Yoga, walking, climbing, watersports and relaxation in the Caribbean paradise of St Lucia
Beautiful white beaches, crystal blue waters, yoga twice a day with a top yogi and more outdoor activities than you could shake a stick at - when the St Lucia tourist board very kindly rang the Zest office on a cold and gloomy November day to invite us to its first 'Health and Wellness Retreat' it was a no-brainer.
So last weekend we jetted off to see what this Caribbean island, traditionally a honeymoon haven, had to offer active, health-conscious women like yourselves. And boy, were we impressed.
Based in and around the south west St Lucia town of Soufriere, the retreat itself spanned four days and benefited from the presence of some of the world's foremost experts in healthy living. We enjoyed activities including twice daily yoga sessions with leading US Iyengar yoga expert John Schumacher, seminars on the link between the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui and optimal health, as well as talks on how to achieve peak performance from Dr Stephen Brewer, author of The Everest Principle: How to reach the summit of your life.
Add to that art and photography workshops, cookery classes and the fact that the retreat's activities were based at some of St Lucia's award-winning luxury resorts, including the beautiful Jalousie Plantation and Stonefield Estate Villa Resort & Spa, and you've got yourself a pretty fulfilling mind- and body-boosting weekend.
Next year's retreat promises to be bigger and better so it's definitely worth considering timing a visit to the island with the chance to take advantage of the workshops on offer. And if you're after more action to complement the well-being side of things, there's plenty more where that came from, too.
Choose from an array of watersports (including snorkelling, diving and kayaking) to abseiling down waterfalls and climbing one of the island's famous Piton mountains - a UNESCO World Heritage site, no less. We tackled all 2619ft of the beautiful Grand Piton - and still made it back in time for yoga!
For more info, check out www.saintluciahealthandwellnessretreat.com and www.saintlucianow.co.uk
