8 Easy Steps to Planning Your Next Girls Retreat

 

 We Need a Girls Retreat!

While Abu Dabi may sound FANTASTICAL, we agreed that for us a weekend with friends at Abalone Bay in The Sea Ranch, CA would be more our style. While it may not be an exotic Middle East location it certainly is magical when the full moon dances across the ocean outside the window.

What better than looking out the window to the pacific ocean to recharge, renew, reinvigorate our souls?

Full moon rises above The Sea Ranch hills

Are you in need of a soulful boost among friends? Then get your zen on with your best buddies.

Are you and your friends are scattered around the world and now you are looking to reunite? Then a girl’s retreat would be the perfect opportunity.

Are your high school buddies facing down a significant birthday year which shall remain nameless? Then commiserate and celebrate as only long time best friends can do.

Are you ready to gather the girls and go? Then just follow these easy 8 steps for an incredible time:

Step 1- Allow yourself the holiday

Let go of the guilt that you may feel. You are not abandoning your family, you are getting a needed recharging to better support them. Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness states, “Medical studies show that the bond between women is critical to emotional and physical health.” It’s your personal tuneup opportunity. “Focusing on yourself and the joy of camaraderie increases your sense of fulfillment, confidence and resiliency. You become a better wife and, if you have kids, a better mom.”

Step 2- Prep the family

The ol’ adage, Don’t worry be happy” is much easier when you are pro-active in prepping your family or business associates for your departure.

If your family members need a little assistance in survival techniques while you’re absent set up in a can’t missed spot a bulleted instruction list of important stuff to remember:
your kid’s school and activity schedules, pet care provisions, and emergency and other important phone numbers. Cook a few emergency meals and freeze them.

Review with your husband and older children where everything is located room by room, where to find the cleaning supplies, how to give your pet its medicine.

Research also shows that people are taking fewer vacations from their jobs. There is nothing to it but to do it. As you did for your family also do for your business associates and take that break!

Then as you say good by to your workmates, turn out the light in your office, kiss the kids and hubby good bye exhale knowing that even if the lists are lost, the chores are done in a slightly different order it’ll all be ok.

And when you return you’ll be better off and ready to go with your batteries all recharged.

Step 3.   Pick an awesome location

While it will only be a weekend (or if lucky a week) together, you’ll want your gathering spot to be as spectacular as you are. Go for quality if you find you can’t go for quantity.

Select a location that will be memorable for a shorter time over a location that is just so-so, but which affords you a longer stay. Go ahead- select that dream oceanfront location that you’ve always wanted to see.

Step 4: Work out the details

Getting the nuts and bolts details sorted out may be the most challenging part: coordinating calendars, the group size, divvying up the duties, determining the budget. It will be important to discuss openly the expectations for the gathering among all. Will there be shopping, spa-days, quiet zenful time, partying time? When you discuss each of your desired agenda ahead of time all can be assured they will have their special time as well as be part of the group.

Step 5: Select the getaway organizer & divvy the duties

It will be more efficient to select a friend to deal with the pre-planning details, reservations, and bookings, plan for the tours, manage the itinerary.

Once the general plan is decided, the Organizer may wish to share the load. Some find it easier to plan their own transportation (flight arrangements, car rental) and then leave the other particulars to the talents of others.

Do you have a web-wonking friend? Have her do the online research for the itinerary and set up an online messaging board such as Facebook Group. Other useful online trip planning tools include Yahoo! Travel’s Trip Planner (Travel.Yahoo.com/Trip).

Step 6: Research the weather

Rainy days can still be fun and enjoyable at Abalone Bay

Taking the weather for granted can make for a disappointing trip, especially when traveling to places like coastal California. Despite all the ads for sunshine more often than not it’s preceded by chilling fog. This is especially true in northern California. In fact, Mark Twain once said, the coldest winter he ever spent was summer in San Francisco!

Consider what you might do if it rains on your holiday (e.g., Things to do on a rainy day at Abalone Bay). Make a back-up plan so you are ready to roll with whatever surprises Mother Nature tosses your way.

Step 6: Sort Out the Sleeping Arrangements

If you select a house or a condo make sure everyone knows where everyone will be sleeping and, if sharing rooms or beds, with whom. Know exactly what kind and how many beds are available and how they will be distributed among your friends.

An advertisement may say sleeps six, but there may only be be three individual beds. Check to see their size (king, queen, full or twin)   If your numbers exceed the bed count, ask yourselves do you feel comfortable in sharing a bed, can you sleep with a snorer, share a room with a smoker?

Also check with the owner or property management company if linens and towels are provided. If you are traveling from afar, will you have room in your suit case to also pack your sheets and towels? Some homes, such as Abalone Bay in The Sea Ranch also offer their guest spa-robes.

Now that you have sorted out sleeping partners the next question is bedroom location. Who will have the bedroom with the en-suite bath, who gets the awesome views, who has the TV in their room? If the decisions are too difficult to sort out on their on, consider drawing names from a hat. First-come-first-served systems of choice may make for negative vibes among good friends by the end of the trip.

Step 7: Leave baggage and tech behind

This is a time for you to let it all go, leave your stress, worries, and negativity at the curb.  Make a pact with your friends to limit the texting, Instagraming, Facebooking, emailing, checking up on the family or business with phone calls. This is a time dedicated to renewing, refreshing and rejuvenating.

Step 8: Commemorate and celebrate

Make sure at least one of you packs your camera. Agree to share photos so each of you has all the memories captured. Sharing photos on Facebook or various online cloud hosting sites may be the easiest way to swap large files of photos.

I also like to buy a special memento of my time with my gal pals: a special ornament for my Christmas tree, a frame to put in our pictures. It’s generally something small, but meaningful to help me recall later all our giggles and adventures together.

Now that you are prepped to make your girls’ retreat, why not make it at Abalone Bay!

The amenities: 

• 3 Bedrooms/2 baths: principal room has King bed with en-suite bath, direct access to kitchen; 2 guest rooms have Queen beds with ocean views with bathroom between them
• Spa Robes included
• Linens and spa towels included
• Hot tub
• Chick flicks to watch on 60″ HDTV that also has 285 channels
• Opens to ocean front bluff trails plus 40 miles of other great hiking/walking trails, 3 recreational centers,  golf course

Gift Store- Point Arena Lighthouse – Point Arena, Light House and Museum
Shop for mementos of your trip: clothing, accessories, gifts, glassware, photography, ship models and more.Located:  45500 Lighthouse Road, Point Arena, CA 95468
1-877-725-4448 or 707-882-2809 

FUN ADVENTURES

• Learn about The Sea Ranch by taking a self-guided audio tour
• Rent Kayaks or paddleboards to explore the coves along Sea Ranch or the Gualala River
• Rent bikes that are delivered to you at Abalone Bay
• Explore the trails
• Enjoy the recreation centers
• Golf at The Sea Ranch
• Tour art galleries, museums, the Point Arena-Stornetta National Coastal Monument
• 49 California Redwood Parks Free on Black Friday

Click here to learn more details on Exploring and Experiencing The Sea Ranch and surrounding areas