Early Parenthood HolidaysPLUS - Relax & Reconnect

7 days/6 nights to recharge yourself & your relationship - for couples with children <3years

What you’ll get

  • Family island adventures

    Holidays with a baby or toddler can feel exhausting. Explore the island with your child in family-friendly ways AND find time for yourself to relax (for example during the included massage) and connect with your partner.

    Play at the beach, surf in the Atlantic Ocean, swim in waterfalls, hike through jungle, vulcano mountains or along breathtaking cliffs before zipping sunset drinks at a beach bar, enjoy Portuguese food and discover Azorean heritage.

  • 7 days, 6 nights beachfront villa

    5 double rooms with oceanview (queenside beds + baby crib), 2 large living rooms, all stairs with child-proof security nets, 5000m2 garden directly by the ocean cliff, infinity pool.

    7 organic breakfasts buffets, 6 lunch baskets (fresh fruit & vegetables, local bread and cheese) and 2 community dinners included.

  • Island concierge service

    If you need more babysitting hours, want to take part in an apnea course or simply want the best recommendations for a family-friendly hike that ends at a burger truck - we’ll help you explore the island your way.

  • PLUS On-site babysitting

    No separation-anxiety— your child is just around the corner. Yet, find time for yourself and your partner.

    Enjoy slow mornings with yoga, swimming, reading - or just listen to the ocean waves from the garden behind the cliff. Try a surf lesson together with your partner and enjoy a romantic sunset dinner - while your child is close and taken care of.

  • PLUS Reconnection in your relationship

    A good time together plus the tools to bring it back into your daily life.

    Have fun together during a surf lesson and enjoy a romantic dinner during babysitting time.

    Learn in our expert sessions what happy couples do differently - based on relationship science and designed to bring healthy habits back home into your daily life.

  • PLUS Intimate community of families

    We invite a maximum of 5 families with children <3y to stay in the villa. Get to know each other during our welcome community dinner and during the daily morning sports and breakfast sessions. Exchange, connect and explore the island together or at your own pace.

What’s inside

What’s included:

Self-reflection & Coaching Sessions (see program)

Intimate community of like-minded families with children <3y

Light Relationship & Parenthood Coaching (Input Nuggets + Experiences, see program)

7 days/6 nights double room (queenside bed + baby bed) in an exclusive private oceanfront villa with pool and 5000m2 garden (see video)

7 organic, vegetarian breakfast buffets (including baby food & toddler friendly)

6 light lunches (basket of fresh fruit & vegetables, local bread, cheese and biscuits)

2 community dinners at the villa

Daily babysitting sessions (2h-5h per day, see program)

Daily morning sport session (yoga, breathwork, etc., see program)

2 Entries to natural hot springs

2 x 2hSurf lesson

2 X 30min Massage

Family hike through the jungle

Island Concierge Service (Travel advice & reservations arranged)

Sao Miguel Island

Holidays PLUS

28h of babysitting (3-6h per day)

Daily mornings sports session (e.g. yoga, breath work, ocean swim)

Fun island adventures as a couple and family: jungle and volcano mountain hikes, waterfall swims, natural hot springs, surf lesson

2 Community dinners & 1 couple dinner with babysitting

Input Nuggets (e.g. how relationship science predicts relationship satisfaction from routine behaviors, habits & mindsets of happy couples and how to stay one, relaxed parenthood)

Coaching Interventions (e.g. “Design your Life” & Connecting Jungle Hike)

Lots of time for yourselves & island adventures at your own pace

The Program

The Villa

Island Concierge Service

Explore the island at your own pace and get advice or contacts to great local services whenever you wish. Optional extras:

Whale Watching

Sports activities (more surf, golf, paragliding, canoyeing, canoeing, diving, brazilian ji-jitsu, rock climbing, horseback riding etc.)

Guided half-day tours (Hidden Waterfalls & Beaches, Azorean Heritage, etc.)

Private picknick

1:1 Coaching (Couple or Individual)

  • Spending a good time together is one of the most underrated pillars of good relationships.

    The Gottman Institute - #1 institute worldwide on relationships

  • The magic ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interaction defines happy and lasting relationships.

    Research from The Gottman Institute - #1 institute worldwide on relationships

  • It's good to work on conflict resolution. But fun times together are the glue in your relationship that make you get through the hard times.

    The Gottman Institute - #1 institute worldwide on relationships

Caroline

5 years ago we moved to beautiful Sao Miguel to “Live the Dream”. Creating that dream, especially with two young kids and a third on the way, came with more obstacles to our relationship than we had anticipated. Had we only been told earlier what challenges would inevitably occur and how to increase our chances of mastering them - it would have saved us quite some energy. With a decade long background in neuroscience, coaching & Design Thinking and a PhD in psychology, Caroline decided to change her focus. Instead of helping large cooperations to establish psychological safety in their teams to foster creative work cultures, she started to create fun holiday experiences for couples and families that foster deeper connection and help to overcome the inevitable challenges of relationships.

First Time Special

First Time Special

First Time Special First Time Special

Upcoming Dates

31.8-6.9.2025

6.9.-13.9.2025

Starting from 3399€ per family

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • We designed Early Parenthood Holidays PLUS, having in mind that usually holidays with a child <2y means taking care of them in a different place.

    Daily on-site babysitting, a community of like-minded parents with children <2y and a light program of fun island adventures lets you relax, recharge and reconnect during your family holidays.

  • It’s a mixture of both. Lots of space for your own family and your own pace, spiced up with some light personal, relationship and parenthood coaching to let you truly recharge and reconnect during these holidays.

  • We don’t like dropping our children either, so you simply don’t have to drop them during these holidays. The babysitters are around in the villa, YOU decide how close or far you want to be from your child.

  • Caroline Szymanski, PhD & Ingo Rauth, PhD

    Caroline is Neuroscientist & Relationship Coach and a mother of 3. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Max-Planck-Institute with a focus on relationship dynamics and moved with her family to Sao Miguel 5years ago. Knows the secret places you want to visit on the island.

    Ingo is a dad of 2, and a Certified Coach (ACC). He is a passionate educator who taught courses on Designing  Your Life, Positive Psychology, Behaviour Change, and Purpose for 14 years at institutions including Harvard Business School, Stanford University, University of St. Gallen, IE Business School.

  • Your child. Nothing is more important to a child’s development and happiness in life than grounded and balanced parents. Parents whose relationship is striving and who look deeply forward to coming home to each other are the ones that have enough energy to stay on top of the chaos that parenthood comes with.

  • The Portuguese island Sao Miguel is one of nine islands of the Azores. An archipelago of volcanic origin - located right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Portugal.

  • If you didn’t find the information you were looking for on this website, feel free to e-mail us or ask for a short video call.

    Email