I just returned from my annual business and life review and planning retreat. I'm most productive and efficient when I head out of town for 2 or 3 days on a solo trip. I settle in, get my computer and papers set up, and get to work. I break an hour or two before darkness sets in to take a hike and think, then heat up dinner and get back to work. Next day, the pattern repeats, adding in some yoga mid-morning.
Perhaps because I live in an urban area, perhaps because I love to hike, nearby West Marin County usually beckons me. After all, it's not much more than an hour's drive away from home.
My surroundings matter. I don't want glitz or distractions. I'm looking for natural beauty, calmness, solitude, with space to breathe and re-set. I found that and more at Olema Cottages where I went for the first time this week.
I chose to stay in The Nest, where I had a small efficiency kitchen, a bedroom with adjacent sitting room, a perfectly planned bathroom with shower over tub, and a private deck ideal for reading in the gentle winter sunshine and for practicing yoga. (For pictures, click the link for The Nest and for Olema Cottages)
Olema Cottages is located a 2-minute drive from the Bolinas Ridge trailhead, and 3-4 minutes from Point Reyes visitor center at Bear Valley, starting point for many hikes. The proximity meant each day I could break for 90 minutes, and spend virtually all that time on the trails.
Kudos to Olema Cottages for creating just the right ambience conducive to thinking, reviewing, planning - while surrounded by beauty, both inside and out. I can't wait for my June 2-day retreat--I'll definitely be back.
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