A Boutique Beach Hotel Reimagined
A short walk from the shore of Cabarita Beach lies Halcyon House, a superbly designed boutique beach hotel with an inspired spa to match.
The former 1960s surf motel has retained its classic beachside feel with a spectacular overhaul by interior designer Anna Spiro and architect Virginia Kerridge. Not one detail seems out of place. Crisp blue and white is the order of the day, echoing through the hotel via striped awnings and daybeds, geometric tiled floors and a mélange of mismatched but harmoniously toned textiles.
Every available wall is decorated with expertly curated artworks and oversized clam shells are filled with fresh fruit. The effect is that, rather than checking into a hotel, you are visiting someone's very tastefully decorated beach house. The spa is a natural extension of the resort's Hamptons-meets-St-Barths style, housed in an airy white building off to the side of the property. Although it overlooks a car park, the minute you step in you are transported somewhere much more sophisticated.
The Spa Boutique and Sodashi Products
As I enter and check in for my massage I am distracted by an enticing wall of Lucy Folk sunglasses and the Spa Boutique, stocked with linen separates from Sarah J Curtis, Bassike and Thierry Coulson. Down one wall is a range of Sodashi products ripe for smelling and taking home. As I thumb through a Slim Aarons tome, it takes me a minute to find the source of the room fragrance.
On the coffee table before me, an oversized clam shell holds half a dozen pineapples. It is an unexpected but delightful twist on the typical oil burners you find in a spa. The ripe fruity aroma is perfectly at home with the terracotta tiles (imported from Mexico, no less) and the white wood-panelled walls.
Custom Aromatherapy and Treatment Rooms
Before I get changed for the steam room, Prashanti gives me a tour of the six treatment rooms, which she tells me are named affectionately by the staff as Pinkie, Mr Mustard, Miss Green, Grandma Blue and so on. Prashanti is also a clinical aromatherapist and has formulated three custom oils for the Halcyon spa, of which I will select one for my massage. They all smell like heaven. They are also nut free but light and do not leave you feeling greasy.
After a quick spin around the gorgeous blue tiled steam room, my therapist Leone collects me from the Relax Lounge and leads me through to my treatment room, Miss Green. I stretch out between crisp white sheets, surrendering to her expert strokes. I am lulled off to near sleep but vaguely remember an excellent pressure point head massage, some very impressive neck work and a foot massage that is definitely worth writing home about.
Room Service and Evenings by the Shore
Halcyon House certainly lives up to its name. A peaceful and stylish place that dreams are made of. The spa experience stays with me all the way into my cavernous bed that night, the memory of those massage strokes mingling with the sound of the ocean lapping just beyond our balcony. I float back to my room in a near stupor, grateful for a short break until my husband arrives toting two tired children. We bundle them into bed and order room service from Paper Daisy. We sit out on the terrace under a blanket of stars, listening to the nearby surf against the shore. The meal arrives on beautiful ceramics with Frette linen, taking room service to the next level with locally sourced, organic produce and a complimentary mini bar. Who needs dining out when dining in is this good?
