Terranea Resort: LA’s Hidden Gem {Eat, Sea, Retreat}

A recap of Eat, Sea, Retreat, an intimate blogging retreat that took place at Terranea Resort, LA’s hidden gem along the Pacific Ocean.

I met Amelia several years ago when we both attended BlogHer Food in Austin on behalf of Stonyfield. Sharp as a tack, wonderfully laid back and natural beauty, Amelia exudes positivity and optimism. Her relaxed vibe draws you in and her wide smile keeps you coming back for more which is why it took me no more than 30 seconds to say yes when she invited me to attend Eat, Sea, Retreat: an intimate blogging event to take place in Southern California.

As you know, I have a serious case of #WanderLust and there’s only one cure…

My passion for travel is matched only by my passion for cultivating and nurturing relationships with those who motivate, inspire and encourage me on a daily basis. Left to Right: Ashley, Megan, Me, Amelia, Lauren, Lindsay and Kristin. Not Pictured: Nikki whose flight was late.

Luckily, Nikki arrived in time for 6am Seaside Cycle overlooking the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. Let me tell you – it sure beats the gym.

Terranea Resort was our gracious host for the weekend. A hidden gem located just 17 miles from LAX, we were treated like royalty from the moment we received our complimentary champagne at check-in. As you may know, I have a four year degree in Hospitality Administration and spent 10+ years in the hotel industry before I began blogging full time.

Admittedly, I might be slightly on the picky side when I travel because I spent so many years understanding the art of delivering good customer service. Let me tell you: the kind people at Terranea have perfected the art. They’ve also perfected the frozen mojito but I digress..

Our goal for the weekend was most certainly to recharge and relax but even more importantly, Amelia worked hard to design an agenda that ensured we all went home with tangible take-aways to help improve our blogs and our businesses.

Since we are all self-employed and working out of our homes by ourselves on a daily basis, it is vital for the success of the entire blogging industry that we support and lift up one another.

To help make this happen, we each took turns leading different sessions covering topics such as expanding readership beyond our niche, handling drama, food photography and my favorite: the challenge circle. Essentially, we sat around a bonfire roasting s’mores while each person took 3 minutes to describe a challenge. Then, we went around the circle and everyone had to give a 1 minute solution. When it was all said and done, we each left with 64 ideas to make our lives easier and our businesses more successful. It was incredible.

Of course, this retreat would not have been possible without our two generous sponsors: Stonyfield and Nature’s Path. Each morning we got to create custom yogurt parfaits with endless bowls of California strawberries, granolas, seeds, nuts and other tasty toppings.

I also finally got my hands on one of Stonyfield’s newest products, Oh My Yog! Holy smokes.. it tastes like butta! So creamy, thick and decadent.

And did I mention the lemon trees? You have no idea how badly I wanted to steal these lemons from the resort landscape. Swoon.

When I began blogging five years ago I had no idea I would form such strong friendships with other like-minded people all over the world. I am so grateful for these rare moments spent face-to-face, no tweet required.

Until next time…

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post and all thoughts are my own. Travel expenses were covered by our generous sponsors: Stonyfield and Nature’s Path. Accommodations provided by Terranea Resort.