Holding a retreat in Santa Cruz County is a great way to unite your teams and foster community and collaboration. But if planning a truly awesome retreat seems like a daunting task, here are five steps to shaping a perfect getaway that will leave your groups feeling appreciated, inspired, motivated, and energized.
1. Define the #1 Purpose of Your Retreat
Are you looking to build morale, improve communication, develop new skills, solve a problem, increase engagement, deepen commitment, incentivize sales, mark a milestone, or reward a particularly successful effort? Every aspect of your plan should complement that purpose.
If your purpose calls for pampering, for instance, Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection may be the answer. Geared for everything from executive retreats to company-wide celebrations, the 170-room hotel offers 8,000 square feet of event space in the midtown district of Santa Cruz. The luxuries include a sleek and sophisticated decor; top-notch cuisine at Solaire Restaurant + Bar; poolside dining, cabanas, and firepits; and an impressive array of team-bonding activities.
If your purpose calls for challenge, consider Chaminade Resort & Spa. Spread over 300 mountaintop acres, the wooded retreat basks in the fresh ocean air above Monterey Bay. Along with 156 lodgings and 11 meeting rooms, it offers a ropes course, three miles of scenic hiking trails, a full-service spa, tennis and pickleball courts, two pools, and nine private poolside cabanas furnished with sofas, chairs, tables, fans, and TVs. And it all lies just a 10-minute drive from downtown Santa Cruz.
2. Choose the Right Vibe
Like everything else, the location you choose should support the purpose of the retreat. You may need an environment well away from the distractions of daily life, such as a retreat center or a rural location. Finding a place that will defuse tension and eliminate distractions can have a huge impact on outcomes. Or you may need a home base at the heart of the action.
Whatever the case, you want your group to feel comfortable while benefiting from the breath of fresh air a change of scenery provides. In addition to the setting, you’ll need to consider logistics such as travel time, sufficient guest rooms, type of food and beverage, and the availability of meeting space and recreation.
For the atmosphere of a true mountain refuge, check out the Inn at Pasatiempo. With just 54 guest rooms, the property features the friendly, personalized service of a boutique hotel in a woodland setting less than four miles from the beaches of Santa Cruz. It also offers views of the historic Pasatiempo Golf Club, casual dining at an award-winning bar and grill, meetings and banquets in a 2,600-square-foot conference facility, and group options like poolside cocktail parties, yoga on the lawn, and team-building games.
Or, if you’re looking for a sense of youthful energy at the beating heart of the action, consider the Dream Inn Santa Cruz. Filled with 165 retro surf-chic guest rooms and 3,500 square feet of sunlit meeting space, it rests directly on Cowell Beach in the City of Santa Cruz, within steps of world-class surfing and easy walking distance from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the attractions of West Cliff Drive.
3. Schedule Engaging Activities
Plan for experiences that will delight or challenge your group and encourage personal growth. Team-building exercises, workshops, and outdoor challenges can reliably build trust and communication skills—as can group bike rides, nature hikes, zip-lining, game nights, surf lessons, whale watching, wine tastings, golf tournaments, and more.
If a secluded beach or golf course would suit your purpose, Seascape Beach Resort may be your happy place. In Aptos, it offers team-building options like sand-castle contests, culinary challenges, and more—plus championship play at Seascape Golf Club and a 17-mile stretch of Monterey Bay beach. The county’s largest conference center (for 10 to 200 attendees), 185 beach-house style suites and villas, three pools, tennis, and swoon-worthy cuisine round out the amenities.
The staff at virtually every local lodging and meeting site can suggest more activities to support the purpose of your retreat. Many can even help plan, supply, organize, or even lead events. You can also call on the destination experts at Visit Santa Cruz County for suggestions. Or hire a professional facilitator or team-building expert through a company like Synergy Learning Systems or Odyssey Teams.
4. Build In Free Time
As you shape the agenda, shoot for top-quality activities over quantity, leaving plenty of free time for individuals to recharge and connect with each other on their own terms. Impromptu gatherings in the lobby or at the beach or pool, spa treatments, dining at community restaurants, or shared entertainment can’t help but banish stress and boost morale. They can also help break down barriers between teams or team members and strengthen existing relationships.
5. Follow Up After the Retreat
Be sure to gather and debrief your group as the retreat comes to an end. And send a survey to collect more feedback on its effectiveness. Taking time to recall the highs, lows, and midpoints right away will help your attendees lock in memories of the retreat—and lessons learned. And you can use the intel to shape future retreats and build even stronger, productive teams.
So, there you have it. To qualify as awesome, every retreat requires a focus on purpose, strategic placement, attention to detail, plenty of free time, and follow-up. Take these steps, and you can count on a memorable and impactful experience that will build trust, collaboration, and a lasting sense of community for your teams.