WATER WORLD
Water World - Luxury Travel Magazine
 | |||||
Water World | |||||
| By: Hillary Doling, Issue 33 - Summer 2008 | |||||
| (Noosa Springs Resort & Spa – Queensland, Australia) | |||||
| NOOSA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA HAS SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST SOPHISTICATED WATER SPA TREATMENTS, AND A CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSE TOO. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? | |||||
| It looks a little like a Greek temple with rows of columns, lights twinkling in an elegantly arched ceiling and a statue of Aphrodite (better known as Venus de Milo) presiding over the scene. But this is the hydrotherapy pool at Noosa Springs Resort & Spa – a watery temple of rejuvenation – the perfect place for water nymphs and mermen to while away an hour or two. The design may pay homage to the past, but the pool offers a very 21st century state-of-the-art water workout. A series of cleverly positioned jets massage and pummel different parts of your body, from the soles of your feet to those tension-storing necks and shoulders. You can take your time choosing which jets to experiment with, although the spa recommends completing the whole circuit with a dash into the steam room every so often as you work your way around. I recline Greek goddess-like in this watery Elysian paradise letting the powerful jets do the hard work. By the end of an hour all my muscles seem to have un-knotted. No expense has been spared in the creation of the Noosa Springs’ spa, one year old at Christmas, and the hydrotherapy pool isn’t the only water treat you’ll find here. The private flotation pool, large enough for two, is the only one of its kind in Australia. Once upon a time floatation tanks were coffin-like contraptions with lids that banged shut over your head with a disconcerting clang. The luxury version is a complete room, with artificial stars in the ceiling that gently dim, along with the music, as you relax into the velvet dark. The water, heavy with mineral salts to keep you buoyant, is at body temperature so you hardly feel it lapping against you. Instead you feel as if you are floating weightless in space. The womb-like cosseting is so relaxing that many people actually fall asleep while floating. The spa also offers infrared saunas, a steam room and powerful blitz showers. The treatment rooms are super-indulgent too with their own garden terraces with urns and statues. After treatments guests recline on cream lounges in the relaxation room, and sip herbal teas or juice while the soothing sound of gently flowing water issues from the fountains outside the open windows. The resort is so relaxing you’d think this was an isolated sanctuary, but in fact it is just a short taxi ride from the bustling café culture of Hasting Street, Noosa. For those who want to do something other than get horizontal on a massage table (are there such people?), the resort has a 25-metre lap pool, tennis courts and an 18-hole championship golf course. The manicured greens are surrounded by bush and the Noosa National Park with distant views of Lake Weyba. Melaleuca and Blackwood and tropical rainforest surround the undulating fairways and there’s plenty of water here too, with lakes fed by natural springs in play on many of the holes. While the 19th – the Relish restaurant – is a popular watering hole in its own right. Its terrace has views of the fairway and the national park beyond. Terraces of luxury residences edge the golf course. The two- and three-bedroom apartments are self contained, perfect for couples or a family escape. Babysitting is available and you can hire cots and linen. The sleek, modern apartments have two private balconies and king-sized beds. There is tasteful artwork on the walls and beech wood, beige and cream furniture. The shiny new kitchens have a good range of modern appliances. The apartments also have the obligatory flat screen LCD TVs, without which no self-respecting accommodation can really call itself luxury these days. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| Noosa Springs Resort & Spa: www.noosasprings.com.au | |||||
|
