Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1494492
I 'm half alive when the email comes in. It says something like: Good Morning, Ms. Shelasky! Upon your arrival to the Hamptons this afternoon, a Tesla will be waiting to bring you to the Shou Sugi Ban House, where you may slip into a bathrobe, enjoy a warm rice bowl in front of a private fireplace, and slowly be escorted to your sound bath and spa treatments. I nearly burst into tears. Readers, I needed it. I am an over worked mom who hasn't slept in seven years. My son is a toddler (need I say more?), my daughter is seven going on 17, and my par tner is always away. We've never had a nanny and ever y day I have a deadline. The only reason I'm still standing is because —thanks to my job as a freelance w riter who occasiona lly writes about travel—every few months, I get a staycation. Or more spe- cifically, a Momcation. Some mothers dream about wilding-out with girlfriends. Others, a few hours on the couch streaming Net f lix. Me? Nothing compares to a luxurious hotel suite—don't even think about putting me in a "yurt"— complete with room ser vice, massa ges, Champa g ne on demand, a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, and a day or two of rest and relaxation. I discovered the joy and necessity of the Momcation a few years ago, when I felt so burnt out that I left the house to get milk, passed The William Vale in Williamsburg, Brooklyn along the way, and subcon- sciously floated straight to the front desk. I asked for a room without knowing what I was saying. And before I even realized what I'd done, I was soaking in a bubble bath, in pure bliss, texting my family that I'd be home tomorrow. Ciao ciao. Since then, I've treasured my Momcations. I've taken them on a whim to local gems, and booked them in advance when more travel and planning is involved. Because the thing is, I'm a great mom; my family is my life; and I'm totally comfor table leaving them when it 's appropriate. All to say, I refuse to pack any guilt. A s one of my mom fr iends, Ma r y Giu lia ni, aut hor of "How to L ose Fr iends a nd In f luence No One," put s it : "It 's a must . You go to rega in you r sa n it y, you r sen se of sel f, a nd to rem i nd you rsel f t hat you be - lon g to you, w it hout a nyone a sk i n g for mac a nd cheese for at lea s t 2 4 hours." WANDERLUST SWAPPING THE STROLLERS AND TANTRUMS FOR SOME SOLITUDE AND ZEN WILL MAKE YOU AN EVEN BETTER, MORE-BALANCED MOM. HERE'S HOW TO SLIP AWAY IN STYLE. BY ALYSSA SHELASKY There is Nothing Better Than a MOMCATION Sensei Porcupine Creek, a tranquil hideaway in Rancho Mirage, California P H OTO BY C H R I S S I M P S O N, CO U R T E S Y P O R C U P I N E C R E E K 94 BAL HARBOUR