Amanda Bown travelled to Le Sport in St Lucia and found it the perfect place for combining treatments, fitness and relaxation. With breathtaking scenery and a private beach setting, she relaxed watching sea birds dive for fish during the afternoons, then later enjoyed the gorgeous sunsets this beautiful island offers every day

Located on the northern part of the island, the 90-minute car journey from the airport to the resort offers beautiful scenery. The dramatic sweeping mountainous landscapes, sandy beaches and abundant banana plantations are a real feast for your eyes!

Although the roads are narrow and twisting, it's worth the journey as The BodyHoliday resort awaits your arrival with a cold towel and a refreshing drink.

This resort offers a complete cycle of health, fitness, diet and treatments from mainstream facials and body treatments to more holistic approaches.

People are treated as individuals throughout their stay and the instructors are excellent at getting you to enjoy their classes, the intention being that you take away an element of what you've learned and apply it to your daily life.

What is on offer to the weary traveller?

A programme of activities and treatments is put together for the duration of your stay from Hydrotherapy to Thai massage and other delights. Classes start from 7am each day, offering you a huge choice of activities on a drop-in basis, from the morning walks to Pigeon Island, to Body Circus, Archery and Meditation.

Your relaxation begins and unravels at a pace to suit you. No one is forced into a class or a treatment if they don't wish to participate or are unable to on health grounds. Treatments can be changed to suit the individual if it's not suitable for you, or if your health limits your mobility. Because you're having fun and learning something new on an almost hour-by-hour basis, you begin to unwind without even trying!

A relaxed ambience is evident, with many people walking about in white waffle robes; which gives an impression of a sunny health farm! And because Le Sport is an all-inclusive resort, you don't have to worry about carrying bags or money anywhere.

Food fare

The food is just amazing, with various dietary requirements catered for. From wheat-free, soya milks, gluten-free, to organic salads and vegetables, all offered up within a vast array of dining options on a daily basis. It was wonderful to see and taste food that had been 'homemade', with attention to detail in the ingredients and presentation of the dishes.

Spa experience

The spa is situated away from the main hotel, and sits on top of the hill, with a castle-type facade, which gives way to a courtyard and an outdoor pool. All the treatment rooms lead off a central square, with the meditation section further up. Other treatments are done in this location too, from Thai massage, to Shiatsu.

I booked myself in to have a Deluxe Coconut and Spice Combo treatment, an excellent choice to help with jet lag and achy muscles from the cramped and delayed plane journey. This seated massage takes place outside, in the meditation section of the spa.

Elemis Frangipani oils are used on your skin and the deep application of pressure (not too much) really got to work on my stiff neck and shoulders. The treatment also includes pressure-point massage of the arms, hands, and tendons and a heavenly Ayurvedic scalp massage completes it.

This is perhaps an ideal treatment for beginners too, as it doesn't involve a complete undress or a full body massage, which maybe a little unnerving to the inexperienced spa goer.

Going solo

There is a mixture of clientele here at the BodyHoliday. Single rooms are available with Queen size four poster beds and no single supplement. At meals, there's the option of sitting at combined tables for the solo travellers. Equally, if you prefer having some quiet time with yourself, then the hotel is big enough for you to do this without interruptions.

Things to do

If cabin fever strikes and you want to get out of the hotel grounds for the day, whale and dolphin watching classes and day trips on boats to nearby islands are on offer for an additional fee.

Kuoni Travel (01306 747008) offers 7 nights at the BodyHoliday at LeSport St Lucia in a luxury room on all inclusive basis, including flights with Virgin from Gatwick with transfers in resort. Prices for September 2008 from £1504 per person based on two sharing.

Visit www.kuoni.co.uk for more information