Turkish Delight

Hannah Ebelthite heads to the stunning Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bodrum – and rediscovers her fitness mojo with trainer Ruben Tabares.

If you’d asked me 20 years ago what my perfect holiday would be, my answer would have been a fly-and flop package trip. Sunbathing by day, cocktails and clubbing by night – all night. These days, if I took a break like that, I’d come home feeling worse than when I left. Rare as they are, I need my holidays now to be restorative and revitalising.

And it’s not just me. According to the Global Wellnesss Institute, ‘wellbeing tourism’ is the fastest-growing travel sector, having increased by 14 per cent over the past two years. ‘As people become more aware of the importance of staying fit and healthy, their holidays reflect this need, with a big increase in bookings for wellness retreats and spa holidays,’ says Paul Joseph, co-founder of Health & Fitness Travel, whose research found 82 per cent of people want to stay active on holiday. ‘A fitness-focused break can be a great way to reset the body, learn a new approach and develop good habits to bring home,’ he adds. And that was exactly what I had in mind as I boarded the flight for Bodrum, Turkey. Having nursed a running injury for the past six months, I was feeling unfitt, unmotivated and in a definite fitness rut.Time for some sun, scenery and the chance to remind my desk-bound and increasingly round body how good it feels to get active on a daily basis.

A TASTE OF PARADISE