September in Albany at HideAway Haven Luxury 5* Accommodation

September may be almost over, but love this poem, so thought I would share it anyway

September in Australia

by Henry Kendall

Grey Winter hath gone like a wearisome guest,
And, behold, for repayment,
September comes in with the wind from the west
And the spring in her raiment!
The ways of the frost have been filled of the flowers,
While the forest discovers
Wild wings, with the halo of hyaline hours,
And the music of lovers.

September, the maid with the swift silver feet!
She glides and she graces
The valleys of coolness, the slopes of the heat,
With her blossomy traces;
Sweet month, with a mouth that is made of a rose,
She lightens and lingers
In spots where the harp of the evening glows,
Attuned by her fingers.

We, having a secret to others unknown,
In the cool mountain mosses,
May whisper together, September alone
Of our loves and our losses.
One word for her beauty, and one for the grace
She gave to the hours;
And then we may kiss her, and suffer her face
To sleep with the flowers.

Yoga and flying come together at HideAway Haven

In addition to receiving a total body workout, Aerial Yoga (also known as Anti Gravity Yoga or Inversion Therapy) emphasises having fun while learning new skills, such as safe inversion therapy, which has been deemed one of the most beneficial practices for the body.

The complex movements force you to focus your attention on breathing and rebalancing the body and mind. Every time you breathe and move with purpose, you reconnect.

Aerial yoga builds strength. Moves and poses recruit both the arms and legs, plus a constantly engaged core is required to perform most of the balances. It’s the best way to get an ab workout without even noticing how hard you’re working. 

Why try aerial yoga?

Swinging and turning upside down is just plain fun.

Decompress Your Spine & Improve Spinal Health

Cross Train to Improve Your Pole Fitness Practice

Promote a Healthier Cardiovascular System

Enjoy an Exhilarating Workout

Restore Your Youthful Appearance

Increase Brain Activity Allowing You to Think & Function Better

Bring Peace to Your Mind, Body and Soul

Aerial Yoga Fusion poses release oxygen and nutrients to the brain that penetrate through the skin, and scalp. It is a natural cleanser that enhances skin elasticity and hair growth.

Why not book an Aerial Yoga Retreat at HideAway Haven with Hayley from Radiant Being

Call us and reserve your weekend now. Why not combine aerial yoga with some SUP Yoga for a weekend of fun and relaxation.

Looking for a new challenge? Try SUP Yoga

What is SUP Yoga?

SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard)Yoga is traditional Yoga taught on the water on floating boards. Your mat is a stand up paddle board; the world is your studio and all the elements have been invited – sun, wind, water and maybe the whales … Enjoy learning while adapting to the motion of the board, the continuous challenge to balance, the instant instability created by minor energy and weight shifts, and the focus required to ground while afloat. Change is the only constant in life. On the water learn to flow and enjoy the ride!

At HideAway Haven we offer SUP Yoga Weekend Retreats with experienced trainer Hayley from Radiant Being. why not book a weekend now.

Here are some reasons to try SUP Yoga

It's a better workout.

Since the platform is unstable, you have to engage your core more for better balance

It's more calming.

The sensation of floating helps to alleviate the heaviness that life sometimes throws on our shoulders.

It will help you focus on your breath.

Ujjayi Pranayama, or Ocean Breath, is a popular yoga method for breathing because the "ocean" sound is believed to soothe your mind

It's empowering.

Standing up on a paddle board gives you a unique perspective of both the water and the horizon. It's as close as you can get to walking on water,

It's fun.

It's well-known that novelty is important in exercise regimens in order to stay motivated and happy.

It's beautiful.

Between breathing fresh air, soaking up vitamin D and enjoying the natural landscape, it beats just about any gym or studio out there.

Credit  Huffington Post

Spring time in our award winning garden

Spring in HideAway Haven's Award Winning Garden

It's Spring again and with it comes the warmer weather. It's time for nurturing new growth and life that is starting to show its face in our award winning garden.

We love tending to our garden this time of year, watching the baby birds leave their nests and trying to fly, the butterflies flying around and watching Sammie Jo and our resident skinks enjoy the warmth of the sunshine.

Coffee Pod vs Freshly Brewed Coffee

Are Coffee Pods an Environmental Risk?


Many of our younger guests comment that they would have loved the use of a coffee pod machine during their stay with us. We provide an unlimited supply of Naked Bean Coffee with plungers, espresso machine and a drip filter machine.

As an environmentally sustainable accommodation, HideAway Haven does not offer a coffee pod machine for our guests. Coffee pods, made from plastic and foil, do not degrade and cannot be recycled, clogging landfill sites instead.

The inventor of the American version of the coffee capsule has admitted he “sometimes feels bad” about what he did – and fears for what his creation is doing to the environment.

There is little to no transparency as to where beans are sourced, so we can not be assured that the coffee is sustainably produced.

Pod coffee is not fresh. Fresh coffee is ground right before brewing. Not ground and then nitrogen-flushed in plastic containers.

Though some pods (5%) are partly recyclable we would need to take the time to separate the lid, remove the paper filter, and compost the grounds. Recycling facilities are struggling with the cups falling through sorting grates as they are so small, and still end up as land fill.

As the pod is “cooked” along with the coffee, there are potential health concerns.

A great cup of coffee has approx 20gms of coffee, coffee pods have around 5gm. Pod coffee is twice as expensive as Naked Bean Coffee.

Based on our research HideAway Haven will not offer a coffee pod machine.  If you are not sure on how to use our plungers please ask and we will happily make the coffee for you.

Italian Feast

Supporting Nicola's Dream

At HideAway Haven we love being able to support and encourage others to follow their dreams. Nicola at iSail360 is going to sail around the world as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. We are cooked up a storm in the kitchen for our 8 guests and raised more than $1,000 to support Nicola.

This menu is also available for our guests if pre ordered.  $200 per couple and includes a glass of local red wine.

Menu

Entree - Vegetable Strudle with Gorgonzola Sauce

Main - Pasta alle Felice or Black Rice with baked fish

Dessert - Tiramasu with Strawberries from Freshpict Strawberry Farm

Side Salad with Over the Moon Organics Feta Cheese and HL & BJ Shapland greens

Wine has kindly been donated by GALAFREY WINES and Cameron Bergsma 

Home Made pasta donated by Nilla's Italian Kitchen

HideAway Hostesses are bringing a little part of Northern Italy to the Albany Region

The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges in the world and an endurance test like no other. With no previous sailing experience necessary, it’s a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht, starting London in August 2015. Participants do not need any sailing experience, they must have a good level of fitness, be over 18 - and have a thirst for adventure into the unknown. The race is divided into eight legs and participants can choose to complete the full circumnavigation or select individual legs. We look forward to seeing them in Albany. It is the only race in the world where the organisers supply a fleet of twelve identical racing yachts, each with a fully qualified skipper to safely guide the crew. Nicola is in Team Max. We wish you safe travels, loads of adventures and precious memories. Go Nicola!! we at HideAway Haven are so proud of you!!

HideAway Haven's Values

HideAway Haven's Business Values

OUR CORE VALUES ARE:

To give personalised, warm and consistently exceptional service-

We appreciate there are numerous choices and alternatives our guests have to choose from, and so we set the bar high for ourselves, to provide the highest quality services and products. We constantly challenge ourselves to update and improve. We create an environment where our guests feel this is their home away from home.

To value, respect and support each other-

We firmly believe that care comes from caring and so as hostesses we provide a level of care for our staff and business partners that inspires by example, generates trust, respect, confidence, with open and honest communication and appreciation. We are flexible, helping staff strike a healthy work and life balance.
We treat our staff, customers, partners and suppliers with mutual respect and sensitivity, recognising the importance of diversity. We respect all individuals and value their contributions

To create positive, memorable experiences for every guest-

We meet or exceed our customers' expectations before and during their stay with us. By delighting and satisfying our guests, we ensure the success of HideAway Haven and our team. By serving our customers with a highly personable, proficient, friendly, competent service, and listening to their needs we create special memories and experiences.

To care about and give back to our local community-

We recognise and appreciate our responsibility to be active participants in our local community. We believe in giving our time to community and service organisations. We believe that it is important to give something back and make a difference.
- We participate in ‘Relay for Life’ by walking in the early hours of the morning (only time the guests don’t need us as they are sleeping) and raising funds through donations from businesses we support during the year.
- Our social conscience package is ‘The Ultimate Remedy Is A Safe Haven - Pay it Forward’. We firmly believe in undertaking and giving to people who simply do not take time out for themselves because personal circumstances may prevent it. We desire to provide them with a safe haven; a moment in time for those experiencing life’s most difficult times to rest, to lift up, to reinvigorate and to provide much needed relief. HideAway Haven gifts a two night stay, working with other local businesses in our community who share our values of peace and harmony we organise an experience for these guests which create lifetime memories.
- We support the local economy by spending the majority of our annual purchasing locally such as; labour, goods and services. We source the best quality goods from local business-people who share our environmental focus - this helps keep the environmental footprint low

To implement and demonstrate environmental sustainability-

As luxury accommodation providers in Albany, HideAway Haven is in a unique position to influence our guests on energy efficiency and water use. By taking our own action to improve efficiency in these areas, HideAway Haven can demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and reduce our impact on the environment.
- Modelling best practice in environmental management.
- Ensuring our activities comply with relevant environmental laws and policies.
- Minimising our environmental foot print through sustainable management of resources including land, water, energy, materials, cultural heritage and biodiversity.

Sammie Jo

Sammie Jo is our rescued orphaned joey.  She came to live with us 12 months ago.  She is such a sweetheart.  Raising a joey is a lot of work, but so rewarding.  She is a big girl now and able to survive on her own if that is what she wants, but she still loves her 3 bottles a day and is home right on time for her feeds.  She still sleeps indoors most nights, but that way we can ensure she is safe.  She loves hanging in the office with us and sleeps on the floor while we are working.  She is such good company and makes us laugh.

Guests love feeding her and enjoy spending time with her.  She has the free run of the property and we have never kept her fenced in or tied up.  She has her own diary on our website.  http://www.hideaway-haven.com.au/sammie-jos-diary/