Before you arrive

Preparing for your retreat.

Very little is asked of you before you come. This is what happens between your enquiry and your first morning here, so none of it is a surprise.

The short answer: bring less than you think.

A quiet private doorway into a beachside apartment

A retreat here is a private apartment, a plan agreed with you beforehand, and time. There is no group to keep up with, no schedule to prepare for and nothing to read in advance. Most people arrive having done nothing more than answer a few questions by email.

What follows is the ordinary shape of it: the conversation before you book, what is worth packing, how to get here, and what the first day usually feels like.

From enquiry to arrival.

Four steps, none of them rushed. Nothing is booked or paid for until you have seen the plan and agreed to it.

You tell us what you are after
A short note is enough. The retreat planner asks a number of optional questions, and you can skip almost all of them — a direction, your first name and a way to reply is genuinely all that is required.
We talk it through
Deb or Ian read it personally and get in touch the way you asked, about dates, what you are hoping for, and anything that would help us understand what would suit you.
Your retreat plan
A written plan for your stay: the apartment, what is included, the sessions and experiences you have agreed, your food arrangement, and the price — all set out before anything is confirmed.
You decide
Ask for changes, add or remove things, or leave it. Nothing is booked until you say so.

Your plan is written around you rather than chosen from a list, so the more you say about how you would like the time to feel, the closer it lands. Not knowing is a perfectly normal starting point — “I’m not sure yet” is one of the options in the planner.

What to bring.

Clothes you would wear on a quiet beach holiday. Nothing here has a dress code, and every apartment has a washing machine and dryer
Swimmers and a hat. The two heated pools, the spa and the sauna are open to guests during the property’s normal opening hours, and the beach is across the road
Comfortable shoes for the coastal path
Anything you take regularly, including prescribed medication. Keep taking it exactly as you normally would
Something to read, or nothing at all

Your apartment has a full kitchen, a washing machine and dryer, linen and towels, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a balcony or courtyard, so most of what people over-pack for is already here.

If your stay includes meals arranged with local providers, tell us about allergies and dietary needs while the retreat is being planned rather than on arrival, so the arrangements are made around them from the start.

Getting here.

The apartments are on Alexandra Parade in Maroochydore, near Cotton Tree, with the beach and the beachside park directly across the road. There is secure undercover parking at the property.

Sunshine Coast Airport is the nearer airport and Brisbane is the other common arrival point. Airport transfers can be arranged as an optional extra at additional cost, subject to availability — ask while you are planning and we will tell you what is possible, rather than guess at a journey time here.

Your arrival arrangements, including when to come and who will meet you, are confirmed as part of your retreat plan.

The first day.

Candles and a quiet welcome set out in an apartment

Deb or Ian welcome you, show you the apartment and the shared gardens, pools, spa and sauna, and go through the plan with you. If something in it no longer feels right on the day, say so then: it is easier to move a session than to sit through one you did not want.

After that, most people do very little. Sleeping, walking the beach, swimming and sitting still are all normal first-day activities, and nothing is wasted by spending the time that way.

Beach Health Retreat is a non-clinical wellbeing service, not a medical or psychiatric treatment service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000. Lifeline is available any time on 13 11 14.

Before you come.

How far ahead should I plan?

As far ahead as suits you. Availability is the practical limit rather than any rule of ours, so the honest answer is to ask about the dates you have in mind and we will tell you whether they work.

Do I need to be fit, or to have been on a retreat before?

No to both. Most guests have never been on a retreat, and nothing here depends on a level of fitness. Walking, swimming and gentle movement are all optional.

What if I don’t know what I want from it?

A common starting point, and not a problem. Say so when you enquire and Deb or Ian will suggest a shape for the time. If stress or burnout is what is driving it, the emotional wellbeing page is the one to read first.

Can I change my mind about part of the plan?

Yes — before you confirm it, and again once you are here. The plan is a proposal, not something you have to perform.

How much do I need to tell you about my health?

Only what you want to. There is no health questionnaire to complete and nothing you must disclose in order to come. If something would help us shape the time, such as an injury to work around or a reason a particular session would not suit, telling us while we plan means the retreat is built around it.

Is it adults only?

Yes. Beach Health Retreat is an adults-only retreat, for one person or one couple at a time.