Meghan Markle's 'best life' weekend faces seaside setbacks

Meghan Markle’s highly anticipated “Her Best Life Retreat” in Sydney is off to a rocky start. 

Despite setbacks at the seaside venue, a spokesperson has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will still make her appearance, keeping hundreds of attendees hopeful for a good weekend.

The inaugural three-day luxury gathering, running April 17 to 19, promises to host up to 300 women eager for wellness workshops, motivational talks, and a front-row VIP photo op with the former actress herself all for £1,700 a head.

However, the five-star InterContinental Hotel, perched above Coogee Beach, has yet to finish its headline attraction: the ocean-facing infinity pool. 

The spa, poolside bar, leisure deck, and wellness facilities are all still under construction, leaving early visitors to describe the scene as “a work in progress” and, less politely, “a blot on the view.”

Hotel promotions tout a “relaxed time by the pool overlooking the ocean,” but with the pool and leisure amenities incomplete, that dream of basking in luxury might be more aspirational than achievable. 

Officially, the website promises all new facilities will be ready in April, though it stops short of guaranteeing they’ll be up and running in time for the duchess’s weekend.

And even if the pool is complete, beachgoers may have other distractions. Coogee has been battling a bizarre and persistent pollution problem for the past two years. 

Tens of thousands of foul-smelling brown balls a noxious mixture of cooking oil, soap scum, hair, and human waste have washed up along the coastline, earning the area an unflattering reputation. 

Scientists trace the stinky blobs to a massive fatberg lurking in Sydney’s sewer system, which occasionally releases chunks into the sea.