Shirt c/o / Sweater (40% off today!)

Last week I spent a few days in Montauk with Gurney’s on a wellness retreat. I’ve been on the road for so much of the last two months that when they reached out, I almost said no. Then I heard what it involved, and I quickly changed my tune. Plus, two of my favorite people (and favorite bloggers for that matter), Grace and Jess, were going which sealed the deal.

The last time I went to Montauk, it was packed with lots and lots of beautiful people drinking on the beach. Anel and I were a little out of our element… Being there in October was a totally different experience. It was as beautiful as ever but more serene, with a chill in the air! Waking up in my ocean-view room to a the sunrise over a completely empty beach was pure magic, and reminded me how restorative the sea can be fore me. Whenever I’m near the ocean, I feel a deep connection to the earth and more grounded in my own body.

Gurney’s itself was so amazing. The rooms and view are stunning, and they have some great restaurants. We actually ended up eating all of our meals on-property! For breakfast, there is the cute little coffee shop, Corso, that makes a mean matcha latté and has green smoothies. Tillie’s was our lunch spot where I ate one of the best the tuna pokés I’ve ever had, and the big salads are to die for. For dinner and drinks, we loved Scarpetta Beach, The Hamptons outpost of Scarpetta (in the city). But even with all that, one of my favorite moments was ordering a big breakfast from room service and enjoying it with the girls.

Now that I’ve done it once, I love the idea of a wellness week or even half-week with a few close friends. It’s such a great way to bond and relax, without getting drunk and feeling awful afterwards. And I love the idea of doing it in the fall when typical beach towns are quieter, and there are good excuses to cozy up with blankets and tea.

It was so nice to be in such an amazing place with two people that I love who are both smart, “get” the whole blogging thing, share the same political views as I do, and were down to go to bed before 11 each night. Jess and Grace , I love you! They took a lot more photos than I did so check out their blogs to see more.

So, what else did we do?

Horseback Riding: One of the highlights of the trip was horseback riding on the beach with Deep Hollow Ranch. The experience itself was one of my top 10 of the year, hands down, but I was also pretty stoked to be at the ranch where they film The Affair! Does anyone else watch? It’s one of my favorite shows so being there was pretty cool. My horse Joey was fab, and he took great care of me.

Workouts: They have yoga, barre, and other workout classes every day, but after a Barre class on our first afternoon and the horseback riding, we were too sore to take anymore! Man I’m old…

Spa: The spa was beautiful, and it felt like such a treat to have a mid-week massage.

Relax: Part of the reason why I loved this trip so much is that there was built in down-time for us to work and relax. That was clutch.

Scroll down for a photo diary of the trip! Thank you to Gurney’s for an amazing adventure and to Jess for the beautiful photos.

Our sweaters: Grace / Julia (mine is 40% off today!)/ Jess

Barbour / Sweater / Booties

Photos by Jess Kirby.