As New Year’s Eve approaches, resolution lists begin to swell. Few are the people that do not devote this holiday season to taking stock and making a whole lot of promises. Most common resolutions include losing weight, giving up smoking, and leading a healthier lifestyle by exercising and eating clean.
You were absolutely clear on your resolution. In fact, you had been putting it off for a long time—too long, perhaps—, but you just could not seem to find the way or the right place and get around to it.
A change of life; that was your resolution. And although you were well aware of the fact that it was a very broad notion, you really needed a major life change.
A change of life that would involve slowing down and leaving stress and haste behind; learning to enjoy the pace of time and finding happiness in the simplest of things; finally spending quality time with your loved ones; taking care of your well-being; travelling for pleasure and not just for business; and communing with nature and spending time outdoors, whatever the weather.
In a nutshell, you wanted to work to live, not live to work.
The idea had been brewing in your head for quite some time, but it was not until you saw an ad—which came as a revelation—that you finally took the plunge.
An endless meadow peppered with ancient holm oaks and olive groves. A gorgeous house—a winery estate—with its private vineyard. The feeling of privacy and exclusivity; and the idea of belonging to something unique and accessible to only a privileged few. A Club offering five-star services to each winery estate in the community. And, finally, a winery that provided winemaker services to help you produce your own wine.
All of it settled in a unique environment: Ronda—one of Malaga province’s best kept secrets, but perfectly connected with Spain’s main cities and southern locations—.
All this was presented to you as a dream, albeit very real and with a name of its own – The Wine & Country Club.
When Dreams Come True
Your dream has come true: you are seeing the New Year in at The Wine & Country Club.
New Year’s Concert playing in the background—how strange to think that this year’s performance is without an audience—sets the scene while your wife, the girls and you prepare your famous New Year’s brunch. You have been entrusted with rolling up the marinated salmon while they prepare the duck salad and eggs Benedict.
The large wooden table in the dining room has been beautifully set as a buffet, just like it was when you used to have brunch at the Plaza Hotel. Everything is ready for you to dig in whilst you sit on the carpet in front of the fireplace.
The embers have been flickering and glowing in the fireplace since early this morning, warming up the house—it has not been very cold for the time of year, but you love their soft crackling sound—. Drawn by the smell of freshly squeezed orange juice or the aroma of ground coffee—you cannot quite tell—, you suddenly look around and are fully aware of what you see: happiness in its purest form.
You dreamed of a place where you could spend quality time with your family. You longed for a space of your own that was in perfect harmony with nature and where you could capture a deep sense of connection with the environment. You were looking for the privacy of a unique home. You imagined a place where they would also offer a plethora of exclusive services. You wanted to change your life, and so you did.
When people ask you about your New Year’s resolutions, you cannot help but smile. You used to have a full list of resolutions and, by the same token, they used to be a cause of stress. Not anymore. Your latest resolution was clear: you were adamant about living at The Wine & Country Club.