I'm just back from an amazing and relaxing 4 days away in Byron Bay.
While Byron is usually a place that we get away to as a family, when I had the chance to go again with my mum for a break I jumped at the chance to experience the town a little differently.
We caught an early morning flight from Sydney to Ballina and arrived at 8.40am with the day ahead of us. We hired a car and headed towards Newrybar for a coffee and breakfast at Harvest cafe and a little bit of retail therapy across the road at Newrybar Merchants.
The sun was out and it was the perfect start to the day.
We then headed up to Crystal Castle at Mullumbimby for a wander around the gardens.
I had been recently but mum hadn't been in years and I was happy to enjoy the grounds again.
It's a totally different experience without the kids ;)
We then headed back into Byron and stopped at The Farm for lunch.
I almost didn't walk in when I saw the sign. Magpies are my worst nightmare in Spring!
It was then time to check into our hotel. We decided on The Byron at Byron.
It was somewhere I had always wanted to stay. We got an amazing 3 night package which included a 1 bedroom apartment, buffet breakfast each morning, a massage each at the spa, dinner for 2 on one night and free bike hire. The resort lived up to all of my expectations, it was so lovely and tranquil. Also the service and food was wonderful and that pool! Stunning!
It was really lovely to wake up amongst the trees and wander down for a leisurely breakfast.
The chia puddings each morning became our favourite!
We mixed it up a bit each day. One of the days we lay near the pool after breakfast and didn't move until 6 hours later. Bliss! We read magazines, had lunch near the pool and just enjoyed the feeling of nowhere to be.
The other day was grey and drizzly so we used time to check out the shops in town, book in for a massage at the spa and catch up with friends nearby for dinner.
3 nights went by so fast. It was so lovely to have that break from every day routine and for my mum and I to spend some uninterrupted time together. I really enjoyed the slow pace of our days.
On our last day we checked out at 11am after breakfast. As our flight wasn't until later that day we were offered the choice of storing our bags and hanging out by the resort pool again but we decided to have one last stop at The Pass ( it felt so weird to be here without the boys!) drive up to the lighthouse and head into Bangalow for a wander through the shops and lunch.
It was then time to return the hire car and head back to Sydney.
Simon and the boys picked us up from the airport and it was wonderful to see their happy faces.
I think they missed me ;)
I came back feeling rested, relaxed and ready for the next 2 weeks of school holidays ahead.
I had lots of questions over on Instagram about where I went, I've listed most of them in this post and the links below. You can read more about our family trips to Byron and see where we stay, eat and shop here and here
Have you had a holiday away by yourself recently? Where are your favourite places to go?
