Several years ago, a cruise I was on stopped in Castries, Saint Lucia for a day. I wasn't terribly impressed with Saint Lucia. The person I was with and I tried to explore the city, but the poverty we encountered after leaving the ship was sad. We returned to the ship shortly after leaving the ship.
Fast forward five years to 2016...I wanted to take a vacation to a resort, but didn't want to go to a Sandals resort with newlyweds. I did a Google search for all-inclusive resorts that are good for singles and The BodyHoliday appeared on a few lists. It is in Saint Lucia, so I was kind of turned off initially. After reviewing their website and some online reviews, I decided The BodyHoliday was where I would spend my vacation. I wanted to go in March, but prices dropped significantly in May, so I picked a week in May and booked the trip.
The BodyHoliday is a fitness and wellness focused resort. All guests get a spa treatment each day while staying at the resort (excluding arrival and departure days). As soon as my online portal was available, I scheduled my treatments. Can you tell I was excited?
This resort also has fitness activities and classes throughout the day. They have a gym, which I walked through, but did not use. They also have a fitness studio that is a big open room with mirrors and large windows. The Treehouse is essentially a room built in some trees. It's an open room with large windows on four sides. One side overlooks the beach. I intended to take a yoga class while I was there, but I couldn't work it out with my schedule. I took my very first spin class while there and enjoyed it so much that I returned two additional times. I also took two body stretch classes. These stretch classes were low impact and relaxing, but I was very sore after both.
They have healthy and not-so-healthy food options at all times. I tried to consume a mixture of healthy and non-healthy foods. One of my favorite daily rituals was afternoon tea. A large majority of the guests at the resort came from the United Kingdom. The island is also a British territory, so afternoon tea made sense. I've discovered I LOVE scones with clotted cream with jam or lemon curd. A girlfriend and I have tea at The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta a couple of times per year and the scones are our favorite part. I always save the scones until last.
My mornings included me getting up and either eating breakfast first or going to a fitness class first. I tried to take classes in the morning, so my afternoons could be spent on the beach. Three of my four massages were at 4:00 p.m. so I wanted to make sure I was available and ready for those. After my fitness classes, I changed into my bathing suit and headed to the beach. I preferred to set-up in a lounge chair in the grass under a tree as opposed to under an umbrella in the sand. I spent a couple of hours in the chair before heading to shower before my massage. There were servers on the beach that would get drinks for you from the bar so you could get comfortable and not have to leave the chair except to go to the bathroom or grab lunch. I read a book for a while and would usually take a nap. After showering and my massage, I returned to the pavilion for tea. I also set-up in the pavilion and watched the sun set each day. After that, I changed clothes and ate dinner. That was my typical schedule each day I was there. It was relaxing and I did what I wanted to do.
People have asked if I had fun on my trip and I tell them, "No, I didn't have fun. I went expecting to relax. Fun would have been great, but since I was going alone, I didn't expect to have fun." I don't want that to sound harsh, but I expected to relax and I got exactly what I was looking for.
I flew to Saint Lucia the morning of Saturday, May 14. The resort doesn't have a bus or transfer from the airport to the resort, so I had to get my own transportation. I looked online and found a service that had excellent reviews. I contacted them and booked the trip to and from the resort. I had the car to myself and the driver stopped a couple of times at some notable area so I could look and take photos. Even though the island is only about twenty-seven miles from top to bottom, the drive took about an hour and a half each way due to the hills and winding roads.
I'm so happy I did that for myself! I want to go back soon, but I'll have to let the travel funds build back up before planning another trip.
This is me in the car on the way to the airport at 7:00 a.m. I wasn't excited or anything.
The airplane getting ready for the flight from Atlanta to Saint Lucia:
The airport in Saint Lucia is VERY different from the Atlanta airport. You exit the plane using a stair truck and then walk across the tarmac to the terminal.
These two photos are from the drive to the resort:
This is a photo overlooking Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia:
The view of the Caribbean from my room:
My room:
Waiting for a class to start:
The view from the wellness center (where I got massages and worked out):
Chilling:
These little birds were near the pavilion and helped me eat my tea sandwiches:
A sunset:
The Infinity Pool:
The Italian courtyard (I don't know what made it Italian):
The view from my room after sunset:
This is the Treehouse where I took spin classes. You can't really see the ocean due to the photo quality, but it's just beyond the tree.
The view from the pavilion after a fitness class:
Another morning:
Another sunset:
Waves after sunset:
Afternoon tea:
More waves:
About 6:45 a.m. on my last day. I was heading to a 7:00 a.m. spin class.
My plane had just landed in Atlanta:
I didn't wear make-up or style my hair the entire time I was at the resort (I was on vacation!). Friday afternoon, I decided I should stop being such a slob and make myself look normal again.
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