It seems a little odd to talk about an event that happened a year ago, but I have to admit, I didn’t talk about it as much as I should have done when it happened.

April last year, I was lying on a white sandy beach, on the tropical Island of St Lucia on the holiday of a lifetime, with 9 of my family members.

At the time, I had only been blogging for a couple of months, and hadn’t got into the flow or rhythm of blogging, and so I did a short piece about the holiday, but actually didn’t share just what an amazing time I had there!

So, a full year later, I have dug out the photo’s, and the memories and am going to share a few here.

St Lucia for me, was an amazing experience. Well, it could hardly fair to impress! A Caribbean Island. An all inclusive holiday. Sun, Sea and…..Sandy beaches!

We spent 10 wonderful days on the Island, and had a lot of adventures. The resort we stayed in was called Coconut Bay, and is on the Atlantic side of the Island, as opposed to the Caribbean Sea side. This means it can be a bit windier, and the sea can be a bit choppier. However, the constant warm breeze really helped with the heat which was around 32 degrees most days. In April.

The resort is split into two halves, the family side, called Splash and the over 18’s side, called Harmony

We were very lucky to have been placed in the Harmony rooms, and had lovely ground floor with private patios and gorgeous views of the tropical foliage, and the sea. It really was heaven onearth.

Coconut Bay has it’s own water park, activity schedule, sports facilities, watersports kiosk and even a petting zoo! For those wishing for a quieter life, there is the spa facilities, over 18’s bar, and adults only swimming pools, bars and jacuzzis.

Right from the first afternoon of arrival, we got stuck into the activities! Monday night was the Beach Party, with live band and bonfire. We danced, drank lots of rum and really relaxed for the first time in years.

The island itself has many places to visit and activities, and one of the very first things we chose to do was go to The Treetop Adventure Tours. This is a zipwire excursion through the Caribben rainforest. It has 12 different zipwires, with the longest being 800 metres.

Now, as I am a jellybaby when it comes to heights, my children immediately ruled me out of this one, saying I wouldn’t want to go. Boy, did I prove them wrong!

Given that this was a once in a lifetime holiday, I didn’t want to miss out on anything. So, I signed up along with them all, and off we went.

I can honestly say, it was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done! Zooming through the air, 150ft above the rainforest canopy was just out of this world.

The 12 zipwires meander through the forest, where you mightsee native birds, insects, butterflies and even the odd snake. The flowers and plants are just beautiful and it was both a fabulous way of seeing a different side of St Lucia, as well as having a fantastic adventure.

The minibus driver also made two or three stops at various places on the island, for views and photo opportunities which was great, and lots of pictures were snapped all along the coast.

Another adventure I had was learning to kayak, and snorkel. I also had a go at paddleboarding, but just couldn’t get myself up on the board without it tipping and depositing me into the sea. The snorkelling was just wonderful! I saw so many tropical fish, coral and even shrimp and crabs. I enjoyed it so much, I had several goes at it over the course of the holiday.

Another one off experience I had was one of the most embarrassing. One particular night in the over 18s bar, a few of us had rather a large amount of cocktails. It was then that I decided it would be a good idea to get up and do karaoke.

Never ever have I been tempted to do this, for fear of mockery and laughter. I decided that Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” was the song to let loose on the other holidaymakers. Let’s just say, I don’t think the music producers will be knocking on my door anytime soon…..

The other day trip we took was a round the island tour, whichcombines minibuses and boats. Basically you drive up one side of the island, and sail down the other side. This was something we had all been looking forward to, as it was a full day’s adventure and also took in the sulphur springs, botanical gardens and waterfalls, before finishing up at an original plantation.

This unfortunately was the day that Baby Bear got really ill. She was determined to make it on the trip, which in hindsight was not a great idea, as when you add nausea with a boat ride, well… it was never going to end well, was it?

We did managed to git most of the activities in, although Baby Bear sat on the bus and tried to sleep, rather than wander around botanical gardens in the heat of the day.

We saw so many beautiful plants and birds in the gardens, before moving onto the sulphur springs. We were all keen to give it a go, as it is supposed to be fabulous for your skin. But boy was it a bit stinky!

We had to immerse ourself in a roasting hot spring, before climbing out and scooping up handfuls of sulphurous mud, and rubbing it all over our bodies. This was so much fun, and I have to admit, my skin felt like velvet after!

Whilst on this trip, we made friends with a lovely couple, Kelly and Kevin who had come to St Lucia for a family wedding.   Well, you know what I am like! I will talk to anyone, and this was no different. We had a lovely time getting to know them, and spent a great evening in a massive Jacuzzi drinking bottle of champagne with them and the wedding party. Kelly very kindly sent us some photo’s she had taken of us via Facebook, and even now a year later we stay in contact. The plan is to meet up there again in two years time! Better start saving!

One of my favourite things about the resort was the main restaurant. This was because it had a “help yourself” buffet, with hot dishes and also individual serving bars that changed from meal to meal. For example, in the morning there would be a smoothie bar, a french toast bar, an omelette bar and a creperie. In the evening, these turned into pasta stations, salad bars, stirfry station and grill section.

In the morning, the wonderful Tara was in charge of the French toast section. Now, I am not normally a breakfast person, but she was in charge of the most wonderful treat, the daily special which basically was a double thick slice of raisin and cinnamon loaf, slit in the middle and filled with creme patisserie. This is then fried before being topped with bananas in syrup and fresh cream.

Of course, it isn’t the most healthiest of breakfasts, but I can tell you that its the tastiest! Topped by the fact that Tara is one of the most loveliest of people. She has a smile that beams the second she sees you! She really is the cream of the crop – to be fair, all the staff at the resort are amazing, but she really is the best!

The rest of our holiday was spent relaxing, swimming and sunbathing, and our evenings were spent in the pool, or taking part in the resort events, the late night pool party, western night, bbq and visiting the resorts many restaurants.

It was such a shame when the holiday came to a finish. We really didn’t want to leave. The staff were so amazing, and treated us all like family, rather than guests!

Cocktails in the over 18’s bar, made by the amazing Dona D, Sunrise at 4am sat round the pool watching the beauty of it all, The events and activities we all took part in, the spa where I was pampered like a princess. It really was a holiday of a lifetime.

St Lucia is an amazing island, and I long for the day that I can return again. There is still so much more there that I need to do and discover! Just need to start winning the lottery….

Where is your favourite place to go in the World?
Till next time

Tx