RUNNING, JUMPING, ROWING & DANCING WITH THE STARS

What better way to celebrate the opening of a new fitness-focussed hotel in 2024 than with an Olympic-themed weekend? Katy Sunnassee flies to Turkey to Anda Barut Collection’s new Didim property to hobnob with former Olympians... and do a bit of exercise while there

- Katy Sunnassee

I magine going for a pre-breakfast run with Paula Radcliffe; rowing with husband-and-wife team Ric Edgington and Vicky Thornley; improving your backstroke with Rebecca Adlington or doing HIIT circuits with a dream team of Dame Denise Lewis, Colin Jackson CBE, Daley Thompson CBE and Jamie Baulch. Even one of these would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, let alone getting to do all the above, and more, over just one weekend.

But that's what a lucky group of journalists and members of the public are doing for the opening week of Anda Barut Collection in Didim, the latest offering from the Turkish-based five-star hotel group.

Also on the packed three-day itinerary are yoga classes with former diver Leon Taylor, who won a silver at the Athens Olympics in 2004 (he turned to yoga after retiring from diving and still commentates on the sport for the BBC). Taylor introduces all the athletes to a captive audience by the main pool on the Saturday afternoon, as well as introducing the former Strictly Come Dancing professionals that are also taking part over the weekend.

As a life-long lover of dance, I'm super excited to see lan Waite, who's teaching Fitsteps (fitsteps.co.uk) each day, and Ola and James Jordan who are doing their Dance Shred workout (danceshred.co.uk). When the time comes for their classes, I'm up the front, prancing, dancing, squatting and loving life. Denise Lewis, who partnered with Waite on the Strictly Christmas Special in 2004, is in the row behind me and leans forward to say, 'I can see who's danced before!' to which I reply that I used to teach Fitsteps so I'm at a bit of an advantage! The steps come flooding back and I begin to question why I ever gave up teaching it in the first place (when I became editor of Top Santé I reasoned with myself that I'd have no time, but my fitness levels have never been as good since!).