In truth, Paul is with me on our babymoon. But it's actually a work conference so he has meetings, dinners, and tee-times to attend (don't feel too bad for him, he still managed to enjoy the pool, gym, and golf). But for the most part, I have been by myself. I ate by myself at the hotel restaurants, got ready by myself, sat at the pool solo, and even gave myself my own hour long yoga class - no teacher, no phone app - just me and the mat. I did very little talking and a lot more thinking. It's been incredibly restorative.
I think moms in general could use a solo vacation, almost more than a getaway with their partner. I had a girlfriend who, before her second baby was born, took a solo trip to the cape. She rented a tiny, cute airbnb space and had 3 full days of solitude. I found it incredibly inspiring and admired her for it. I've also read of couples who intentionally book 1 solo vacation a year, without their partner. The idea is intimidating at first but I think there is really something to it. You many think to yourself, "but what will I do??" You were a single person once, maybe forever ago, but she/he is still in there. Trust me you will find things to do...just for yourself, or maybe you don't do anything at all for a full 24 hours - can you imagine?
Paul and I have found that balancing alone time when we are "together" really keeps our relationship healthy. While on this trip, we had some time together at the pool and later in the afternoon he went to the gym for a few hours while I went back to the room, turned on Rachael Ray (I've started watching her show recently, and kinda love it??), had some time to pick up our room which instantly calms me, and took pictures for this post. I actually told him not to come back to the room until after 5pm - I wanted some quiet time.
The predictability during this trip has been comforting. I told Paul on Wednesday night that I couldn't wait for Thursday, because I was going to have the exact same day as I just had. Walk for a coffee, Today show while browsing blogs and drafting my own posts, breakfast at 8 by myself, yoga from 9-10 and then setting up poolside for the remainder of the day. And ending the night with ice-cream delivered to the room while watching Real Housewives. yes, yes, yes.
The conference is at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale Arizona this year, which is quite luxurious and is just such a special treat. I have loved the dry heat during the day and crisp, cool mornings. I'm still trying to decide which cactus is my absolute favorite out of the thousands covering the grounds. I knew I would be spending 100% of my time on resort grounds so I packed very simply - prioritizing comfort and simplicity.
Below are details of items I used most on the trip - again very simple and thoughtfully chosen. I hope this inspires you to intentionally plan some time by yourself. Even if it's just a weekend in your own home while your husband takes the kids to his parents - you will be better for it I promise!
While I love the sun and pool time, my skin pays for it. To avoid too much damage, I use babyganics mineral based sunscreen SPF50 with a large brim hat to protect my most vulnerable spots, my face and chest. I also end every day with a soak in the tub using Trader Joe's Lavendar Salt Scrub - the light exfoliant removes damaged skin from the day and the remaining oil on my skin is better than lotion.
With Paul at dinners most nights, I have plenty of time for self care in the hotel room - My favorite face masks, touching up my pedicure if needed, and Bravo TV.
I packed the most basic color palette for this trip - Navy, Black, and only two other colors - the pink and gray dresses pictured above. It makes getting dressed for dinner a mindless task, leaving me more time for an extra yoga class, a nap, or whatever I please really.
It's a baby moon and I know no one, so I wore a black two-piece with my bump on show and never looked back. Links for bathing suit and cover-up (I wore an XL in the coverup)
I intentionally didn't pack tennis shoes or any sort of heel. I decided a hike isn't for me this time (rattlesnakes!) so I wore my sandals (similar here) on my walks to the restaurants, spa, yoga room, and pool - and that's all I needed.