Intimate. Luminous. Evocative.
Marseille, France
May 19-23, 2027
4 night stay in the south of France with a small, intentional cohort of entrepreneurial creative women doing the work that actually changes things.
what it is
Immersive retreats for creative entrepreneurs, grounded in the same embodied, sensory-rich philosophy that informs both Weird Specialty & Zelena Travel’s missions. These carefully curated experiences honor how creative entrepreneurs process, integrate, and evolve. We create sacred spaces for deep work to happen, allowing for mindful creative evolution.
Together we will lean into refusing to separate our sacred selves from our strategic ones. Mornings start with intention. Long lunches give room for relaxation. Hard questions asked in beautiful places. And the particular kind of clarity that only arrives when we step out of each of our contexts entirely.
Year Two is more refined and expansive than Year One. Marseille & Provence promises to be a delightfully inspired setting to do just that.
Additional Spots OPEN!
We locked in a few more spots, book yours now!
Intimate. Luminous. Evocative.
Four nights in the south of France, May 19–23, 2027, with a small, intentional cohort of entrepreneurial creative women doing the work that actually changes things. Your own room at Les Bords de Mer, a restored 1930s Art Deco hotel above the Mediterranean.
DESCRIPTION
Your sanctuary for the week is Les Bords de Mer, a 19-room house from the Fontenille Collection on Marseille's Corniche. It was once the Hôtel Richelieu, a 1930s landmark perched over the Plage des Catalans. Its Art Deco bones are intact, and its rooms are white, pale wood, and soft pastels, washed in light off the water.
Between sessions there's the heated rooftop pool, the Susanne Kaufmann spa with its hammam and sauna, and terraces cut into the rock for watching the sun drop behind the Frioul Islands. From here we venture inland, to the ochre hills of the Luberon, to Ménerbes, and to the cave at Sainte-Baume. The sea is always there when we return.
This listing reserves a private solo room for all four nights. It's a space entirely your own, for rest, solitude, and integration between gatherings.
YOUR RETREAT INCLUDES
Four nights in a private solo room at Les Bords de Mer, Marseille
Daily breakfast
Welcome happy hour and welcome dinner on Night One
Celebratory dinner of regional Provençal cuisine on Night Four
Daily morning yoga
All retreat programming, including Weird Specialty workshop sessions, business tarot, and group exercises in collective intelligence and free writing
Opening and closing ceremonies
A Luberon village and market morning
A pilgrimage to the cave at Sainte-Baume, where Mary Magdalene is said to have spent her last thirty years in sovereign contemplation
An afternoon in Ménerbes, where Dora Maar retreated to her farmhouse and reclaimed herself as the artist Picasso could never fully see
A Mediterranean ceremonial swim
Retreat materials, including a workbook and daily practice prompts
Optional one-on-one sessions with gJ, by sign-up
NOT INCLUDED
Flights, spa treatments, and independent lunches and suppers, which are billed separately.
INVESTMENT
Solo room from $4,900
Full payment secures your room. Space is subject to availability.
DATES
Arrive Wednesday, May 19, 2027 · Depart Sunday, May 23, 2027 (late checkout)
GOOD TO KNOW
Les Bords de Mer is about 30 minutes by car from Marseille Provence Airport and 10 minutes from Saint-Charles station.
This is a small, intentional cohort held to sacred capacity. Every voice is heard, and every seat matters.
Salon members receive priority access and preferential rates. Write to gJ@gretchenjones.co before booking.
Year One alumni are warmly welcomed back, since Year Two builds on what we began. No prerequisite is needed for first-timers.
Travel, hotel relationships, and on-the-ground logistics are thoughtfully curated by our partner Michelle Zelena of Zelena Travel.
where we’re going
Marseille, France. A small fishing village perched between white limestone cliffs and turquoise sea, framed by the Calanques National Park; one of the most extraordinary stretches of coastline in the world.
We'll be staying at Hôtel Les Roches Blanches, a five-star Art Déco property built in 1887 right at the edge of the sea, between the village and the Calanques. Named for the white limestone rocks that line the coast. Winston Churchill painted here. Édith Piaf stayed here. The retreat begins with the view of Cap Canaille—the highest maritime cliff in Europe—from your terrace.
From Marseille as our base, we venture inland: to the ochre hills of the Luberon, to Ménerbes where Dora Maar retreated and reclaimed herself as the artist Picasso could never fully see, and to the cave at Sainte-Baume where Mary Magdalene spent her last years in sovereign contemplation. The sea is always there when we return.
Mid-May means wildflowers, golden light, markets in full season, rosé at the source, and a stunning region before the tourist crush.
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Every logistical detail of this retreat, from Hôtel Les Roches Blanches to the inland excursion coordination to the restaurant reservations, is curated by Michelle Zelena, a South of France specialist with deep expertise in exactly this kind of experience. Hospitality is part of our work.
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We're happy to handle all of your accommodations, as well as securing tours and experiences beyond the organized itinerary, whether that's a trip extension or pre-trip travel, up to 30 days before departure.
Once inside that 30-day window, last-minute requests can be accommodated for a rush fee of $100 per hour.
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Zelena Travel is available to all retreat attendees for support in booking flights for a small additional fee of $50 per person
When booking directly through us you are given access to our 24/7 emergency line throughout your travels, should you ever need us.
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Please note: Michelle Zelena will be at the retreat as a guest alongside other attendees, so won't be actively coordinating changes for attendees upon arrival.
All on-site requests should be handled directly with our hotel
Zelena Travel will share a full list of trusted local providers before retreat so all attendees will have everything they need and desire on-hand prior to arrival
The Experience arc
Four nights together. A magnitude of thought provoking conversation. Deep Inspiration.
The arc moves the way transformation actually moves—not in a straight line. You arrive carrying what you've been carrying. Something loosens. Something surfaces. Something gets left behind. You leave different.
arrival
NIGHT ONE
You arrive. The group convenes.
The first conversation begins — topical, thought-provoking, designed to surface what everyone has come here carrying.
ALL: Welcome Dinner.
The tone is set.
threshold
DAY TWO-THREE
Market morning.
Weird Specialty workshop sessions —
one in late morning
one held at happy hour, same work in a looser register.
Solo processing time.
Mediterranean ceremonial swim.
Optional one-on-one sessions w/ gJ.
provocation
DAY FOUR
Pilgrimage to the cave at Sainte-Baume, where Mary Magdalene is said to have spent her last thirty years in sovereign contemplation
Afternoon in Ménerbes, where Dora Maar retreated to her farmhouse and reclaimed herself as the artist Picasso could never fully see.
Weird Specialty workshop session early evening.
Optional one-on-one sessions with gJ begin.
ALL: Celebratory Dinner.
renewal
DEPARTURE MORNING
Closing exercises.
Goodbye ceremony. Late checkout.
You leave with something you didn't have before.
what you’ll do
DAILY PRACTICE
Morning yoga each day
Pool time and Mediterranean swimming
Optional spa treatments
Solo processing time built into every afternoon
Invitations for serendipity
framework sessions
Opening exercises and welcome ceremony
Core workshop sessions from the Weird Specialty frameworks
Group exercises: including collective intelligence and free writing opportunities
Closing exercises and goodbye ceremony
cultural excursions
Luberon village and market morning
Ménerbes: Dora Maar creative pilgrimage
Sainte-Baume: Mary Magdalene's cave
Mediterranean coast: swimming and afternoon at sea
meals & gathering
Welcome happy hour (Night One)
Breakfast included (Daily)
2 curated group dinners included (Regional Provençal cuisine)
Additional independent long lunches and suppers poolside and in village available at your leisure (billed separately)
what’s included
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4 nights accommodation at Hôtel Les Roches Blanches, Cassis
5-star Art Déco hotel with Sisley Spa, infinity pool, and direct sea access
Daily breakfast at Hôtel Les Roches Blanches
2 group dinners: welcome dinner (Night One) + celebratory dinner (Night Four) of regional Provençal cuisine
Welcome happy hour (Night One)
Daily morning yoga sessions
All retreat programming: workshops, business tarot, framework sessions
2 group excursions, with itinerary confirmed closer to retreat date
Opening and closing ceremonies
Retreat materials: workbook and daily practice prompts
Optional one-on-one sessions with gJ (by sign-up)
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International and domestic flights
Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Spa treatments (bookable on-site)
Lunches & unprogrammed dinners
Personal expenses and shopping
Travel transfers beyond arrivals and departures
who this is for
The entrepreneurial creative woman who has been (or wants to be) building her business for years and is ready to build it differently. Who knows, somewhere in her body, that her weird specialty is her greatest asset and is ready to get serious about wielding it.
Who is done performing. Done choosing between the work she loves and the business she needs. Ready to be in a room with women who understand exactly what that costs.
Limited to 12-15 participants
This retreat is especially for you if:
You need a genuine interruption to your usual mode of operating
You may have attended Year One and want to go deeper
Year Two programming builds on what Year One beganYou missed Year One and have been waiting
This is a complete experience, no prerequisite requiredYou're a Weird Specialty Salon member
Priority access and preferential rates apply