How much time do we really need to feel properly rested? We tend to associate switching off with long holidays, plenty of days ahead and a completely empty diary, but it does not always take that much. Sometimes, a couple of nights are enough to change your surroundings, sleep without an alarm and rediscover that pleasant feeling of having nothing urgent to do. A weekend by the sea can be exactly what you need: leaving your responsibilities at home for a few hours and allowing plans to happen only when you feel like making them.
ARRIVE AND LET THE WEEKEND BEGIN
There is something different about a Friday when you know that, at the end of the day, you will not be heading straight home. You finish work, close your laptop, pack a small bag and a few hours later you are somewhere completely different. You do not need to bring very much because there is no schedule to follow either. Two nights fit into a small amount of luggage and, precisely because of that, the break begins with a sense of lightness that can be harder to find on longer trips.
Arriving at Hotel Tahití Playa, leaving your things in the room and stepping out onto the terrace can be enough to mark the change. The Mediterranean is right in front of you and the whole weekend is still waiting to be enjoyed. Perhaps you feel like going for a walk, having a quiet drink or simply spending some time looking out at the sea before thinking about dinner. There is no right decision and no list of must-do activities to complete. Friday can begin exactly like this, allowing those first few hours to set the pace for the ones that follow.
THE SEA WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE EVERY MINUTE COUNT
A short break can have exactly the opposite effect to the one we are looking for if we try to squeeze too much into two days. Sightseeing, exploring, booking, arriving on time, making the most of every hour… and ending Sunday feeling as though you need a rest from the weekend itself. Choosing the right place to stay makes it possible to approach things differently, especially when many of the things you feel like doing are close by.
In Santa Susanna, the Mediterranean is part of almost the entire day. From Hotel Tahití Playa, the beach is just a few steps away and the seafront promenade allows you to walk without deciding beforehand how far you are going. You can head out after breakfast, walk down to the water or simply keep going for as long as you feel like it. Barcelona lies in one direction and Girona in the other, but during these two nights, perhaps there is no need to visit either. Sometimes, the real luxury of a short break is knowing there are plenty of possibilities around you and choosing to stay exactly where you are.
A SATURDAY WITHOUT A FIXED SCHEDULE
Saturday can begin later than usual. Waking up without an alarm already changes things considerably, but so does knowing that there is no scheduled visit waiting for you after breakfast. You might feel like going to the beach, spending time by the pool, taking a walk or simply letting the morning last a little longer before deciding what to do. Having options does not mean you have to make use of all of them.
For those who want to spend part of the day looking after themselves, our hotel offers ways to add some movement without turning the weekend into a programme of activities. The gym, yoga or Pilates sessions — which can also take place outdoors overlooking the sea — offer different ways to stay active. And if your body is asking for exactly the opposite, Taurumi Body Care gives you the chance to book a massage and devote some time entirely to resting.
The important thing is that none of these possibilities has to become an obligation. You may have arrived thinking you would do yoga and eventually decide you would rather stay by the pool. Or perhaps you head out for a walk and end up staying out much longer than expected. Changing your mind should also be part of a relaxing weekend.
GOING FOR A WALK WITHOUT NEEDING A DESTINATION
There is something particularly pleasant about going for a walk when you do not need to get anywhere. Without a set route or a specific time to return, walking stops being a way of getting from one place to another and simply becomes a way to spend some time. In front of the hotel, Santa Susanna’s seaside setting makes this easy, with the Mediterranean always nearby, whether you follow the promenade or head down onto the sand whenever you feel like it.
As the afternoon moves on, the light changes and so does the atmosphere beside the sea. Some people continue walking, others sit down for a while, while some decide to return to the hotel because they feel like having a drink before dinner. These are small decisions that, during the rest of the week, are often shaped by schedules. Here, they can depend on a much simpler question: what do I feel like doing right now?
SUNDAY DOES NOT HAVE TO BEGIN WITH THE JOURNEY HOME
One of the common mistakes on a two-night break is starting to think about going home too soon. Sunday arrives and immediately the suitcase, the car, everything that needs doing once you get home and everything waiting for you on Monday begin to creep into your thoughts. But there is still a whole morning ahead, and it is worth treating it as part of the trip rather than simply a waiting room before going home.
Breakfast can last a little longer. Afterwards, there is still time for a walk by the sea, one last spell at the hotel or simply sitting quietly before packing your things. Even packing is fairly easy when you have hardly needed any luggage for two nights. The journey home will come anyway, but there is no need to bring it forward by several hours in your mind.
TWO NIGHTS CAN CHANGE MUCH MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
A weekend may not allow you to forget about your routine for days, but it can create a small break within it. Sleeping differently, seeing the sea when you wake up, walking without a particular destination, eating at a leisurely pace and spending a few hours without constantly having things to sort out changes the way time feels. Sunday still arrives, but the way we feel when we return home can be very different from how we felt on Friday.
And that is probably the best way to measure a short break. Not by how many things we managed to do, but by how we feel when we return home after being away.
