The great adrenalin rush of the noughties

Adrenalin sports, pampering therapies, regional food and wine and a new focus on the environment are all part of the recipe for today’s perfect weekend away.

Forget the over-stuffed, decadent nineties when a weekend away was pretty much all about lazing in the spa, eating and drinking too much and falling asleep halfway through a film. Our noughties weekends are much more fun with a balance of activities, pampering and indulgence.

Even before the global ‘green button’ was pushed there were subtle changes taking place to the way we wish to live, work and play. We were already placing emphasis on healthier lifestyles with more exercise and taking more care with diet with a move to quality foods with regionally produced, seasonal ingredients making a comeback against the tidal wave of fast food.

Always aware of changing trends, Weekends For Two property owners also report a rapid growth in the demand for a wider range of ‘feel good’ activities from self-help spa therapies to action packed adrenalin experiences such as sky-diving or scuba diving.

There’s nothing quite like a bushwalk through virgin rainforest or snorkelling on a reef to put our lives back into perspective, or maybe an exhilarating hot air balloon flight at dawn.

Mind you, it can be tough getting up early as I did to go ballooning over the Hunter Valley recently. Just when you think you have some time to relax with a lie in comes the spectre of a pre-dawn start! The result is absolutely worth it as floating over the countryside is a great sensation, looking down on the vineyards, treetops and backyards and spying mobs of kangaroos.

To Sharyn and Rex Cox of Clarendon Forest Retreat the move to feel good activities comes as no surprise as they have long promoted wellbeing and a range of activities and at their property near Forster in New South Wales. Luxury and pampering are always high on the list, so their range of accommodation features many feel good aspects while the latest addition reflects the times we live in – an environmentally-friendly ‘wellness cottage’.

“People are taking better care of themselves now and looking for ways to lessen stress and to balance their lives,” says Sharyn. “Our guests come for all sorts of reasons from the horse riding which is a speciality here to our wellness and healthy eating programs.

“Not so long ago it was the thing to come away and just laze around,” says Sharyn. “Now we find that guests are really keen to be out there doing things like sky-diving, taking diving lessons, mountain biking or horse riding as a part of their weekend experience, rather than just passively observing.

“The weekend is such a short time to make up for all the stress of the working week but it is possible to do a range of things which, far from leaving you exhausted, actually make you feel more alive.”

Obviously good food and a glass of wine are still enjoyed at the end of the day but Sharyn says there’s a whole new attitude to food and dining as well.

“People are caring about what they eat, about healthy choices and finding the right mix for them.”

Clarendon Forest Retreat is one of many Weekends For Two operators who know the advantages of packages which mean that guests can sample different aspects of both the property and the area without having to do all the research and make all the choices themselves.

So, if you crave an adrenalin rush, a self-help weekend or special interest activity the answer is to ask your Weekends For Two hosts what’s available in the area and let them do the planning for you.