Retreating to Sitges
I’m working Monday and Tuesday of this week, after which I’m off to Spain for another break in the sun.
It’s time for my annual retreat.
As the name implies, it’s something I do each year. I take a week or so, go to Sitges, and spend my time reflecting, planning, relaxing and generally chilling out.
Obviously, I could do this from anywhere, including my apartment. But I adore Sitges and I’m lucky enough to be able to a) take as many days off work as I like, as I’m my own boss and b) afford this trip each year.
The plan
I always stay at the same hotel, requesting the same room (this is all sounding a bit Wes Anderson, but I promise I’m quite flexible in real life!) and stick to a fairly solid routine. Breakfast at the fantastic hotel buffet, a wander into town for a coffee in a local cafe, some journaling and writing, then back to the hotel and some time in the sun by the pool.
I don’t go to the beach every day, but I definitely make it down there a few times. Balmins beach is Sitge’s best naturist beach and is just minutes’ walk from my hotel. Storms may have eroded it to a shadow of its former self, but the vibe is still friendly and relaxed. There’s always someone who will mind my stuff while I go for a swim in the sea.
Poolside and on the beach, I read and read. I make notes. I doze off. I wake up, reach for my Kindle and do it all over again.
Hitting the town?
Evenings, I’ll wander into town and grab a bite to eat. I go earlier than everyone else, so I can have my choice of venue and table, enjoying the people-watching. A few drinks in the local bars, then it’s back to the hotel before things get too busy. Usually walking in the opposite direction of everyone else, just starting their evenings as I’m finishing mine.
Boring? No.
The goal of the week isn’t to see how many late nights and inadvisable drinks I can survive, but rather to look after myself, relax and take time away from the usual routines to take stock and step back.
I return to London feeling lots better, with a ton of notes and plans for personal and professional life. I experience a kind of inspiration there that I don’t get anywhere else.
It just works, which is why I go back every year.