The famous saying “You cannot give from an empty cup” has many means and for me, it means that I cannot give to my family, clients and friends the “best of me” when I feel drained so it’s super important to give yourself a mini-retreat to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit and here’s what I did to restore mine!

I went for a 2-night stay at the Oceana Beach Hotel in Bournemouth, which is literally a hotel 15 minutes from my house. WHY? Well, I could have gone further afield, abroad or London but when you have the best beaches, best hotels and best hotel views of sea on your doorstep – I looked no further! Plus, I needed to be close to home just incase anything went wrong with my kids. I also wanted to have something close to build a relaxing relationship with (in terms of a salon, massage therapist, restaurants that catered for my healthy appetite) so I could re-create this mini-retreat experience again, even for an afternoon!

I asked for a sea view from my hotel room as I love the sunrise over the Isle of Wight and to see the sunset over Sandbanks. This is always a lovely time to reflect on life at the beginning and end of each day while on a retreat as usually at home, I’m running around making food for the family and finding socks that match!

My first evening started with a lovely swim, sauna and “experience shower” at the sister hotel to Ocean Beach Hotel called The SunCliff Hotel. This was a super way to start the mini retreat and ease into a “relax” vibe that was much needed.

Th following day I went for breakfast beside the pool area and was greeted by an amazing selection of fresh produce from fresh fruit salad to continental style breakfast to a full cooked breakfast buffet. Very impressive spread of food with lovely service.

I had pre-booked a full body scrub and massage to slough off my autumn dry skin and deeply moisturise my body to prepare it for the winter months. My therapist Kasha was incredibly knowledgable and definitely had the magic touch with massage. My skin felt silky smooth and hydrated and I loved every minute.

I also decided to book a Spa pedicure to remove all the hard skin from my heels after a summer in flip flops. I love being pampered and The Ocean Day Spa at the Oceana Beach Hotel is a hidden gem that even I didn’t know about and it was on my door step! I have booked to return in December with my friend for an afternoon of pampering and preparation before the festive season hits. It’s like a pre-Christmas present to ourselves!

That evening we had a dinner at the Ocean Beach Hotel in the Italian Café, again, another hidden gem of a venue. I had a 3-course meal with avocado and crab starter, seafood linguini for main and organic orange panne cotta for dessert. Honestly, and I’m a super foodie – this was such great quality and service that I’ll definitely return to soon.

With all the other spare time I had in between treatments, I spent reading, setting goals, listening to motivational books and using my new day planner called Effici. I also had time to relax in my room, look at the beauty of the sea while having a hair deep treatment on! Yes, still multi-tasking!

All in all – what a super mini-retreat and I’m looking forward to my Spa Afternoon with treatment and afternoon tea with my friend in December.

Take a look at The Ocean Beach Hotel if you feel you need to get away and recharge your batteries! I’m thrilled I made the commitment to myself to recharge and the benefits of increased productivity, lower stress levels, radiant skin and hair and uninterrupted sleep was heavenly!

Why “Me Time” is so important