Who knew there were chic boutiques and fabulous rural restaurants right down the (country) road from Gaia Retreat & Spa in charming Newrybar? Well there are and the very stylish town of Bangalow is also only a ten minute drive away.
So take a break from the serenity of Gaia and head for the hills… I promise you the adventure will be worth it!
NEWRYBAR
Harvest Deli … Ok I will admit this is where to get your caffeine fix when in residence at Gaia. You can walk a country mile or the retreat can drop you here for a bit of retail therapy and coffee. Next door is the bustling Harvest Cafe serving fresh, local, organic food (most from their very own farm) for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Wait till you see the refurbished 99 year-old bakery adjoining Harvest, it’s fab! P.S my flat white coffee was $2.00… I kid you not!
HARVEST CAFE – 18 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar NSW 2479
Also worth a look: Country House Antiques (where”Old Can Be Beautiful”!) and Driftlab – a groovy clothing store specialising in creative fashions and accessories from artisans near and far. Both are located right near Harvest Cafe on the Old Pacific Highway Newrybar.
BANGALOW
I had just enough time to whirl around the “best of the best” in picturesque Bangalow before heading back to the luxury of Gaia and that delicious cuisine.. though I have to admit, it was a hard decision to choose between eating at Gaia or one of the attractive restaurants in Bangalow.
Don’t miss Red Ginger, an asian food and home emporium so authentic and chic you would swear you were in a chinese tea house in Hong Kong. It’s all home-made dim sum here and rustic Chinese homewares you can’t put down… a feast for the eyes.
RED GINGER 2/38 Byron Street, Bangalow NSW 2479
Island Luxe
The lifestyle temple Island Luxe was a total surprise for me, I had not expected a collection of such stylish homewares and fashion to exist in these hills behind Byron Bay. A cool collection of men’s and women’s wear (they stock a nicely curated collection of the uber cool Garrett Leight sunglass frames too – yes I have a pair!). Never have I seen a better merchandised store… Island Luxe could easily hold its own on Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles… it’s that good!
ISLAND LUXE 62 Byron Street, Bangalow NSW 2479
Oh and I loved Our Corner Store too… expect a hundred year old timber shop which was once the local general store turned into the-shop-with-the-lot! A passionate collection of inspitrational design pieces and accessories all sold from the “new”corner store! Need an anchor hook? You got it!
OUR CORNER STORE Byron Street, Bangalow, NSW 2479
Where's Brent Been? 