How to Disconnect from Stress When Traveling to La Palma: Proven Habits to Help You Relax from Day One at the Hotel

Arriving at your destination doesn’t always mean you’ve switched off.
Some people land on an island like La Palma still moving at city pace — checking their phone, thinking about what they “have to see,” setting schedules without even realizing it.
Even in a place designed for rest, it takes more than sun and silence to truly slow down.

At Hacienda San Jorge, we see it every week. In the first few days, some guests walk quickly, try to organize every hour, or are surprised there’s no TV in the room. But little by little, something shifts. And when it does, the trip really begins.

Can you help that shift along? Yes — and here are some simple ideas to make sure your arrival is not just physical, but mental too.

1.Don’t rush to unpack

Our first suggestion: don’t open your suitcase right away. Don’t rush to put everything in place. Instead, sit for a moment on the terrace. Open a window. Listen. Look around. Breathe. Arriving is not just about entering a room. It’s about stepping into a different rhythm.

2. Use your phone differently

You don’t have to disconnect completely — just use it more intentionally. Mute notifications for a few hours. Avoid checking email or social media out of habit. Use your phone to take a photo of the garden, record the sound of birds, or play soft music while you read. Rest also means choosing what you connect to.

3. Walk without a goal

One of the simplest and most effective habits: go for a walk without a destination. Around the garden, along the hotel paths, around the pool. Don’t try to “see something” — let the walk be the plan.

You’ll often discover the best corners when you’re not looking for them.

4. Pick a spot and make it yours

A table at the restaurant, a bench in the shade, a specific hammock. You don’t have to explore the entire hotel to enjoy it. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is return to the same place again and again — and let it become your spot. Repetition brings calm too.

5. Leave a space with nothing in it

Don’t fill every moment of the day. Leave some time completely open. No tours, no reading, nothing planned. That moment often ends up being the one you remember most — because it asks nothing of you.

Slowing down doesn’t always happen on day one.
Sometimes it comes on day three.
Sometimes right when you decide to stop organizing every minute.

But when it comes, you’ll notice: your breath changes, your body relaxes, and everything feels simpler.

At Hacienda San Jorge, that rhythm is in the air.
You just have to let it reach you.

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