When it comes to top wellness centers, you won’t find a more legendary place to recharge your batteries than BodyHoliday (thebodyholiday.com). The original St. Lucia Sanctuary has been bringing zen to its affluent patrons for 30 years, hosting celebrities like the late Amy Winehouse and Morgan Freeman.
Built on a secluded hillside bordered by beaches near popular Rodney Bay, the all-inclusive private resort enjoys year-round sunshine. And with a world-class spa, golf academy, and watersports center on-site, there is as much adventure as it is fun to relieve stress.
BodyHoliday has just 155 rooms in total, from simple yet comfortable garden rooms to luxurious ocean views with plush king-size beds and panoramic views of Cariblue Bay, where you can watch the fishermen bring back the catch. day.
If you’re looking to spend the money, settle into a spacious Junior Suite in a two-level villa (there are three in total) higher up the hill. What you enjoy in the privacy you pay for with a thigh burn – you’ll have to climb a number of winding wooden steps to get to the resort.
BodyHoliday focuses on treating guests using a blend of Eastern and Western philosophies. The Barnard family, who own the property, believe wellness is built on four pillars: diet, exercise, restorative beauty and relaxation. You will find everything from a state-of-the-art CrossFit-style gym to the specially designed “Ayurvedic” pavilion in the wellness center. (Ayurveda is an ancient Indian healing system that promotes balance between body and mind using holistic practices.)
The all-inclusive rate includes a daily 50-minute spa treatment. So I started every morning with a soothing massage, facial, body scrub, body wrap or hydrotherapy treatment.
Additional treatments include reiki, osteopathy, acupuncture, Thai massage, and hypnotherapy. There is also a specialized skin clinic with Skinceuticals and Thalgo treatments, manicure, hair and make-up services, as well as an infrared sauna.
The ability to set your ideal vacation pace is one of the resort’s main attractions. Before your stay, log onto the BodyHoliday website and choose your treatments and activities. A tablet in each room shows your daily itinerary.
One of the more exciting offerings is the BodyScience Clinic, a high-tech concept using a combination of DNA testing, 3D cardiac mapping, iridology, and Ayurvedic techniques to help you feel better. By analyzing a range of personal data and diagnoses, in-house physicians use your results to suggest a tailored health program tailored to your needs, whether it’s a specialty diet, nutritional supplements, personal care, or of meditation and yoga. (Prices start from around £ 2,060, in addition to the cost of a stay.)
If you’re in the middle of a wellness break, BodyHoliday can get you on the right track, with immune injections and healthy salads available at the Wellness Cafe for lunch. The casual Cariblue Restaurant offers a virtuous a la carte dinner menu with gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and Ayurvedic choices.
One of my favorite places was I-TAL, a private farm-to-fork dining experience set in a wooden cabin in the hillside jungle. I-tal is the name of the Rastafarian vegan diet, believed to improve energy and our connection to the universe. Usually, guests can forage for food in the gardens and help cook dishes under Chef Julienne’s tutelage, but with the Covid restrictions still in place, just show up and go home.
As well as relaxing, you’ll want to roll up your sleeves and embark on an adrenaline-fueled adventure. All activities are included, which means you can do as much or as little as you want.
Fitness classes throughout the day range from gentle yoga at sunrise on the hotel’s wooden pier to high-intensity HIIT sessions in the gym.
Try your hand at land sports like archery, golf, tennis and cycling, as well as pool volleyball and water aerobics. BodyHoliday takes advantage of the incredible beachfront location with an ASA accredited sailing club, where you can learn to sail, race and crew in the Caribbean Sea. There is also a PADI certified diving school. Each guest receives an additional diving course, and for an additional fee you can take a full course.
Saint Lucia has incredible dive sites; from reef dives to underwater wrecks. We spent a day enjoying a boat trip to a spectacular marine park at the foot of the famous Piton Mountains in the south, renowned for tropical marine life including parrot fish, trumpet fish, sergeant majors, moray eels and sardines.
What’s really great about BodyHoliday is the sense of community – it’s unassuming luxury. In a climate where one in six people go on vacation alone, the resort is a safe, friendly and welcoming place to spread its wings and “meet”, meet other nice people or simply enjoy a moment of reflection. With the Caribbean Ocean lapping on your toes, the sun beating down on your skin, and nowhere to be except a massage table or a beach lounger, it’s hard not to feel refreshed.
How to plan your trip
Carib Tours (caribtours.co.uk) is offering a seven-night all-inclusive trip at BodyHoliday (thebodyholiday.com) from £ 2,749 per person including flights to London Gatwick on May 21, 2022.
For more information on the destination, visit stlucia.org
