Last weekend, I was thrilled to join a group of inspiring fitness + wellness influencers for an overnight at Gurney’s Montauk. The trip was hosted by Wellthily to celebrate the launch of their partnership with Zappos – essentially, anyone staying at Gurney’s will now be able to purchase on-demand fitness clothing and get curated wellness tips using an iPad at the front desk.
Forgot your sports bra? Not a problem, you can order a new one delivered to your room. Need to know about the running routes or yoga studios around Montauk? Wellthily has you covered. It’s an awesome concept that I hope Wealthily continues to grow, because I’m all about traveling with your healthiest foot forward.
It takes about three hours to drive out to Montauk, which is the perfect distance for a weekend getaway. It’s incredible to watch the scenery change from big city skyscrapers to vineyards, farms, and beach as far as the eye can see. After dinner on the first evening, I walked down to the water to spend just a few moments taking in the roaring waves and crisp night air. Although I technically live on an island surrounded by water, there’s nothing like being face to face with the ocean. It was exactly the refresh button I needed.
Living in New York City, I had heard a lot of buzz about Gurney’s and always had it on my radar as a place I’d love to visit. I’m excited to report that it was just as wonderful as I had imagined. The delicious food. The salt water pool and spa. The nautical themed rooms. The fluffy robes. The attention to detail (even the books were all beach and ocean themed!). Oh, and let’s not forget that the entire hotel sits directly on the beach, so every room has an ocean-front view and private deck. Can there be anything better?
Despite being up till 2 a.m. the night before talking with everyone and sharing stories, I set my alarm for 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to watch the sun rise. While I can’t pretend that the wake up call was easy, it was so worth it to have those few calm moments watching the big glowing sun get out of bed.
I was catching the 1 p.m. jitney back to NYC and knew that the clock was ticking on my remaining time. Determined not to let the day get away from me, I grabbed a snack and made my way over to the indoor salt water pool to do some laps.
Those of you who are veteran Fit Crasher readers know that I spent nearly my whole life as a competitive swimmer. Then in college, I joined the triathlon team, which meant that I still swam – just not nearly as much.
As the years have passed I’ve enjoyed swimming more and more. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot more fun when you’re not doing it for hours twice a day, every day. There’s something quiet and calming about it – which is a great balance to all of the high energy, high impact studio workouts I love so much.
One of the tough things about living in NYC is that there is not easy access to lap pools. At least, pools that you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to use. So swimming has, in this chapter of my life, become such a luxury, and I jumped at the opportunity to jump in at Gurney’s.
My roommate for the trip (@ashleykoehn) is a fellow swimmer, and joined me after a run on the beach for a few cool down laps. It was so fun to have a partner in crime to share the lane with. Hopefully we can do it again soon!
The agenda called for yoga at 10 a.m., so we dried off, put on workout clothes, and headed over to the main hotel building for an hour of stretchy zen. After the early morning wake up and swim workout, having that time on my mat felt like heaven!
Post yoga, we did what fit girls do best: chow down! Gurney’s had the most amazing brunch spread for us, including yogurt parfaits, made-to-order omelettes, and fruit bowls overflowing with the freshest berries you ever did see. I sampled everything once (or twice), and loved having the opportunity to speak with Indie Lee about the inspiration behind her all natural skin care line. She has a remarkable story, so if you have a few moments, read it here.
And just like that, the trip came to an end! I packed my bags, said my goodbyes and thank yous, and headed back to the city. What a magical 24 hours. I so enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with some of the most inspiring, go-getter women in the fitness and wellness industry. And of course, say hello to beautiful Montauk and the beach.
I can’t wait to get back out there and do it again soon!