My eighth (yes!) visit to St Lucia and The BodyHoliday (previously known as LeSPORT) did not start off very well, because my travelling companion and colleague Janice missed her flight from Belfast to Gatwick and so had to join me a day late. However, being a single traveller didn’t stop me from having a good time, even if I was only ‘on my own’ for one day.
I was met by St Lucia Representatives who were easy to locate in the arrivals lounge. They introduced me to my taxi driver and I was swiftly on my way to The BodyHoliday, which has just had a $20 million make-over. It was actually raining and pretty steamy, but this was the only time I saw any rain as for the rest of my stay it was 32C and hot, hot, hot! (Mind you, on my next trip, I might opt for the helicopter transfer from the airport, cos after the flight the 90-minute road transfer can be a bit much!)
A lovely non-alcoholic cocktail was handed to me as soon as I arrived, which went down very well. The check-in process was very easy and because I had already pre-booked my treatments online (something we suggest to all Friendship Travel guests) I was handed my schedule at the same time as I got my room key.
I dropped off my luggage as quickly as possible and made my way (book and beach towel in hand) to the pool. There were plenty of spare sun beds, though in fact, because the resort frowns on people ‘bagging’ beds with towels and then going somewhere else, you’re allowed to remove ‘stakeout’ towels; something that I think is a great idea. Each sun bed has a red flag that you put up when you are ready for a drink. The waiters come within five minutes, and bring your requested drink just as swiftly.
So – once on that sun bed I did not move all day – except when I went to lunch and later for my first Spa treatment of a ginger and lime scrub. This is a great one to start your holiday as it really prepares your skin for the sun.
I was very tired on my first evening so chose to dine alone in the Clubhouse. They have a BBQ served here on six nights a week which is casual dress. So, if you are not in the mood for putting your glad rags on this is the perfect choice.
I headed to bed early, which gave me a chance to have a good at look at my room. I had been given a Luxury Ocean View room which was on the second floor overlooking the pool and ocean. The view was amazing and the room had everything I could want, with an iPod dock, tea and coffee making kit, iron and ironing board and the “pièce de resistance” which is the massaging shower! The beds are all queen or king size. The following morning we were up (yes Janice had finally arrived by this stage) at the unearthly hour of 6am so we could join the early morning walk to Pigeon Island. These walks are definitely worth doing, if only so you do not feel too guilty when tucking into a hearty breakfast.
We had a full-day trip planned, which was a boat trip to Soufrière and the volcano (the smell of sulphur here definitely helps to clear the sinus), lunch at a local Plantation and then off to the Botanical Gardens for the rest of the afternoon (which included a mineral bath) and then a Sunset Cruise back to the resort. If you can tear yourself away from The BodyHoliday resort for a day (and I appreciate this is hard to do) then this trip is definitely worth doing.
We decided to dine at the Cariblue restaurant this evening so met first in the piano bar for pre-dinner drinks. The dress code in Cariblue is definitely more formal, so we got glammed up for the night. We were quickly spotted by the ‘Bodyguards’ (staff) as single travellers, and asked if we would like to sit at a shared table for dinner, which we did. It was great to meet everyone (especially resort staff Mark and Catherine) and we were made to feel very welcome. I think we had 12 solo travellers on our table, and there was another table of singles who had met up earlier in the week and already formed a ‘group’ of their own. Although one of the guests was on his 26th visit (yes, really) the majority were first timers, and I guess most were aged between 30 and 50-ish.
The following day we decided to do next to nothing, except explore the resort and catch some rays. We can highly recommend the infinity pool (they have aqua aerobics here), the private cabanas (I could literally spend all day every day in one of these, drinking cocktails), the Spa (the facial and full body massages were bliss), the gym (if you need to burn off some of these extra calories) and lots more. We ate at TAO restaurant on our last evening, which is a mixture of east/west cuisine and has won multiple awards. However, beware: if you react badly to mosquito bites, I suggest you don’t choose a table overlooking the beach, because I left dinner with very sore legs!
Next morning, breakfast was ‘made’ by spotting Olympic Gold medalist Daley Thomson… and I must thank Catherine for her recommendation of a cappuccino latte in the Deli: at only 48 calories, and absolutely delicious, this is a great treat for those watching their weight. I am only sorry that I didn’t try one until an hour before leaving.
Our trip was truly wonderful and TheBodyHoliday has definitely cemented itself as one of my top three resorts in the world. Roll on visit number nine!
