Elysia Wellness Retreat Hunter Valley Review Pokolbin

Planning a Hunter Valley escape? Find out what it's like to stay at Elysia Wellness Retreat in Pokolbin. This review covers the suites, magnesium pools, award winning day spa, wellness breakfast and dinner at Oak & Vine. Here's everything you need to know before you book.

The sound of lorikeets is the first sound I hear as I get out of the car and arrive at Elysia Wellness Retreat and swing open the imposing door. The purpose built health retreat was formerly the Golden Door retreat and in 2019 was purchased by Minor Hotels (who also acquired Oaks Cypress Lakes).

Elysia Wellness Retreat is set on 18 acres of land in Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, elevated high above the valley below. There are 74 adults only villas and suites. I open the imposing wooden door and ascend the staircase to the lobby to check in. The hotel's restaurant Fusion is on this level along with a lounge library and boutique. Elysia offers two types of stays: a Wellness Retreat full of programs, seminars, classes and nutritionist led menu. They also offer stays for Leisure guests who want to treat this more like a relaxing hotel with extra amenities. You can often find great deals for Elysia especially during winter and during the week.

That means leisure guests have access to an indoor and outdoor pool, magnesium pool as well as a tennis court, basketball court, yoga studios and gym and plenty of walks among the bushland. There's also the Elysia Day spa, the largest day spa in New South Wales that has over 50 holistic therapies. Meditation Hill sits at the apex of the retreat reached by a circular path where you can enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the property.

Leisure guests are invited to relax and enjoy the bushland, native wildlife and birds. There is no alcohol, tobacco caffeine or food permitted in the common areas including the main lobby and pool area. But there is tea and a coffee machine in your room; these were formerly banned while it was a Golden Door.

At Elysia they have a gentler approach to wellness depending on the guest's needs whether it is a detox or a destress. Leisure guests also have the option to purchase vouchers to dip their toe into any of the yoga, tai chi or meditation classes or seminars. These vouchers are $40 each or $70 for two with a maximum of 2 vouchers per day and include options like myofascial stretch and release, cardio box, feldenkrais or deep water running.

The accommodation loops around in a horseshoe formation and offers vineyard or mountain views. Our vineyard view room #54 is spacious with a footprint of 54 square metres. It is located on the bottom level of the building facing out towards the cluster of trees. The balcony opens up and sunshine pours in on this unseasonably mild winters day.

On the table is a kit to make my own salted caramel bliss balls with recipe - the food here is endorsed by Elysia's on-site naturopath, Gina King and features nutrition rich ingredients and natural sugars. When we check in they tell us that it is a wellness breakfast which pleases Mr NQN enormously.

There's a comfortable king bed in the bedroom and a large television and an open closet luggage area. All of the switches by the bed control the lighting in the room including the bathroom and there's a curtain that you can pull across to darken the room as the blinds do let the light in in the morning.

The bathroom is spacious with a spa bath tub and a separate shower and a sink. Basics like shampoo conditioner body wash and body lotion are provided but the rest will have to be brought in. There is a robe, slippers, pillow, mist and pack of bath salts on the bed.

The seating area has couches and tables as well as a small dining table with chairs as well as a work desk. The kitchenette has a washing machine as well as a small fridge oven and microwave, kettle and coffee machine with cutlery and plates. There is a warning however that the hot plates and ovens are not operational.

Mr NQN has been feeling a bit off for a while so the first place we head after checking in is the Elysia Spa. This award winning spa has 26 wet and dry treatment rooms and is open from 6:30am-6:30pm 7 days a week. One of the best features for leisure guests is the access to the magnesium pools. I became a real convert to magnesium bathing after visiting Hepburn Spa in Victoria and as soon as I heard there were magnesium pools I headed straight for them.

These pools can be accessed by all guests on a complimentary basis and there are three magnesium pools: one in the female and male changing rooms as well as their signature purpose-built signature Watsu magnesium water therapy pool in the spa. This is ideal for couples and is available for hotel guests if there isn't a booking already for spa guests. We enjoy the warm water with gentle jets and climb out feeling measurably better after just half an hour.

I also try one of their 45 minute activator facials. The spa therapist Yulia uses Babor products and this is an intensely hydrating facial that my skin soaks up eagerly, especially in the drying environment of air conditioned rooms.

The 45 minute facial also involves massage and the 45 minutes flies by quickly. Before I know it, I'm stretching like a cat after a long nap and am sipping tea in the spa reception area. She also hands me a list of products used that are available to purchase.

Breakfast is at the Fusion restaurant by the lobby but it does run from 7am-9am which is an early finish (10am on weekends). It is designed for the Wellness Retreat guests to get an early start to their program. We help ourselves to fresh fruit and avocado toast with smoked salmon and capers.

There are also items like chia puddings, bircher muesli, scrambled and poached eggs, sauteed mushrooms and vegetable fried rice and these are all enjoyed in the dining room with views of the Hunter Valley below. Fusion is also open for lunch but not dinner. However there is also another option for Elysia guests for dinner.

Elysia's sister property Oaks Cypress Lakes resort is located around 1km away and its restaurants are open for dinner. There is a complimentary internal shuttle bus between the two properties from 7 am till 11pm that allows guests to access the facilities at Cypress Lakes.

Oak and Vine is Cypress Lakes' Sri Lankan restaurant with food by Executive Chef Vinura "Vinny" Silva who has tapped his Sri Lankan heritage to create a menu with many Sri Lankan classics with a fine dining touch. This is open from Thursday to Saturday from 6-9pm and is delicious so I recommend planning your stay around this.

Take the ambulthiyal cured salmon - normally ambulthiyal is a sour fish curry but here it is used to cure the salmon so that the sourness is tempered. It is paired with crispy pickled fennel and curry leaf creme fraiche and finished with crisp shards of pappadum.

A must order is the treacle and fennel glazed Ceylon tea smoked duck breast. The duck is divine and is served with a tempered beetroot relish, whipped feta and curry leaves. I use bread to mop up every bit of that delicious duck and we ask Vinny for the recipe for the beetroot relish. It goes very well with a glass of First Creek 2022 Classic Shiraz.

And make sure to finish off with the Bibikkan, a Sri Lankan version of a sticky date pudding made with semolina, ginger, coconut and cinnamon with a butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. It is divinely rich and sweet but also very moreish. Pair that with a glass of First Creek Classic Rose 2025 for a great match.

Because wine can be part of a Wellness program too!

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried a wellness retreat? What do you think of this one?