Kris Mcintyre » Travel

2012 Weekend Yoga Retreat at Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens

kris — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:57:31 +0000

Located on the shores of beautiful Port Stephens just over 2 hours drive from Sydney and 40 minutes from Newcastle, Peppers Anchorage is the perfect place to relax and unwind for a weekend yoga retreat.

Friday 23-Sunday 25 March 2012: Autumn Retreat
Themes: Autumn cleansing, respiration, elimination, improved digestion.

Friday 17-Sunday 19 August 2012: Winter-into-Spring Retreat
Themes: Spring detox, back strength, flexibility, eyesight and stress release.

Designed especially to suit beginners and intermediate levels of experience, each weekend varies to suit the changing needs of the seasons according to Ryoho (a form of yoga therapy combining traditional Indian Hatha poses with the meridian based healing arts of China and Japan). Yoga, meditation, food talks, beach and bush walks are all part of the weekend.

The weekend yoga escape at Peppers Anchorage isn’t a yoga ‘boot camp’ and we don’t have any ‘rules’. We instead provide a platform for attendees to get as much as they want out of the weekend.

From $536 per person, twin share the weekend retreat package includes two nights accommodation at Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens, six Ryoho yoga and meditation classes, a yoga mat, morning beach and bushwalks and a healthy wholefood menu prepared by Peppers Chefs. Optional treatments (at additional cost) available at Shayna Day Spa.

When not stretching out on the yoga mat, guests can enjoy massage and beauty treatments at the onsite Shayna Day Spa and full use of the resort’s leisure facilities including a swimming pool, sauna and the adjacent beach.

For bookings contact Delise McLean at Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens on (02) 4984 0364 or email delise.mclean@peppers.com.au.

Read about Newcastle Herald journalist, Anita Beaumont’s experience on a recent retreat here.

How to do a Hamam (Turkish bath)

kris — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:07:13 +0000

With its magical mosques, decadent palaces, harems, spice-filled markets and bazaars, Istanbul is a city of sensual delights where dipping your toe in the waters of a traditional Turkish bath (hamam) is a quintessential experience for any holiday goddess.

Dating back hundreds of years, the hamam was to the Ottomans what the day spa is to the modern goddess – a place to bathe, relax, be pampered and gather with other women. Today, modern hamams are scattered throughout the city, but the historic hamams built by the sultans to serve the imperial mosques and the ritual cleansing dictates of the Koran are beautiful examples of the kind of breathtaking marble work and rich decoration that only Islamic architecture can do.

But a trip to the ‘hamami’ (in the local lingo) can be intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. For a start, it’s not a place for the prudish, but its worth baring your breasts and a bit of your soul for the indulgence. Read more

The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, New York, London and Rome

kris — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:28:09 +0000

Like a trusted and impossibly cool girlfriend you rely on to inspire and surprise you, THE HOLIDAY GODDESS HANDBAG GUIDE reveals the secrets of what women REALLY want to know about four of the world′s most fabulous cities: Paris, London, New York and Rome.

Born in a handbag from scribbled tips shared between holiday goddesses whose work, love and life adventures scattered them all over the globe, it will take you where few women have been before.

Release your inner goddess as you follow Audrey Hepburn′s footsteps in Rome, delve into the secret diaries of shopaholics in New York, learn ′chiconomical secrets′ in Paris, where to love the nightlife in London, and how to find to-die-for shoes, lustworthy cult local brands,the best vintage markets, heavenly spas or sanctuaries to escape the hustle and bustle, the most original art, the best live music, where to eat, love, and eat some more.

How to book a Bali villa holiday

kris — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:12:25 +0000

Admittedly, my love of Bali is born out of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. Before Elizabeth introduced me to her version of Bali, I was one of many Australians who mistook the Indonesian island on our doorstep as a stomping ground for our bogan* countrymen and women. In part, it’s true. Any Jetstar flight landing in Denpassar from Australia is likely to be three-quarters full of mullet-hairstyled, singlet-clad lads or surfers** bound for the heaving bars and crassness of Kuta. Move along from Kuta, dear goddesses, and you’ll discover the super-chilled, laid back and affordable Bali that the rest of us come for.

I’ve fallen for the private Balinese villa experience. A well-staffed luxury villa offers most of what you get from a 5-star hotel in Bali – lazy days filled with relaxing by the pool in beautifully appointed accommodation with great food, attentive service and on-demand pampering. And with the price of villas starting at less than the cost of a luxury hotel, it’s incredibly good bang for your buck. But for the uninitiated, searching for a villa is overwhelming because there are so many options to choose from. So, what to look out for? Read more …

Broome, Western Australia

kris — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:20:24 +0000

Located in the northwest corner of Western Australia, Broome is one of the most remote towns in Australia. The first thing that strikes me about it is the surreal starkness and vibrant colours of the landscape. Flat red dirt plains scattered with scrubby bush stretch for as far as the eye can see in one direction and in the other, white sandy beaches lap against turquoise seas with a golden sunset bobbing just above the horizon. The second thing that hits me is the heat. It’s late September and a soaring 32-37 degrees. It’s cause to slow down and soak up the chilled, relaxed vibe that the town is famous for. The township stretches from one of Australia’s most famous coastlines – the 22 kilometres of Cable Beach – to the hub of Chinatown. With its fame and fortune built on the by-gone glory days of the pearling industry, Broome these days has been overtaken by mining and tourism becoming a mecca for travellers seeking a ‘top-end’ Australian adventure. The other thing that makes Broome unique is the people. Its population is a melting pot of artists, writers, musicians, miners and entrepreneurs. It’s also a multicultural mix of nationalities including Aboriginal Australian, Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Timorese shaped by the early days of the town’s pearling history.

Body & Soul Escapes Southern Africa

kris — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:46:12 +0000

The idea of travelling to Southern Africa usually conjures up romantic notions of wildlife safaris and exotic adventure. But if you are looking for a less traditional route to explore this vast and exciting continent there’s an alternative kind of safari for you – via stunning spas, Buddhist retreats and meditation wells. I discovered a ‘Big Five*’ for the body and soul … with a distinctly African twist. Read more …

* The ‘Big Five’ is a term coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used on wildlife safaris referring to the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard.

Image: Bushman’s Kloof, South Africa

Chilling out at the Metropolitan Bangkok

kris — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:43:33 +0000

On my recent travels I stayed at the gorgeous Metropolitan Hotel in Bangkok. Offering an oasis of calm and cool (both in terms of temperature and hip factor), from the hot hustle and bustle of Bangkok, the Metropolitan is located near the CBD and embassy district and is close to the city’s major attractions including the labyrinth of tea houses and dim-sum restaurants in Chinatown, the Old City, Siam Square and the nightlife of Silom-Sathorn and Patpong. In some ways it feels more like being a guest in an elegant home than a hotel. The owner is someone like me – who loves yoga, healthy food and beautiful things with a Zen simplicity. In my room, there’s a yoga mat in my closet and a ‘meditation chair’ in the living room. The whole second floor is dedicated to health and well-being with GLOW restaurant dishing up healthy organic meals and COMO Shambhala Spa with treatment rooms, hydrotherapy pools and a studio offering a timetable of complimentary yoga, Pilates, fitball, core conditioning and private fitness training. Downstairs, acclaimed Australian chef, David Thompson, of Sydney Sailor’s Thai and London’s Nahm restaurants has established Nahm Bangkok, offering an exquisite authentic Thai menu with his signature flair and finesse. For bookings and information visit www.metropolitan.bangkok.como.bz

Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, Broome

kris — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:03:52 +0000

Located in the northwest corner of Western Australia, Broome is one of the most remote towns in Australia. Even more remote is Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, located 119 kilometres and just over an hour’s drive south of Broome, or 27 nautical miles by boat across Roebuck Bay.

I recently checked out Eco Beach on behalf of Australian Yoga Journal – and I loved what I saw. It’s a special place that on first and lasting impressions is both awesomely authentic and in keeping with the vision for an eco-friendly, sustainable tourism project. It feels like a personal invitation to explore a very loved part of this rugged and beautiful coastline from a place that knows what it is.

On offer is the chance to explore an amazing part of Australia, stay in beautiful accommodation (the Eco Tents are like an Australian version of an African Safari), eat yummy food from their organic garden, relaz and they offer daily morning yoga.

Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat is located 1.5 hours drive south of Broome in Western Australia. Eco Beach also runs yoga retreats with visiting teachers throughout the year and offers group bookings to yoga schools and teachers looking for the perfect venue to host a retreat with tailor-made activities schedules and menus. For bookings and enquiries phone (08) 9193 8015 or visit www.ecobeach.com.au

Tashi delek: Bhutan!

kris — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:13:24 +0000

I recently travelled to beautiful Uma Paro in Bhutan to write a story for Australian Yoga Journal. I was there to do a five-night “Yoga, Culture and Camp Retreat” hosted by Uma Paro’s resident yoga teacher, Marie Baker. On top of five hours of amazing yoga, Pranayama and meditation every day, I also had the opportunity to visit monasteries built in the 17^th Century, be blessed by monks in a long life puja (blessing), have lunch at a local farmer’s house and do a two-day trek to the famous cliffhanging monastery, Tiger’s Nest (pictured).

With my Gen.a hat on, I was captivated by the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. Landlocked between China and India, it is in many ways centuries removed from the economic giants it share it’s borders with, but underpinned by its policy of GNH it also feels light years ahead of most developed economies in terms of its approach to big issues like sustainable economic development, environmental conservation and looking after its people.

Implemented in the early 1970’s, GNH was part of the former King, Jigme Singye Wingchuck’s visionary modernization plan that sought to build an economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture. Grounded in Buddhist values, the premise of GNH is built around the idea that social development takes place when material and spiritual development happen concurrently. In some ways it’s like a national experiment in ‘do what you love and the money will follow’.

A precursor to modern approaches to trying to make the world a better place, GNH is built on four solid pillars including: the promotion of sustainable economic development (including its approach to tourism and the management of its natural resources), the preservation of cultural values and heritage, conservation of the natural environment and good governance.

Before I arrived in this fabled Buddhist Kingdom in the Himalayas, I was captivated and intrigued by the idea of Bhutan. On departure, I am left besotted by its beauty, purity and the devotion of its people. I also discovered a new aspect of happiness that is not dependent on good things happening, but happiness for its own sake. So maybe this Gross National Happiness thing works. As modernisation and the impact of globalisation creep in, I pray that this rare country will also keep its own single focus and stillness.

The Dreaming

kris — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:37:45 +0000

Earlier this year I packed my designer wellies and sleeping bag for a taste of Australia’s International Indigenous Festival, The Dreaming.

Admittedly, I’m not much of a camper and have always been slightly intimidated by the notion of outdoor music festivals, but when a ticket to The Dreaming Festival came my way I took it with a surprising burst of enthusiasm. I was in the mood to escape the city, rest in the arms of Mother Nature, get a little dirty and explore cultural expression outside my safe inner-city Sydney world of theatre, Indie-rock and art galleries.

The Dreaming Festival is touted as ‘Australia’s International Indigenous Festival’ and is one of only three festivals worldwide dedicated to the global Indigenous arts space. Drawing crowds of more than 24,000 people over three days and four nights, it includes a line-up of musicians, dance troupes, comedians, artists and performers from around Australia to the Pacific Islands, Africa, Haiti, Canada and beyond. Read more …