Have a slow day and plan a picnic with Peddly Picnics. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Armed with a map marking the best roads, sights and picnic spots, I head off. This involves a few shared cycle\/footpaths, but mainly roads, and while it\u2019s initially daunting, I soon realise the considerate locals are happy to share the road. \u201cWe had a Kiwi couple in their 70s take these for a spin a few weeks ago,\u201d Jools says before I cycle away. \u201cYou guys are so game for everything, it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peddly Picnics opened for business earlier this year. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Hurtling down one backroad hill, Mason Winery\u2019s vineyard on one side and forest on the other, the smell of fresh mown grass blasts through my nose in an unorthodox cleansing ritual, blowing the cobwebs from my mind. Instead of parking up at a winery, shopping along Gallery Walk or taking a brief hike, which you can do thanks to the chunky bike lock, I settle at Gliders Viewpoint and dig into the cooler, discovering fresh strawberries and cheeses, nutty hummus and sweet palmiers. Sipping my coconut water, I gaze across the view of the Scenic Rim and Lamington National Park, illuminated by giant shafts of sun pushing through the fat cloud. Slowly, more couples join and we silently sit, drinking in the calm.<\/p>\n
One of the many stunning views in Tamborine. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The night ends at the new and oh-so-trendy hotel The Tamborine, a little oasis of white and sage green that blends wellness, nature and pleasure into one highly Instagrammable package. Think sweeping mountain views and 5pm cocktails in the lobby, a serene fitness room, heated mineral spa and pool, plus perfectly positioned fire pits that look out across the mountain ranges.<\/p>\n
A guest room at The Tamborine. Photo \/ Supplied
The Hub at The Tamborine hotel. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
After breakfast, it\u2019s a 20-minute drive south to the newest wellness darling of Tamborine, Sol Elements, a bathhouse that opened this August. The drive itself feels like a preparation: a quiet 20-minute meander through what feels like a Jurassic Park film set, birdsong as thick as the towering rainforest that rises tall on either side.<\/p>\n
Breakfast at The Tamborine. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Sol Elements itself is in Tamborine Mountain Glades, and the building is striking, a circular wooden structure that appears to float on the lake beyond it. Walking through the glass doors and lobby is a Yin Yang Zen Garden with raked stones and nomo grass. Unlike most wellness spots, Sol Elements skips the classic Scandi vibe for something dark and moody, which pops against the bright natural surroundings. There\u2019s an abundance of onyx and copper, warm pendant lighting and rustic textures, including internal walls that look like they\u2019re made of burnt wood.<\/p>\n
Sol Elements bathhouse in Tamborine Mountain Glades. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Sitting in one of the two private suites, I admire the cladding and wonder how they mimicked the colour and texture. It\u2019s only after asking staff I learn it\u2019s the real deal. Guided by master craftsman, Kenji Nishishita, co-founder Russel Raven hand-burnt every piece of wood for the building. It\u2019s a detail that confirms Sol Elements isn\u2019t just about looking pretty (which it does) but physically embodying the intentionality and care it offers guests.<\/p>\n
The secluded suite at Sol Elements. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Inside the suites, I discover black robes and towels, a clay pot of herbal tea resting on a teastove and a fridge filled with health drinks such as a mint and cucumber magnesium drink and coconut water. The first step is the \u201csalt bar\u201d, and while rubbing various flavours of salt across my body does make me feel like a slab of steak, my skin is rendered smooth, soft and smelling like a floral dream. While I don\u2019t typically enjoy cold plunges, I give the private one a whirl, pleased to be alone as I huff and swear in the icy water, lasting a solid 30 seconds before hurrying through a door to a small thermal mineral pool on a private balcony. After defrosting, it\u2019s back inside for 15 minutes in the infrared sauna, a little loop I repeat several times over the next 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re more interested in lakeside views and socialising than seclusion, the communal area offers similar facilities with a generous lakeside view. There\u2019s a \u201csalt bar\u201d for scrubbing, a Himalayan salt cave, cedar wood sauna with a glass window to enjoy the lake and a \u201csilent\u201d steam room. Outside, on the edge of the lake are three magnesium thermal pools and two cold plunge pools. At 11am on a Saturday, it\u2019s lively but not busy (and never will be, since the communal area is capped at 30 guests), and it\u2019s nice to see couples, friends and singles enjoying the space.<\/p>\n
Sol Elements offers a Himalayan salt sanctuary. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
However, the highlight is unquestionably the treatment. I\u2019m ushered into one of the treatment rooms by Mai not for a massage, oh no, no, but a 90-minute \u201cEarthing Immersion\u201d and mini bespoke \u201cAlchemy Facial\u201d, featuring native plant oils and stones gathered from across Australia (with permission from Indigenous Elders), heated and used to balance chakras and knead the tight spots from your body, one knot at a time.<\/p>\n
There are few unique ways to recount a massage, especially brilliant ones. What is there to say beyond the obvious fact that it feels incredible, bordering on emotional, to have another human leisurely, tenderly, work your stiff, dry limbs into soft submission?<\/p>\n
Well, perhaps only that this combination of expert massage and fragrant botanicals in an environment designed for connection and transcendence could render a chronically alert and anxious person (ahem, myself) so relaxed that they float out of the building and halfway to the hotel before realising they\u2019ve left their belongings in the treatment room.<\/p>\n
Jewellery retrieved, I cruise back through the rainforest roads, window down and music off to let the breeze and birdsong in. Then, I delight in the true luxury of letting my tightly wound, fully stacked mind do what my body has over the last two days; lightly wander, slower than it has in months.<\/p>\n
Checklist<\/p>\n
DESTINATION <\/p>\n
Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, Australia<\/p>\n
GETTING THERE<\/p>\n
Fly from Auckland to Gold Coast with Air New Zealand or Jetstar. <\/p>\n
DETAILS<\/p>\n
Sol Elements | solelements.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n Peddly Picnics | peddlypicnics.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n