By CLAIRE BATES

On top of the world: The tiring climb to the top of Gros Piton took two hours


Sodden with sweat and tropical rain, I push one heavy leg on after another as I climb up through the rainforest slopes of Gros Piton.

In postcards of St Lucia this dormant volcano alongside its twin peak Petit Piton looks majestic and serene but up close it is muddy and hot.

After two hours of climbing I have reached a mindless survival mode. My only thoughts now are where to place my next footstep and reminding myself to suck in lungfuls of air.

Then the sun breaks through the canopy and we stumble into a clearing where the undulating western coast is spread out 3,000ft below. It would be breathtaking... if I had any left.


Entering another world: The idyllic view from the balcony of one of the resort rooms


My intrepid Caribbean adventure began a month before when I saw an advert for the The Body Holiday at LeSport in St Lucia. ‘Give us your body for a week, and we will give you back your mind’, it promised.

The resort was launching a bi-annual one week bootcamp run by Olympic legend Daley Thompson and former-Gladiator Kate Staples.

Included in the package were sports from scuba to volleyball and sessions with a physio who would analyse my ‘body metrics’ and devise a plan that would help me improve my diet, fitness and posture.


Kate and Daley take bootcamp member Nikki through one of the exercises


I arrived on the island in the evening and was enveloped in a balmy warmth as soon as I stepped off the plane. The 90-minute taxi ride was a little hair-raising as the roads were being repaired following a hurricane a few weeks before.

On my first morning I woke up with a banging headache in my unfamiliar guest room. Flinging open my balcony doors I felt as if I had unwittingly opened a porthole into another world.

The sun was rising idly in the sky above the frothy waves and directly in front of me a hammock was swinging between two palm trees, escaped perhaps from the pages of a glossy magazine.

But there was no time for contemplation and I had to hurriedly grab some fruit and a cup of tea on my way to my first bootcamp class.

The warm-up was by the beach and quickly followed by some muscle toning exercises including the plank, push-ups and crunches. A small circuit followed with lunges, high-knee jogs and tricep dips accompanied by classic party anthems from Kate’s iPod.

Another short run brought us to the steep stairs leading up to the Wellness Centre, which we used to increase the burn.


Learning to scuba: Lessons in the pool and sea are on offer at the all-inclusive retreat of LeSport


The daily massages were heavenly and a fantastic way to ease newly found muscles, but after over-packing my schedule I was dismayed when I realised I had missed a few appointments.

‘Don’t beat yourself up for missing things,’ Bodyguard manager Roger told me.

‘You can’t possibly do everything that we have available. It’s just a good excuse to come back.’

And relaxing in this idyllic corner of the Caribbean I could understand why nearly half of their guests are return visitors - even considering the hefty price tag.

Indeed several people half-seriously asked me not to write about LeSport as they didn’t want more people to discover their secret hideaway.

My only quibble during my stay was that I did feel I was discouraged from leaving the resort and seeing more of the beautiful island.


The view from Pigeon Island back to The Body Holiday at LeSport, St Lucia


So I strode out with a fellow bootcamper to Pigeon Island where sandy beaches mingled with the ruins of a Georgian British fort.

Another excursion took me to the main town of Castries. Taxi rides are pricey here as cars are so expensive to import and the half-hour journey is $60 one way.

However, there are buses from the nearby Port Islet and it’s worth the effort to spend a pleasant afternoon wandering through the markets and brightly painted Catholic church.

This small issue aside, The Body Holiday at Le Sport has really nailed the retreat experience. They cater for people who want to swing in a hammock all day to those who are eager to climb a mountain like I did.

All inclusive meant delicious food and drink were available all day and I could find no fault with the staff who showed the same warmth as their beloved island.

Overall I was surprised as how quickly LeSport began to feel like a home from home.

It says something that it is the first place I’ve ever completely unpacked my suitcase so I could pretend it was where I lived.


The classic image of St Lucia, with the volcanic Gros Piton and Petit Piton towering over the island. Up close they are humid and hot.


Kuoni (01306 747008 or kuoni.co.uk) offers 7 nights on all inclusive at The BodyHoliday, LeSport, St Lucia in a luxury room, including flights with British Airways from Gatwick with transfers in resort.

Prices for May 2011 from £1,858 per person based on two sharing.

Kate Staples and Daley Thompson plan to run further WellFit retreats at LeSport in May and November, 2011. For more information visit thebodyholiday.com


source: dailymail