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Every now and then, I have what I like to call “ahh” moments. Something will cause me to pull my focus out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to sit back and appreciate the beauty of what is in front of me. I had one of these “ahh” moments as I arrived at Nature’s Paradise Wellness Retreat. Situated in Mundaring, about 45 minutes drive from central Perth, it feels a million miles from the daily grind, without actually being that far away at all.

Nature’s Paradise opened at Easter just this year, and owners Neil and Jenny have worked wonders to create such a beautiful space. The forest provides a breathtaking backdrop, and the retreat itself is a grand beauty. Neil welcomed me as I arrived, and gave me a tour of the retreat, which features 3 suites, each with access to the wrap-around balcony, plus a library, a guest retreat area and communal dining and sitting areas. The guest retreat area comes complete with an outdoor, claw-foot bath, hammocks, a massage room and infra-red sauna – just what this city girl’s aching muscles called for!

♥ The view from the Library

♥ The guest retreat area, with hammock seats and bath

♥ The outdoor bath

After showing me the house, we moved on to the gardens. Neil has worked incredibly hard to bring Nature’s Paradise to life, and his passion for the retreat is infectious. We toured the veggie garden, which provides an increasing amount of the produce used in the kitchen, and the various rock paths Neil has created to cater for guests who want to get some fresh air without straying too far from the comforts of their room. I wanted to see more of the forest, and Neil was more than happy to oblige- we walked for about an hour through the trees, stopping to take in some beautiful views of Mundaring Weir and the dam, as well as dropping by the Learning Centre, before coming home for a relaxing herbal tea and a chat with Jenny. On our wanders we spotted an echidna, wandering very lazily over the trail, which shows just how close to nature this retreat really is!

♥ The veggie patch

♥ Mr Echidna

♥ The views of Mundaring Weir

♥ The beautiful forest surrounding Natures Paradise

I have to be honest, at this point I didn’t think my visit could get much better, but it did! At Nature’s Paradise, all food is catered for- guests have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, tea and coffee, plus delicious treats made by Jenny throughout the day, and meals are served in the dining room which showcases the stunning forest scenery.

All food is vegetarian, organic, made in-house and mostly prepared according to raw food principles, but meat-eaters do not despair, you won’t feel like you’re missing out at all!

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Dinner began with a pumpkin soup- warm, hearty and delicious, served with spelt bread, butter and olive oil with balsamic.

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Next was Nature’s Paradise’s specialty- pizza! This pizza was no Domino’s variety though- made in a dehydrator with a buckwheat base full of herbs, and topped with avocado, olives, mushrooms, onion, capsicum and a cashew ‘cheese’, it tasted amazing and was as good for my body as it was for my taste buds! The recipe is a well-guarded secret, but Neil did share some tips with me which I am keen to try in my own kitchen!

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The meal would not have been complete without sampling some of the home made ‘fruit & nut’ chocolates, which were absolutely divine!

Earlier during my tour of the property, I had gushed over the beautiful claw-foot bath on the deck in the outdoor guest retreat area. Jenny was kind enough to run me a macrobiotic sea salt bath after dinner, and as I lay in the bubbling water, looking up at the trees in the night sky, the cool air above me, I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so relaxed. It was truly something special.

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After my bath, I returned to my very spacious room, with its luxurious king-size bed and spa bath ensuite, and fell straight asleep (no prizes for guessing that I slept like a baby!).

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♥ My very spacious Grande Deluxe room

Unfortunately I had to get up well before the sun in order to get back to my day-to-day responsibilities, but even then, Jenny made sure that a beautiful continental breakfast was laid out for me. Had I stayed, I was told that I could have expected a beautiful cooked breakfast, including eggs, buckwheat pancakes, fresh fruit and juices, plus tea, coffee and almost anything else my heart desired!

Nature’s Paradise is perfectly named- it is exactly that! Neil and Jenny are fabulous hosts- so welcoming, generous and knowledgeable- and they have created a place that truly caters for every interest. Whether you want to relax in the gardens, soak in the bath, challenge yourself with a personal training session, meditate or hike in the forest or ride trails through the trees, they have thought of it all! I have been reading lots of articles lately about the benefits of spending time with nature, and I absolutely agree. I left Nature’s Paradise feeling so well-rested, renewed and reinvigorated and would recommend it to anyone looking for a retreat to truly nourish mind, body and soul.

You can visit www.naturesparadise.com.au or telephone Neil 0412 977 487 or Jenny 0403 718 050 for more information.

What do you enjoy doing to “retreat”? What makes you feel rested and renewed? Let me know in the comments below!

Article by Katie, a wellness-focused career girl with a newfound appreciation for the power of nature.

Be well,

xoxo

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Picture a leisurely getaway, the gorgeous late spring warmth and sunshine on your skin as you take part in a beachside morning yoga class before revelling in the delicious heat of a detoxifying sauna, drinking a fresh green juice and then sinking into massage heaven and relaxing by the indoor or outdoor pool for the rest of the afternoon. Sound like much needed bliss?

Infrared Sauna = ultimate relaxation

You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m talking about a Balinese retreat. Thankfully this one is closer than you think! We are incredibly lucky to have Leisa from Embracing Health Retreats making the trip over to WA to host one of her world renowned 8 day ultimate wellness and relaxation retreats in Busselton from the 23rd of November til the 1st of December.

Leisa is a leading Australian naturopath, live and whole (raw) foods expert, fatigue specialist and detoxification expert who is dedicated to making you feel vibrantly alive and renewed during her retreats.

The retreat is being held at the local Grand Mercure Apartments at Geographe Bay, Busselton in November, and offers a week of fun, relaxation and world class health education.

An example of the amazing raw food that will be giving you loads of energy!

“My passion”, says Leisa, “is to bring together groups of people and teach them how they can use everyday foods to improve their health. With the rise of chronic diseases such as obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, there has never been a more important message than how what you eat can change your life.”

And changing lives is what the Embracing Life! Retreat is all about.

So what does this amazing oh-my-god-book-me-in-right-now retreat include?

♥ Luxury accommodation for eight nights
♥ All food and drinks from Friday evening to Saturday morning
♥ All activities including Yoga classes
♥ Two x one hour healing therapeutic massages
♥ Two food preparation classes with our Raw Food Chef Extraordinaire
♥ One magical Art Therapy or Sound Healing Class
♥ A Wu Tao Dance Class
♥ Unlimited use of Sunlight Sauna (bliss!)
♥ Unlimited use of resort facilities
♥ Options for booking extra Day Spa treatments and Colonic Irrigation where applicable
♥ All workbooks and lecture notes
♥ A gift bag on arrival containing lots of free goodies valued at over $100!

Check out the Embracing Health website for more details, including cost and how to book in!!

And tell me…

Have you ever been on a retreat before or wanted to? Did it change you in any way?

I’d love to hear from you! 🙂

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

This is a sponsored post.

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If you’re anything like me, the idea of heading to a spa retreat to completely renew and refresh yourself is high on the wish list. Personally, I’ve never been able to afford the blissful few days of complete relaxation and healthy, gourmet food & technology switch off (I don’t know if I could handle the last part!), but it is a dream of mine to one day be able to go to a health retreat a few times a year to reboot myself.

Which is why I’m so excited that Gwinganna, the holy grail of health retreats in Australia, have decided to come say hi to us WA folk for the first time and present a special wellness event in May – ‘Food, Stress and You‘!

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This inspiring wellness seminar will help you understand more about real food, the way we eat, stress and the factors that really affect your ability to maintain or to lose body fat. Featuring Gwinganna’s nutritionist Caroline Scott, you will leave with invaluable information, tips and the latest research on healthy eating.

♥ When: Thursday 24 May, 6.00-7.45pm
♥ Where: Hyatt Regency Perth
♥ How much: $40 per person and includes: a Gwinganna organic snack plus a selection of herbal and black teas. Book online www.gwinganna.com

The lifestyle seminars are a key component of the retreat’s innovative programs. “Guests constantly tell us the information provided in the seminars is invaluable. Part of our mission is to provide relevant take-home content that helps balance out a busy lifestyle” said General Manager, Sharon Kolkka.

This will be a really special event and tickets are selling fast! I’ve heard rumours of a goodie bag too, which can only be a positive thing 🙂

If you need some help coping with stress, and want to take a look at how food can help you get there, then this event is unmissable.

Let me know if you’re thinking of coming in the comments below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

This is a sponsored post, but my passion for Gwinganna is 100% non-sponsored! :).