accommodate everyones individual needs. Some come to grieve the loss of a loved one or a failed relationship and others like myself, come just to rest or run away from the 9-5 daily grind and kick start a healthy lifestyle.
A number of activities are planned daily however there is no pressure to do any if you’re not feeling up to it. If you’re purely there to just relax you can take your self off to the pool and lounge around all day.
FOOD:
As I love food I was a little worried about this when heading to GD. I had ideas of lettuce leaves and water but I was pleasantly surprised. Although I did think I would miss my salt, everything was so flavoursome I didn’t REALLY need it.
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day at home and it still was at GD. Yummy selections of fruit and granola were also accompanied by chef prepared gourmet hot options daily.
SPA TREATMENT:
The whole spa treatment process was very relaxing. I selected my massage ahead of my arrival. I opted for the 50 minute swedish massage which was part of my 3 night package. I could have chosen to upgrade but found that time ample.
ACTIVITIES:
Each day started with Tai-Chi. I found this a beautiful and relaxing way to start the day. You then had the option to go on the daily walk around the gorgeous grounds or aqua aerobics in the indoor pool. Breakfast was then followed by my favourite class of the day “stretch”. I really felt a difference after this.. you don’t realise how tightly you’re wound until you .. un-wind. The rest of the day is then up to you to choose activities as you please! I would highly recommend any of the Pilates, Yoga and Meditation classes. One activity I elected to attend was the breathing class and it was honestly one of my favourite things I took away from this whole experience. During the week you also have the option to attend informative seminars about all things health and wellness! I highly recommend attending all of these if you want to get the most from your stay! You can always take a spin class back at home but the discussions you have during these seminars are unmissable.
I’m not a big coffee or wine drinker so I didn’t suffer any withdrawals from those ..the biggest challenge I came across during my stay was not knowing the plan for the entire week. Each night you received your itinerary for the following day but for someone who loves a plan and quite literally has a list for my lists it was difficult relinquishing control. However towards the end of my stay I came to realise the benefits of just letting go. I’m glad to know I’m not alone on this as on arrival they warn you this is a common “obstacle” many guest face at first.
After experiencing Golden Door first hand its obvious why they truly are the original and the best. I will definitely be back !
The Style Smith was a guest of The Golden Door, however my opinion is always my own.