A weekend away in the Hunter Valley once meant a boozy day of wine tasting, a small child's bodyweight in cheese and a morning hangover.
However, a new plan has been revealed to create Australia's largest wellness resort in the middle of Pokolbin's wine country.
Bangkok-based company Minor Hotels will begin transforming the Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort golf course and the adjoining Elysia Wellness Retreat into an integrated precinct from October.
The renamed Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will be a 340-acre complex with 204 rooms.
The resort will include the existing 18-hole golf course; a spa and wellness centre; 24 meeting and event spaces; two restaurants, including one specialising in Sri Lankan cuisine; a pool bar; and all-day dining.
As part of the planned merger, Minor Hotels will introduce three pickleball courts, an outdoor cinema, a pool bar with a DJ booth, Pilates reformers and outdoor cold-plunge pools.
"We believe the Hunter Valley has all the hallmarks necessary to establish itself as Australia's home of wellness," chief operating officer of Minor Hotels Australasia, Craig Hooley, said.
"From winery visits and long-table lunches to Pilates classes, cold plunges and educational seminars, modern wellness is personal, flexible and increasingly integrated into everyday travel.
"Avani Cypress Lakes Resort has been designed around this shift, allowing guests to incorporate wellness into a family holiday, corporate retreat, golf escape or weekend break.
"The launch reflects Minor Hotels' confidence in the continued growth of wellness-led and experiential travel across Australia, particularly in regional destinations."
Minor Hotels bought Cypress Lakes in 2015 from Singapore's Lasseters International.
The par-72 18-hole championship golf course was built in 1992 and has previously hosted the Jack Newton International Junior Classic and the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic.
In 2019, Minor Hotels completed its purchase of the Elysia Wellness Retreat from Lasseters International.
Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will become the third Avani property in Australasia, following the opening of a site at Mooloolaba Beach in May.
A New Zealand resort in Queenstown is scheduled to open later this month.
