SUN, sea, sand . . . and sweat. Exercise is probably not the first thing you think about when booking a holiday to the Caribbean. But when I jetted off to the beautiful island of Antigua I was heading for a week of serious squats before any time on the sunlounger. Customers wanting to keep fit while holidaying […]
SUN, sea, sand . . . and sweat.
Exercise is probably not the first thing you think about when booking a holiday to the Caribbean.
But when I jetted off to the beautiful island of Antigua I was heading for a week of serious squats before any time on the sunlounger.
Customers wanting to keep fit while holidaying can now book a Royal Suite stay at selected Elite Island Resorts hotels and have a W8 GYM waiting for them in their rooms.
For those who have missed the hype, W8 GYM is this year’s big breakthrough fitness product.
A set of compact gym gear, including dumbbells and resistance bands, that all packs into a small workout step, it looks less like something you would find on the back of an Eighties TV guide and more like a prop from Love Island.
When I see it in my suite at St James’s Club & Villas, my first thought is, “How many rum cocktails could I flog this for at the bar?”.
Still, despite its bling appearance, I leave it firmly where it is, stick on my bikini and head out to find that rum cocktail.
St James’s Club & Villas is a picture postcard Caribbean resort with two private beaches of white sand, crystal clear blue sea and a choice of five pools.
It is a tough life when your biggest decision of the day is where to lie for the afternoon.
I opt for Mamora Bay beach, partly for the beautiful views over the sea, but also because of its close proximity to the all-day beach BBQ.
St James’s Club is an all- inclusive resort, and hungry after a long trip, I take advantage with a grilled fish burger along with a side of heavily loaded nachos from the Mamora Beach Bar & Grill.
After satisfying my hunger, I try some of the free water sports on offer and jump on a paddleboard for the first time. Luckily this beach is well sheltered and waves are few and far between.
So I manage to stay upright as I make my way around the bay a few times.
I return to dry land secretly proud of myself — this calls for another rum cocktail. Before dinner I head back to my room and see the W8 GYM staring at me.
“I’ll shower off the sea water and THEN I’ll work out,” I tell myself.
But when I receive a text from friends saying that we are meeting for dinner in half an hour, it is the perfect excuse.
There are five restaurants at St James’s, ranging from casual waterside dining to settings with panoramic views. On our first night we go for an Italian at the Piccolo Mondo and it does not disappoint.
I have scallops to start followed by a fish stew and it is so delicious that, when we go back again later in the week, I order the same thing.
The following morning I wake up and when I see the W8 GYM staring at me from across the room, I give in and decide to tackle my first workout.
I switch on the TV and within seconds I can select a workout led by W8 GYM ambassador and X Factor star Fleur East.
There is no going back now. I select a 45-minute workout and I am off.
After a warm-up I am using resistance bands and dumbbells and performing kettle bell swings and box jumps in one very sweaty full-body workout, without even setting foot outside my room.
It is over before I know it and, thanks to the 200 different exercises you can do with just one little box, I feel the endorphins pumping.
Later I book myself in at the on-site Tranquility Body & Soul Spa for an hour’s full-body rub down. There is a choice of indoor or outdoor beds. I opt for the bed-with-a-view for an al-fresco massage.
I just about manage ten minutes of pure bliss listening to the waves before drifting off into one of the best naps of my life.
I am eventually woken up and, while still in a state of delirious relaxation, I am glad that it is only a two-minute stroll to the sunbed so I can continue my afternoon of horizontal happiness.
I spend the rest of the week enjoying the laid-back feel of Antigua life but not before starting each day with a quick room-workout.
Midway through, my friends and I enjoy a day on a catamaran tour of the island, including a stop at Nelson’s Dockyard, where Admiral Horatio Nelson made his base in the 1780s.
We visit every restaurant in our hotel and round off an amazing trip with a visit to Pineapple Beach Club Bar, about half an hour away at another of Elite Island’s hotels.
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at Elite Island Resorts St James’s Club & Villas is from £1,449pp, based on two sharing a Royal Suite including return flights from London.
Guests who book a Royal Suite package will also receive a free W8 GYM, worth £149 delivered to their home, (while stocks last).
With incredible evening views over the beach, a lively atmosphere and amazing food and drinks, I’m sad to be leaving this island of paradise.
But for once — despite a heavy helping of rum cocktails and beachside burgers — I am returning feeling fitter and healthier than when I arrived.
Now that’s a holiday worth W8ing for.
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