Morning
Sea air through the veranda doors.
You wake to morning light across the water. Over breakfast, there is time for a conversation that goes somewhere unexpected. You laugh. You linger. You realise you have barely looked at your phone.
An intimate Caribbean retreat with Banke Sotomi
FEMININE
HORIZONS
Make room for who you are becoming.
A voyage of reinvention, pleasure and possibility. You have built a life. What would it feel like to delight in it?
7–16 January 2028
Cruise, 8–15 January, with hotel stays before and after sailing.
Be among the first to receive the full invitation. No commitment required.
The official invitation
A luxury women's retreat at sea
Proposed journey, 7–16 January 2028, including hotel stays before and after the 8–15 January cruise, hosted by Banke Sotomi. Here is the invitation at a glance. Read on for the story behind it.
The original flyer is retained; the proposed dates above include the additional hotel stay after the cruise.
You have given years of yourself to building a life.
To your work, your relationships, your family and the things that matter to you. There is much to be proud of. Much to be grateful for.
And perhaps, alongside that gratitude, you are beginning to want something more. More time to enjoy what you have worked for. More experiences that awaken your curiosity. More laughter, beauty and freedom to follow what interests you. More room to discover who you are becoming and what you want this next season to hold.
Feminine Horizons is an invitation to explore those possibilities.
Join Banke Sotomi and a circle of women for a Caribbean cruise retreat that brings together beautiful travel, meaningful conversation and the pleasure of giving yourself time. Time to hear your own thoughts. To explore somewhere new. To be cared for. To enjoy your own company and the company of women who are also making room for more.
Nine nights
Two hotel nights in Barbados + seven nights at sea
Five destinations
Barbados · St Lucia · Curaçao · Aruba · Bonaire
12 women
An intimate circle, hosted by Banke
Imagine the days unfolding
One day, from first light to last.
Discovery
Colour, warmth and unfamiliar streets.
A new island invites you ashore. You explore, notice the colours around you and taste something you have never tried. With fewer demands on your attention, you begin to recognise what draws you. Later, you find a quiet place with your journal. Something from a conversation stays with you. You give it a little time.
Evening
Dressing for dinner, and for yourself.
By evening, you are dressing for dinner in something you love, looking forward to good food and familiar faces around the table. Across these moments, you begin to experience the qualities you want more of: presence, curiosity, ease and delight. And you start to imagine how they could belong in your everyday life.
A new chapter begins with a little room
Sometimes, the desire for change arrives quietly.
You notice that your days leave little space for the things you enjoy. You find yourself wondering what you would choose if you gave your own preferences more attention. An old interest returns, or something entirely new catches your imagination.
You begin to ask: What would I love to experience now?
That question is at the heart of Feminine Horizons. As we travel, we will explore what it means to create a life that reflects who you are today: what matters to you, what supports you and what makes you feel alive.
Perhaps you want to feel more spacious and less hurried. More playful and willing to try something unfamiliar. More present with the people you love. Better supported, with the time and resources to enjoy your life.
Here, you will have room to consider what those desires mean for you, and how you might begin to honour them.
- Pleasure
- Letting enjoyment be reason enough, food, music, sunlight, rest.
- Curiosity
- Following the small pull towards somewhere, or something, new.
- Creativity
- Making, writing or imagining without needing it to be useful.
- Expression
- Wearing, saying and moving in ways that feel like you now.
- Connection
- Real conversation with women who meet you where you are.
- Reinvention
- Noticing what you are ready to carry into your next chapter.
Space for pleasure, reflection and possibility
Here is how the week unfolds.
Our time together will bring thoughtful coaching and shared reflection into a spacious rhythm of travel, rest and discovery. We will explore who you are becoming, what you enjoy and where you would like to make different choices. We will consider the support you need, the desires you have put aside and the possibilities you are ready to take seriously.
There will also be time to let an experience be enjoyable simply because it is. A delicious meal. The warmth of the sun. Music that makes you want to move. A conversation that leaves you smiling. An afternoon with nothing you need to accomplish. When so much of your attention goes towards what needs doing, these pleasures can become easy to postpone. Giving them space helps you notice more of what you want your life to hold.
- 01
Arrive and settle in Barbados
A hotel stay on 7 January before sailing on 8 January, with another hotel night after the cruise on 15 January before departure on 16 January.
- 02
Board Seabourn Ovation
8–15 January, with the Caribbean as your backdrop.
- 03
Explore the islands
St Lucia, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire, with selected curated outings being explored.
- 04
Reflect together on sea days
Facilitated gatherings with guided reflection and gentle embodiment.
- 05
Enjoy personal space
Plenty of unscheduled time for solitude, rest and your own discoveries.
- 06
Carry meaningful choices home
A post-retreat online reunion to reconnect and revisit what mattered.
Shore experiences are proposals being explored, such as a gentle Willemstad discovery or Bonaire's salt flats and coastline. Operators, activities and wildlife sightings are not guaranteed.
The ship and your suite
Seabourn Ovation
Between the islands, home is Seabourn Ovation, an intimate, all-suite ship where the hospitality is effortless and the ocean is always in view. The ship takes care of the setting; Banke takes care of everything that makes it yours.
You'll share a Veranda Suite with one other woman from the group, with twin beds requested (subject to confirmation) and a shared private veranda. Accommodation is sharing only. Solo occupancy will not be offered; any proposed pairing will be discussed with both women before booking.
What we are bringing together
Every detail, held for you, from first hello to reunion.
- Barbados welcome stay
- Seven nights at sea
- Hosted retreat gatherings
- Gentle practices and creative exploration
- Selected island experiences
- Welcome collection and journal
- Connection before and after the journey
- An evening worth dressing for, perhaps
The finer details are being thoughtfully arranged. Priority-list members will receive the complete invitation when it is ready.
An invitation from Banke
Banke Sotomi
My own reflections on reinvention have brought me towards four qualities: spacious, deeply present, playful and well-resourced. I want time to enjoy the life I am building. To be attentive to my faith, my relationships and my wellbeing. To follow my curiosity, receive support and welcome experiences that bring me joy.
Feminine Horizons grows from that desire. As an executive and leadership coach and founder of The MEGA Woman, I work with women who have achieved much and are considering what they want next. I know how valuable it can be to step away, hear yourself clearly and explore your possibilities in good company.
“My intention is to create a retreat where you feel warmly welcomed, thoughtfully cared for and free to enjoy the experience in a way that feels right for you. I would love you to join me.”
What would you like your next chapter to hold?
Come with your curiosity, your questions and the things you are beginning to want.
Come for the beauty of the Caribbean, the conversations and the pleasure of having something wonderful to look forward to. Give yourself room to discover what else life might hold for you.
Around Banke, a circle of just twelve. Many women will travel on their own, and the retreat is designed with that in mind. A pre-retreat online gathering lets you put faces to names before you pack, and Banke will be there from your first evening in Barbados.
Sharing a suite means sharing a space with care. Gatherings are invitational: you choose what to share and which optional moments to join. Time alone is part of the design, not something you have to negotiate.
What do you enjoy about being you, beyond everything you do so well? Feminine Horizons gives you time to explore the answer.
The priority invitation
What you'll receive first
- The full retreat invitation
- Confirmed experience and accommodation details
- Practical travel and booking information
- First notification when registration opens
The official flyer
Share the invitation
Know a woman this might speak to? Save the flyer or pass it on.
Questions
Things you might be wondering
Can I come alone?
Absolutely. Many women will, and the online gathering beforehand means you'll know a few faces before you arrive.
What does sharing a suite involve?
Two women share a Veranda Suite and its veranda, with twin beds requested and subject to confirmation. Suite pairing details will follow in the full invitation.
Can I request my own suite?
No. This retreat offers shared accommodation only, with two women per veranda suite.
How structured is the retreat?
Lightly. Two deeper facilitated gatherings are planned for the sea days, with shared dinners and optional moments around them, and plenty of free time.
Do I need coaching or embodiment experience?
No. Everything is invitational and gentle. Curiosity is the only requirement.
Will I have time to myself?
Yes. Solitude, rest and independent exploration are part of the design.
When will the complete details be available?
The programme is being thoughtfully developed. Priority-list members will receive the full invitation as soon as arrangements are confirmed.
What happens after I express interest?
You'll be among the first to receive the full invitation, with confirmed details and booking information, when it is ready.
Does registering interest commit me to attending?
No. Registering your interest simply means you would like to receive the full invitation when it is ready.
There is more to discover in the world, and more of yourself to enjoy within it.
Register your interest to receive the retreat details and booking invitation when they are released. Registering your interest carries no commitment to book.
Read the proposed experience, sharing arrangements and booking information, then tell Banke what draws you to this journey.
View details and express interestCompleting the form does not commit you to booking, confirm your place or reserve a suite.