AUSTRALIA | Minor Hotels has announced Avani Cypress Lakes Resort, a premium lifestyle and wellness resort set to launch in phases from October 2026 in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley.
The development will bring together the existing Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort and adjoining Elysia Wellness Retreat across 340 acres, creating what will become Australia’s largest integrated resort wellness precinct.
Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will be the largest Avani property in Australasia, offering 204 rooms and suites across two distinct accommodation experiences. Facilities will include an 18-hole golf course, an AvaniWell spa and wellness centre, 24 meeting and event spaces, two concept-led restaurants, a pool bar, and all-day dining.
The resort’s phased transformation will introduce three pickleball courts, an outdoor cinema, a pool bar with a DJ booth, Pilates reformers and outdoor cold-plunge pools. New dining concepts will include Chakraya, a restaurant inspired by Sri Lanka's flavours and culinary traditions.
The resort will also offer a range of flexible packages for hotel guests and Hunter Valley residents, bringing together AvaniWell programmes, AvaniKids activities, golf, hot-air balloon experiences and resort accommodation.
Craig Hooley, Chief Operating Officer of Minor Hotels Australasia, said the Hunter Valley had the attributes to become Australia’s home of wellness.
“We believe the Hunter Valley has all the hallmarks necessary to establish itself as Australia’s home of wellness,” said Hooley.
“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.
Hooley added that 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.
Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will also introduce AvaniWell to Australia, following the concept’s launch at Avani+ Hua Hin Resort in Thailand in 2024. Designed as a flexible alternative to the traditional wellness retreat, AvaniWell enables guests to incorporate wellness into a wider resort stay or take part in a more structured programme.
The existing Elysia Wellness Retreat will be transformed into AvaniWell at Cypress Lakes Resort, integrating 70 wellness suites, a magnesium pool and 26 treatment rooms with 10 Pilates reformers, infrared saunas, outdoor cold-plunge pools and spaces for seminars and group sessions.
The facility will offer multi-day wellness programmes alongside individual treatments, classes and day-spa experiences. It will be accessible to resort guests, day visitors and members of the local community.
Once complete, Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will feature Avani’s global brand experiences, including flexible wellness programmes, meetings and events designed to encourage participation and connection, and AvaniKids activities centred on movement, creativity and time outdoors.
The resort will also strengthen the Hunter Valley’s offering for conferences, incentives, weddings and corporate retreats. Its 24 meeting and events spaces will be supported by programmes that can incorporate yoga, wellness sessions, golf, pickleball and outdoor activities into traditional business itineraries.
Rates and packages for Avani Cypress Lakes Resort will be available from 1 October 2026. The resort’s redevelopment will be delivered in phases, with the first new facilities opening in October 2026 and completion scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.
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