Billabong Retreat – A yoga and meditation holiday in Sydney

As an avid fan of yoga, I’ve always wanted to try a yoga retreat. And after discussing it with an old friend (who was equally overworked and stressed), she offered to come with me and help me cross it off my 30 Before 30 list. We researched many different yoga retreats and most were either too expensive, too far away or a bit too “basic” (we’re not going to slum it on our holiday!)

The retreat that best suited our budget and location needs was Billabong Retreat. Located just 45 minutes from Sydney, we were able to book a 4 night retreat for under $1000 each (we put 2 x 2 night retreats back to back for maximum relaxation). This price included accommodation in their Treehouse Cabin, all meals, yoga classes, meditation classes and full use of the facilities.

We arrived at Billabong Retreat on the Wednesday afternoon in a bit of a panic – my friend’s car had started making terrible noises as we approached the retreat. It turns out a screw on the break pad had come loose and it needed to be towed! Deep breaths now. We hurried off to our first yoga class.

Set in a beautiful purpose-built wooden yurt, the yoga room is surrounded by windows looking out to the bush with beautiful stain glass panels in the ceiling.

The style of yoga here was much gentler and more relaxing than I was used to – it took me a class or 2 to fully get into it, but before long I was really enjoying focusing on my breathing and stretching, as opposed to getting a work out. Here is the lovely Basia, one of our yoga instructors.

The retreat centre was perfect for unwinding in-between yoga and meditation classes and meal times. With plenty of comfy couches, chairs and a hammock, I spent many hours sprawled out here reading, napping and gazing out into the bush.

We returned to our rooms to unpack and prepare for dinner. We spent the first 2 nights in the Treehouse Cabin and the second 2 nights in a Treehouse Room. Both were perfectly fine although the Treehouse Cabin has more privacy and an outdoor bath on the balcony!

The meals at Billabong Retreat were healthy, organic vegetarian food. Cooked daily by the lovely chef Mignon, there was always a huge array of flavours and textures, meaning you never got bored (nor hungry, there was always seconds available!)

Here we are helping out in the kitchen :)

An example of a main meal – Miso soup with shiitake mushrooms, omelette, asian greens and brown rice – this was absolutely delicious.

Some snacks on offer during the day – spiced ginger cake and kale chips.

And of course there was always dessert! Which made me very happy. These were stewed pears with almonds, served with a side of ricotta cream. I had advised the retreat ahead of time about my almond allergy and they kindly prepared me a separate dish whenever necessary.

Breakfast was always delicious and featured coconut porridge, fruits, granola, bread and an assortment of teas.

My favourite was the coconut porridge, I ate it every single morning!

There is also an option to book in a facial or massage at the retreat (at an additional cost) and I can’t recommend the massage enough! An hour of bliss located at the Waterside Pavilion by the billabong was truly relaxing and indulgent.

We also enjoyed going on bushwalks and exploring the local area.

We met a horse named Billy who was wearing a fancy jacket.

He was very friendly but disappointed we didn’t have any food. Not sure he would appreciate kale chips.

And this is what I looked like after 5 days of no makeup or hair washing. Very happy and relaxed and thinking high waisted black yoga pants are a good idea.

And finally, a succulent. Because I love them so.

So overall, how did I find the retreat? I had a hard time unwinding during the first day. I was still in a “go go go” frame of mind and it look some time to unwind, relax and realise it’s ok to do nothing for once. By the end of day 5 I didn’t want to leave – I felt refreshed, energised and positive which stayed with me for days afterwards. I’m not going to lie, I did miss meat though (funnily enough I was vegetarian for over 10 years). But I would love to do it again next year!

I am sure by now you are dying to give this retreat a go too. And I have good news! Book a mid-week retreat by 30 November and save $100 per person by using the code ‘guests100midweek‘. Enjoy :)