Three days with no wine, limited caffeine and zero sugar – it sounds like hard work.

But when fresh, tasty food is waiting for you at every meal, there’s like-minded women to spend time with, and interesting, informative classes, relaxing yoga and blissful spa treatments to enjoy, the urge for the bad stuff fades.

Resolution Retreats has been a wonderful partner to Informed Investor for many years, but as editor I never felt I had time to take three days for myself and appreciate what they had to offer.

Located on the banks of Lake Karapiro, in the midst of the Waikato countryside, it’s nestled in between fields where thoroughbred mares and their delightful foals frolic.

The front gate opens to a sweeping driveway, which curves past a grand entrance. Walking into the main building through a conservatory-style entrance, with glass walls revealing soothing water lapping large rocks, first impressions are of Japanese-style natural simplicity.

Earth, water, nature, sky – grounding and wholesome, the antidote to digital and daily life overload.

The chalet

I arrive a little later than the other guests for the two-night, three-day fresh start retreat, but this is fine and I am shown around by wellness manager and retreat leader, Casey. She takes me to the spa treatment area, sauna, swimming pool and yoga chalet and hands me my spa treatment schedule and chalet keys.

The gentle walk along the path to my home for three days in blissful sun and silence is a wonderful prelude to what is ahead. The chalet is cosy but spacious for one person – there’s a spa bath, extremely soft bed, and fruit tea.

I’m soon hungry and happy that lunch is being served. It’s here I’m introduced to the other retreat attendees, and I’m happy to discover they are all warm, open, and keen to share the journey together.

The lunch (a healthy pizza) is filling and satisfying and the selection of fruit teas delightful.

I am lucky to be booked in for a Flowpresso treatment at 4.30pm. Prior to that I jump into the indoor swimming pool (I’m the only one there so it’s super relaxing) before heading back to the chalet to change into long pants and t-shirt for the treatment.

Flowpresso originates in New Zealand and involves wearing inflatable wraps with Velcro fasteners that secure around the back, hips, arms and legs. The 22 chambers provide gentle, warm pressure.

Compression therapy

A combination of compression therapy improves lymphatic drainage, encourages circulation and releases toxins. Heat therapy allows you to relax and supports well-being, and deep pressure therapy helps soothe anxiety and releases stress.

It’s unusual but strangely blissful – being cushioned and compressed in a warm cocoon – and I would highly recommend it.

After the treatment we gather for a delicious Massaman curry, talk about our day, and what’s to come. I slink off to blissful relaxation, take a jacuzzi and read my book (the Booker Prize-winning Orbital about astronauts in a space station circling Earth). It’s a rather dreamy end to my chilled day.

On the morning of the second day I decide to be extremely lazy and sleep in while others do early fitness. There follows breakfast, yoga in the chalet and fitness education.

The emphasis of the retreats is “progress not perfection” – it’s a mantra I keep returning to. Casey is an excellent instructor and very good at explaining and unpackaging the hang-ups people have around exercise.

It doesn’t have to be hardcore – even a gentle daily walk, with yoga and strength work on other days – can have an amazing effect.

We take a lovely walk around the retreat, which raises our pulses a little, and head to lunch with a small boost of energy. The food on retreat is extremely tasty and nutritious. Today’s lunch is a hummus bowl with lovely raw vege; breakfast was a healthy eggs bene.

Blissful facial

My afternoon treat is a blissful resolution facial – a first for me. I love spa treatments, but I’ve not experienced a facial before; it leaves my skin feeling plumped, soft and youthful. After the treatment I head back to my chalet for more reading, “me” time and a nap.

Soon it’s time for dinner – and a wonderful creamy mushroom casserole is perfect for ending the day.

When I head back to the chalet, I look through the extensive fresh start workbook. It’s very detailed and covers everything you learn on the retreat – mental health tips, serving sizes, resilience, habits and tendencies, meal planning and shopping.

The retreat philosophy is based on a “wheel of wellness” that’s comprised of exercise, sleep, happiness and nutrition.

A large component of wellness is mental balance and self-care; we are encouraged to list ways in which we will incorporate things that make us happy, healthy and rested in our lives when we return home.

My list includes:

· start horse riding again

· limit sugar

· incorporate yoga into my weekly life

· limit alchohol

· spend more time in nature.

As I sit in the final yoga class on the final day I commit to making these things a reality in my life at home. The fact that I’ve had three riding lessons and taken one horse trek since I left the retreat, that I’m limiting sugar and drinking less, means these resolutions were worth a visit to this retreat.