Corporate retreat in Zakopane for MELBET’s international team

One team, three countries and no shared office

The MELBET team Harbor organised this trip for works remotely. Its members live in different countries — Poland, Spain and Ukraine — so day-to-day collaboration happens online.

The company wanted to bring 13 employees together in one place for a few days and give them a shared experience: face-to-face conversation, walks in the mountains, active leisure and informal time together. That became the brief for a corporate retreat in Zakopane — a three-day company offsite in October 2025.

What sits behind three days in the mountains

A three-day corporate trip to the mountains is made up of many separate decisions. The team members were not all starting from the same city, so routes and transfers had to be aligned, accommodation booked for the whole group, meals planned, activities and an evening programme chosen — and everything fitted into a single schedule.

Harbor took on the entire organisation: concept and programme, transport, accommodation, restaurant and activity bookings, insurance, games, the evening format and oversight of every supplier. Preparation took about a month and a half.

Warsaw, Kraków, Zakopane: two starting points, one route

Part of the team set off from Warsaw, while the others joined in Kraków. The group had lunch together in Kraków and then continued on to Zakopane.

Harbor arranged premium minibuses for the group’s travel. Every transfer and journey between the planned stops was part of a single logistics plan run by Harbor.

A private villa as a shared home for three days

The retreat was based at a private two-storey villa in mountain style. Having its own space gave the team somewhere to have breakfast together, rest between activities and spend the evenings without other guests around.

Harbor organised breakfasts at the villa itself, so mornings did not depend on finding a place that could seat a group of 13.

Morskie Oko: heavy rain changed the route, not the outing

One of the central points of the programme was a trip to Morskie Oko. A walking ascent had been planned, but on the day heavy rain set in.

Instead of cancelling the route, the programme was adapted: the group went up using the available transport and walked back down. During the mountain outing Harbor served the team hot mulled wine.

Fog and rain changed the pace, but not the outing itself: the team reached the lake together and spent the day in the mountains.

Quad biking on wet slopes near Zakopane

For the active part of the programme, Harbor organised a quad bike ride through the mountain terrain around Zakopane — roughly an hour and a half. The weather intervened again: after the rain the ground had turned soft, and the ride went through mud.

So that nobody had to worry about their own clothes, Harbor provided protective suits and balaclavas. The ride went ahead despite the weather.

Chochołowskie Termy: a slower pace in the programme

A corporate retreat in the mountains was never meant to be only about activities. That is why the programme included a visit to Chochołowskie Termy, a thermal spa complex near Zakopane, where the team could switch to a slower pace.

This way, the three days combined mountains, active time and rest, rather than a packed list of programme items.

Evenings at the villa: dinner, Bunker, a bar and karaoke

The evening programme took place at the villa in a relaxed format: dinner, the game Bunker, a bar organised by Harbor, music, karaoke and dancing. No DJ and no host — the team set the pace of the evening.

One evening called for a quick decision. There was no longer time for the planned restaurant dinner, and getting restaurant delivery for a group of 13 in Zakopane proved difficult. Harbor changed the plan and arranged food at the villa so the evening programme could carry on.

Other lunches and dinners took place at restaurants and venues that Harbor selected and booked in advance.

Two Harbor coordinators with the team for all three days

Two Harbor coordinators stayed with the group throughout the retreat. They kept track of timing, stayed in contact with transport, restaurants and activity providers, and adjusted the programme when the weather or the schedule required it.

For the MELBET team, this meant that questions like “who made the booking?”, “when are we leaving?” or “what do we do if it rains?” did not have to be solved on their own — decisions were made on the spot while the team spent time together.

The result: three days together, not managing logistics

Thirteen MELBET employees who work remotely from Poland, Spain and Ukraine spent three days together in Zakopane. Harbor brought logistics, accommodation, meals, mountain activities, thermal baths and the evening programme together into one managed corporate retreat.

Two Harbor coordinators accompanied the team throughout. When the weather called for changes, the programme was adapted on the spot, and the team did not have to handle bookings, suppliers or programme changes themselves.