7 day Luxury Wellness Retreat at Earnscleugh Castle
7 day Luxury Wellness Retreat at Earnscleugh Castle
754 Earnscleugh Road, Earnscleugh, New Zealand
Up to 12 in group
January 17 - 23, 2027
Retreat Highlights
- Breakfast, lunch and three-course dinners by private chef Aaron Brunet, MasterChef New Zealand winner, lush and decadent yet plant-based and nutritious, dinner served slow to be savoured, not rushed.
- Craft your own herbal remedies and teas in a hands-on 3-hour workshop with in-house medical herbalist Loran.
- Breathe with a Guinness World Record holder, a dedicated breathwork session with Kathryn during your stay.
- Twelve of the country's finest specialists, spanning sound healing, yoga, breathwork, sleep psychology, massage, lymphatic drainage, astronomy, facials and IV therapy, each exceptional in their modality.
- Retreat into a library, sun rooms, pool decks and breakfast decks, a castle full of stunning spaces to rest, read and simply be.
About this Retreat
Aaron Brunet won MasterChef New Zealand in 2013, praised throughout for a creative, wholesome approach to food. What followed shaped everything he brings to Sanctum 7.
In the years after, Aaron turned to plant-based cooking, not as a trend but as a considered choice rooted in health and a genuine love of what plants can do in skilled hands. He has since written a food column for NZ Herald's Bite and taught plant-based cooking across New Zealand.
At Sanctum 7, Aaron is on-site as private chef for every retreat, preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner each day and introducing every dish himself as it's served. His food is plant-based, largely free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar, with fish available on request. Midway through your stay, guests join Aaron for a cooking class, learning the principles behind the food long after the seven days end.
Andy Davey has built a career around one of the rarest things left in the modern world, true darkness. As a dark-sky guide and advocate, he understands not just the night sky itself but why protecting it matters, and Central Otago's clear, unpolluted skies give him some of the best conditions anywhere to share that with guests.
At Sanctum 7, Andy leads a star gazing night talk during the week, an evening spent looking up rather than at a screen, learning to read a sky most guests have never truly seen without the interference of city lights. The clarity of our night sky has been rated in the world's top 0.001% - we are unbelievably lucky to be located where we are.
It's a quiet, grounding counterpoint to the rest of the programme, a reminder of scale, stillness and how rarely we look up at all.
Angela Connell works across yoga, craniosacral therapy, sound healing and meditation, a combination that lets her meet guests wherever they are, whether that's a body holding tension or a mind that hasn't switched off in months.
At Sanctum 7, Angela leads sound healing sessions through the week, using resonance and vibration to guide guests into a state of deep rest that's hard to reach through willpower alone. Her craniosacral training brings a subtler, more physical layer to the work, a gentle attention to the nervous system that underlies so much of what the retreat is designed to shift.
Guests often describe her sessions as the moment the week's stillness finally settles in.
Asti Renaut brings a naturopath's eye and a medical herbalist's training to every retreat at Sanctum 7. Her work sits at the centre of the personalisation that shapes each guest's week.
Each guest receives a 1:1 consultation with Asti on Monday, alongside guidance into functional testing suited to their biology. Her core trio, Complete Microbiome Mapping, the DUTCH Test and HTMA, gives guests a clear, science-backed picture of what's happening beneath the surface, informing everything from food to supplementation for the rest of their stay.
Asti also hosts a fireside chat during the retreat, an evening given over to conversation and reflection on what the body has been trying to say all along. Guests leave with a naturopathic protocol shaped to their own biology, built to carry the retreat's benefits well beyond the seven days.
Before yoga, there was the stage. Barbara Dawson spent years as a professional dancer, performing alongside major entertainers including Sinatra, Cher and Sammy Davis Jr. across France and Monaco, a career of discipline, precision and grace that never really left her.
Thirty years ago, she found yoga, and it became her second stage. At Sanctum 7, that stage is the Earnscleugh Castle Ballroom, where her morning sessions offer guests a rhythmic, graceful start to each day, movement shaped by decades of performance experience rather than routine instruction.
Guests join Barbara as much or as little as they choose. Nothing on the Sanctum 7 programme is compulsory, and her sessions are there for whoever wants that quiet, grounded beginning to the morning.
Claudia Pinto has trained specifically in Renata França lymphatic drainage, a technique known for the depth and precision of its results, far removed from a standard relaxation massage. Her work moves fluid, eases tension and leaves the body feeling genuinely lighter, not just soothed.
At Sanctum 7, each guest receives three 60-minute lymphatic drainage massages with Claudia, spread across the week, a rhythm designed to build on itself rather than deliver a single one-off treatment. It's bodywork with a purpose behind it, part of the retreat's broader focus on restoration at a cellular level.
For many guests, Claudia's sessions are the moments where the week's stillness is felt most physically.
Kathryn Nevatt has taken the breath to places most people never think to test it, as a freediving World Champion and Guinness World Record holder. Her relationship with breath is not theoretical. It has been trained, tested and pushed to its limits, on some of the biggest stages in the sport.
At Sanctum 7, Kathryn brings that expertise into a dedicated breathwork session during your stay, translating elite technique into something accessible and restorative rather than performance-driven. It's a rare chance to work with someone at the very top of her field, in service of your rest rather than your record.
Guests leave with a practical breathwork tool they can return to long after the retreat ends, one small piece of Kathryn's world made usable in daily life.
Kris Maddren is a Master Health Coach specialising in metabolic health, someone who understands that real change rarely happens in the moment, it happens in what comes after. That focus on what sticks is exactly what shapes his role at Sanctum 7.
Unlike the rest of the team, Kris isn't physically present on retreat. His work begins where the week ends, providing a post-retreat remote service that helps guests carry what they've learned about their own bodies into daily life, long after they've left the castle behind.
For guests worried the benefits of a week away might fade once they're home, Kris is the answer to exactly that concern.
Loran Verpillot works as a medical herbalist and educator, someone who has spent her career translating the knowledge held in plants into practical, usable remedies. It's a discipline built on patience, precision and a genuine respect for what nature can do when properly understood.
At Sanctum 7, Loran runs a 3-hour herbal remedy and tea making workshop during the week, a hands-on session where guests craft their own remedies and teas rather than simply hearing about them. It's one of the retreat's more tactile experiences, knowledge you leave holding in your own hands, not just in your notes.
Guests take home both the remedies they've made and the confidence to keep making them
Sleep is where Margrethe Helles, known as Mags, has spent her career, backed by a Master's in Psychology and a deep understanding of the science behind rest. Where others see sleep as simply the absence of wakefulness, Mags treats it as its own discipline, one that shapes everything from mood to metabolism when it's finally working the way it should.
At Sanctum 7, Mags offers a paid sleep consultancy add-on, a 1:1 dive into the specific patterns keeping a guest from truly resting, and the practical shifts that can change that at home, not just for the week.
For guests who've tried everything and still can't switch off, this is often the piece of the retreat they didn't know they needed.
Sian Naus is a Registered Nurse specialising in IV infusion, bringing genuine clinical training to a part of the retreat that demands it. IV therapy done well is precise work, and Sian's nursing background means it's handled with real medical rigour, not just wellness enthusiasm.
At Sanctum 7, Sian delivers IV drip therapy as one of the retreat's paid add-ons, tailored formulations, from foundational vitamin blends to more targeted protocols, administered safely and professionally through IvyRevive. It's one of the more clinical layers of the personalisation guests can choose into, sitting alongside the naturopathy and functional testing.
For guests seeking a more measurable, immediate sense of replenishment, Sian's work is often where that shows up first.
Sophie Chalmers owns and runs her own skin, spa and beauty clinic, work built on a genuine understanding of what skin needs to actually thrive, not just look good for a moment. It's a craft she's built a business around, which tends to show in the results.
At Sanctum 7, Sophie brings that expertise to guests as part of the retreat's personalised layer, treatments shaped around what each person's skin is asking for that week, rather than a one-size-fits-all facial. It's a small, tangible kind of care, the sort that guests notice in the mirror well after they've left the castle.
For many, it's the finishing touch on a week already focused on feeling better from the inside out.
Details of this retreat
Arrive as Central Otago, New Zealand slips into summer, when the days stretch long, the light turns golden, and the castle grounds are at their most alive. This is one of the most beautiful times of year to experience Sanctum 7, warm days for the pool deck and garden, cool clear evenings for the sauna, mineral spa and a moonlit soak.
Every Sanctum 7 date includes the same seven-day programme: whole-property exclusivity at Earnscleugh Castle, breakfast, lunch and three-course dinners by private chef Aaron Brunet, a twelve-person specialist team, naturopathy consultation, functional testing guidance, herbal remedy workshop, breathwork, sound healing, lymphatic drainage massage and daily wellness rituals. Summer simply gives it all a different light to unfold in.
Every Sanctum 7 date includes the same seven-day programme: whole-property exclusivity at Earnscleugh Castle, breakfast, lunch and three-course dinners by private chef Aaron Brunet, a twelve-person specialist team, naturopathy consultation, functional testing guidance, herbal remedy workshop, breathwork, sound healing, lymphatic drainage massage and daily wellness rituals. Summer simply gives it all a different light to unfold in.
Schedule
Wake slowly, with an optional sauna or icebath session and a gentle stretch and release before breakfast
Breakfast together, unhurried, before the day opens up
Workshops and teachings woven through the week, herbal remedy and tea making, breathwork, sleep reset, a cooking class with Aaron
Guided walks through the property, at your own pace
1:1 time with the team, naturopathy consult, lymphatic drainage massage, any add-ons you've chosen
Sauna, icebath and breathwork before dinner, a chance to unwind as the day settles
Slow, three-course dinner, the table as much a part of the evening as the food
Evenings given to sound healing, restorative yoga, a fireside chat, star gazing or a moonlight thermal soak
Nothing on the programme is compulsory, rest whenever the day asks for it
Breakfast together, unhurried, before the day opens up
Workshops and teachings woven through the week, herbal remedy and tea making, breathwork, sleep reset, a cooking class with Aaron
Guided walks through the property, at your own pace
1:1 time with the team, naturopathy consult, lymphatic drainage massage, any add-ons you've chosen
Sauna, icebath and breathwork before dinner, a chance to unwind as the day settles
Slow, three-course dinner, the table as much a part of the evening as the food
Evenings given to sound healing, restorative yoga, a fireside chat, star gazing or a moonlight thermal soak
Nothing on the programme is compulsory, rest whenever the day asks for it
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Sanctum 7 Wellness Retreats, 754 Earnscleugh Road, Earnscleugh, New Zealand
Directions
Sanctum 7 is set in Central Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. Queenstown Airport is the nearest airport with international connections, served directly from major Australian cities as well as Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. Guests book their own flights into Queenstown.
From Queenstown Airport, it's approximately a 1-hour drive to Earnscleugh Castle, through the Central Otago landscape of Alexandra and Clyde. A private helicopter transfer is also available on request, just 13 minutes from Queenstown Airport.
Guests are met with airport pick-up on arrival day and drop-off at departure, both included in the retreat schedule.
From Queenstown Airport, it's approximately a 1-hour drive to Earnscleugh Castle, through the Central Otago landscape of Alexandra and Clyde. A private helicopter transfer is also available on request, just 13 minutes from Queenstown Airport.
Guests are met with airport pick-up on arrival day and drop-off at departure, both included in the retreat schedule.
Accommodation
Nine rooms and suites in total, split across two distinct settings within the property. Six are inside the castle itself, each individually appointed with French antique beds, en-suite bathrooms and a luxury interior true to the building's heritage character. High ceilings, period detail and a sense of history sit alongside the comfort expected of a modern luxury stay. Three sit in the Coach House, a separate wing offering a quieter, more intimate arrangement. Guests staying here share a private lounge, kitchen, wood fire, bathroom and separate toilet, a self-contained space set apart from the main castle. Across both, the property is booked exclusively for each retreat, so no room is ever shared with another group.
Private Premium Suite
Private Luxury Room
Private Classic Room
Private Coach House - King or Twin
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Earnscleugh Castle sits on thirty private acres in Central Otago, booked exclusively for each retreat. Nine rooms and suites, a library, sun rooms, pool decks and breakfast decks offer different ways to rest, read or sit with the view. A flock of Valais sheep graze the grounds, available to hand feed. Sauna, mineral spa, cold-water immersion and a salt-water pool sit within the grounds. Shared spaces are screen-free, keeping the castle quiet and present.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Every dish is prepared and introduced by private chef Aaron Brunet, MasterChef winner. Plant-based, largely gluten and dairy-free, fish on request, slow eating, decadent, lush but nutritious.
What's Included
- Six nights of luxury accommodation at Earnscleugh Castle
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner crafted by MasterChef NZ winner Aaron Brunet. All dinners are 3 courses
- Mineral broths, herbal teas and Sanctum 7 elixirs
- A pre-retreat consultation call with one of our experts to enable us to personalise your retreat based on your goals and reasons for joining
- Daily yoga
- A Breathwork, sauna and ice-bath workshop – learn a simple bespoke breathwork routine to self-practice during the week
- Herbal remedy and tea making workshop (3hrs)
- A plant-based cooking workshop with Aaron Brunet (3hrs)
- Fireside 1hr chat from a world leading sleep expert
- A one-on-one naturopathy consultation
- Curated oils and medicinal tinctures personalised to you
- 3 x Lymphatic draining massages (1hr each)
- 2 x guided walks (3hrs)
- 2 x evening sound healing sessions (1hr each)
- 1 x evening restorative yoga class
- A night sky star gazing talk. We are home to some of the darkest, clearest night skies left on Earth
- Unlimited access to the pool, sauna, spa and ice bath and croquet on the lawn
- Return transfers from Queenstown Airport
What's Not Included
- Flights to Queenstown
- Pre-arrival functional testing (hormone testing, DNA sequencing and gut health assessment) and IV drip therapy are priced separately and must be pre-booked ahead of your retreat.
- For those who have a need to optimise their sleep, you can also book a dedicated 1:1 session with our resident sleep expert.
- Full pricing for optional extras is available at the time of booking and can also be booked at any time prior to your retreat.
- Our Facials and Pampering Expert, Sophie, is also on hand for any extra pampering needed – in-house service. For those who would like extra massage services, these can be booked on retreat.
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