“Can we do it together?” If you’re planning a dark retreat as a couple, that’s the first question, and the answer is yes. Of our five cabins near Kutná Hora, one has a double bed: the Cabin of Love. It’s the only one where two people share the darkness in one room, so if you’re looking for a dark retreat for couples in the Czech Republic, this is the cabin Lenka and I will point you to. Here’s how it works in practice – and what’s worth talking about before you switch off the light.
The Cabin of Love: the same cabin, with one double bed
From the outside it looks like the other four, standing under an apple tree in our orchard in Lomec. The sign by the door says “Láska”, which is Czech for love. Inside, it’s equipped exactly like the rest: a shower with hot water, a deep tray and a small seat, a washbasin and toilet, a kettle, hooks, a shelf, a sleeping mat and a meditation cushion, 20 cm of insulation in the walls and complete darkness – you can’t see your hand in front of your face. The difference is the bed. The other cabins have single beds, 200 × 90 cm; the Cabin of Love has the one double.
Here’s a short look at the cabin. Take a good look – once the light is off, this is the last you’ll see of it for a while:
How a dark retreat works for two
Practically, very little changes. You arrive together – for a week usually on Saturday evening – settle in, give your things a fixed place and switch off the light yourselves when you’re ready. If you’ve booked meals, a vegetarian menu for both of you arrives in the little entrance hall, where food is handed over without any light getting in. Lenka and I live in the log house 50 metres away, and you can always let us know if you need something.
What changes is everything else. In the dark, two people rarely keep the same rhythm. One of you sleeps for twelve hours while the other lies awake listening to the ventilation. One of you hits the “what am I even doing here?” moment on day three, the other on day five. Time melts differently for each of you, and you can’t read your partner’s face to see how they’re doing. You have to ask – or trust.
A week in the dark together isn’t a week of doing everything together. It tends to work best when you give each other room, even in a small cabin.
Talk about these things before the light goes out
- Talking or silence? You can talk as much as you like, or agree on quiet hours or whole quiet days. Both are fine; it’s just easier to decide while you can still see each other’s faces.
- Touch and space. Which side of the bed is whose, where each of you keeps your things, whether a hand on the shoulder in the night is wanted or not. These small agreements save you a lot of bumping into each other – literally.
- Different rhythms. If one of you wants to sleep and the other wants to sit and breathe, that’s normal. The mat and cushion give you a second place to be.
- The shower. The 30-litre boiler is good for one 5–15 minute shower and then needs about an hour and a half to heat up again. Who goes first is the first big decision of your week 🙂
- What if one of you wants to come out? Either of you can end the stay at any time – the light switch is yours and nobody locks the door. Agree beforehand what you’ll do: come out together, or let the other one carry on.
An honest word before you book a dark retreat for two
A dark retreat for couples is not a romantic hotel weekend with the lights off. Strong emotions can come up, and in the dark you meet your own mind first and your partner’s second. Some days you may feel very close; on others you may wish you had a cabin to yourself. Both are part of it, and neither says anything bad about your relationship.
If you’d each rather have your own space, you can also book two separate cabins in the same orchard and meet again when you come out. And please both read our page on safety and who a dark retreat isn’t for. Each of you decides for yourself, and each of you is free to say no – even if the other one is already packing.
What it costs for two
Sharing one cabin costs less than two separate stays. Prices for two people in the Cabin of Love, in euros:
| Length | Without meals | With meals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 night | €135 | €165 |
| 3 nights | €359 | €435 |
| 1 week (7 nights) | €719 | €895 |
Meals are vegetarian and cover the whole day. If you prefer, you can bring your own food and use the kettle, or fast. More details are on the prices page. And if the dark is meant as a present for your partner, there’s a gift voucher without a fixed date – you then have three months to pick a date together, and the stay itself can be later.
Make a trip of it
If you’re coming from abroad, it’s worth turning the week into a proper journey: a couple of days in Prague, an afternoon in Kutná Hora with St Barbara and the Sedlec Ossuary, then the dark. Lomec is about an hour and a quarter from Prague by car, or an hour by train to Kutná Hora plus a free lift from us. We’ve put together a day-by-day plan in A 10-day trip: Prague, Kutná Hora and a week in the dark. Just leave a quiet day after you come out. You’ll want to share it – and you’ll have plenty to talk about.
The Cabin of Love is our only double cabin, so if you have particular dates in mind, ask early.
See you in the dark – Tom & Lenka
P.S. In case you’re wondering: no, you won’t see each other in the dark. Not even a little. You’ll recognise each other by voice, by breath and by who stole the duvet 😉
