Capri By Fraser, Brisbane

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and what you do in the first three days sets the pattern. Whether you want to change your sleep pattern or start an exercise routine, repeating the behaviour for three consecutive days will make the behaviour seem more natural. The easiest way to do this? Take an extended weekend away!

If the new habits you’re trying to form have anything to do with eating healthier or exercising more, you may want to consider booking yourself into the new Capri By Fraser in Brisbane.

At the entrance, you’ll be greeted with a wave of energy from the lush vertical garden and the pulsing activity at Asana By Pete Evans (more on that later). Upstairs, the rooms are plush and spacious, speckled with chic touches, from the geometric cushions and the bright mosaic tiles, to the gorgeous jewellery plate on the bedside table, and the thoughtful DIY Nespresso martini kit.
As soon as we unpack, we make a beeline for the gym.

Having stayed at my fair share of budget and luxury hotels – and everything in between – let me just say that this gym will put most other hotel fitness centres to shame.

Large windows wrap around the room, flooding it with plentiful natural light. The floors don’t go unnoticed either – the invigorating blue in the geometric pattern is highlighted by matching sweat towels and gym mats. There’s a full set of weights and medicine balls and enough strength and cardio machines to wear you out. The bonus here though, is that everything is very very new.

By dinner, we’re conveniently downstairs at Asana By Pete Evans. Yes, the restaurant is Paleo-inspired, but don’t mock it ’til you’ve tried it! The menu is less about a raw caveman diet and more about wholesome well-cooked quality produce.

We start with a vibrant Morrocan spiced carrot salad (haha OK, this does not support my case about it not being raw, but it’s super delicious!) with quandongs (a native Australian fruit), almonds, fresh herbs and Manuka honey dressing. There’s a good amount of texture but not so much bite that your jaws get sore, and a sumptuous balance of tart and sweet.

The king prawn salad is equally divine, featuring avocado, preserved lemon, piquillo peppers, fennel and pepitas. From what sounds like a bunch of random ingredients, the tang of the preserved lemon really pulls everything together.

For mains, the roasted barramundi is perfectly crisp on the skin and the flesh is delicately moist. The accompaniments of sweet potato puree and lime & coconut sauce, though cleansing, are anything but bland.

The Grass fed hanger steak with smoked beetroot, charred asparagus and sauce forestiere exhibits a fragrant smokiness that satisfies my inner primal instincts. Each individual element tastes like a better version of itself. The grass-fed hanger steak in particular has a distinct irresistible clean juicy beefy taste.

Clean eating doesn’t stop there. Desserts are also a hit; the coconut panna cotta with seasonal fruits is impossibly light and luscious, and the Paleo tiramisu offers the satisfaction of a creamy tiramisu minus the guilt. In place of decadent petit fours, we’re served a selection of bliss balls and chocolate bark to share over coffee. Without the usual after-dinner heaviness, my first (semi) Paleo meal feels like a success.

After circuit training at the gym the next morning (read: new habits, to wake up early and workout in the morning), we’re back at Asana for breakfast (read: new habit, to have a proper breakfast everyday, not just coffee).

Boy, am I glad I woke up for this!

The centrepiece of the breakfast buffet is a long table laden with myriad delicious morsels. There’s fresh honeycomb, little cups of bircher museli, golden croissants, glossy Danish pastries, cured salmon topped with micro herbs and avocado salsa, jars of chia seed puddings, a great selection of breads (sourdough, wholemeal, gluten-free, paleo), even devilled eggs have been given a makeover.

You can also make your own breakfast bowl with an assortment of muesli, fruits, yoghurts and powders (pau d’arco powder, spiralina powder, licquorice powder, etc).

Over on the pass, the hot food selection include sweet potato fritters, free range pork sausages, free range bacon, housemade beans, scrambled eggs and more!

Healthy eating here is just so easy – abundant in options, it certainly doesn’t feel like a chore or a restriction.

What’s next? Eat. Sleep. Workout. Repeat.

Capri By Fraser
80 Albert Street, Brisbane QLD
Phone: +61 (07) 3013 0088
Web: brisbane.capribyfraser.com

Asana By Pete Evans
Breakfast: 6.30am – 10.00am weekdays | 6.30am – 10.30am weekends
Lunch: 12.00pm – 3.00pm
Dinner: 6.00pm – 10.00pm (last kitchen orders at 9:30pm)
Bar: 3pm – late