There's nothing like running on a beach. And if that beach is on South Australia's Kangaroo Island, with its pristine sands and turquoise waters, then it's a truly wonderful sensation.
I must admit I've never really been much of a runner. But after a glorious month-long tour of Australia and having piled on the inevitable pounds, I found myself on one of the most beautiful stretches of sand on Earth being put through my paces by a former chef at famous London restaurant The Ivy.
Sue Pearson is something of a legend on Kangaroo Island.
She arrived in this wilderness more than ten years ago and now runs 'the best fish and chip shop in the world', according to one local newspaper. She also runs a
four-day training programme called Soul To Sole. It's basically away of getting yourself in shape while exercising and eating healthily.
I loved every second of my mini-fitness venture and just wish I could replicate it at the end of every holiday.
My husband Jonathan and I were staying at the much-acclaimed Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, or KI to the locals.
The island is a 30-minute flight from Adelaide. Alternatively, you can do an easy 90-minute drive through world-class wine country and board a ferry on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Whichever option you choose, you will get the sense of being in a very special place from the moment you arrive.
KI is roughly the size of Kent, and a microcosm of different Australian landscapes.
It's the place to see the best of Australia if you don't have time to see the whole country. Even on our short trip from the airport, we glimpsed bushland, eucalyptus woods, white sandy dunes and spectacular seascapes. And there were, unsurprisingly, a lot of kangaroos.
The Southern Ocean Lodge is perched on the island's wild south coast. It is a mind-blowingly beautiful location, with the sweeping white sands of Hanson Bay visible from every part of the resort. Each time we were greeted by the panorama, we couldn't help but say: 'Wow!'
On our first day, a friendly member of staff took us through our personalised itinerary as we sipped a glass of bubbly. We'd advised staff beforeoffered hand that we wanted to walk on rugged clifftops and cycle on empty roads.
As we chatted, a tanned and toned blonde woman walked towards us. We exchanged greetings and she introduced herself as Sue Pearson. Within a matter of minutes, I was readily agreeing to take part in the Soul To Sole fitness experience with her on the final day of our break.
Staff clearly take pride in the Southern Ocean Lodge and couldn't wait to show us our suite. Each of the 21 guest rooms is named after a local shipwreck and they snake gently down the hillside towards Hanson Bay.
Our room was the pinnacle of luxury living, and if there hadn't been so much to do during our stay, I would have loved to spend more time on the heated terrace, snuggled up with alpaca blankets and books, soaking up the drama of the Southern Ocean and watching the weather change.
Our suite's walk-in wardrobe and bed were enormous, while the wooden floors of the lounge segued into soft carpet in the bedroom and heated limestone tiles in the huge bathroom.
Occupying centre-stage in the bathroom was a spectacular wooden tub. There was such attention to detail throughout. There was a Bose music system, cosy eco-fire, a fridge bursting with local food and drink, organic linens and even a tan leather toilet-roll holder.
And I don't know whether it was the KI water, the hairdryer or the shampoo infused with native lemon myrtle and wild lavender, but my hair had never looked and felt so good.
We spent the next two days exploring Kangaroo Island.
It is Australia's third-biggest island, and actually larger than we thought at almost 100 miles long and 34 miles wide. It' is also home to about 4,500 people. The guided tours in 4WD comfort with Exceptional Kangaroo Island were superb. A third of the island is a national park, with stunning natural features such as the wind-sculpted Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase. There, we watched seals being hurled against the rocks before swimming back to do it all again.
Then we went to Seal Bay and found ourselves within touching distance of these wonderful mammals. It's one of the rare places on Earth where you can actually walk with sea lions on the sands. No wonder they call this area the Galapagos of Australia.
Ogling animals in a zoo is simply not the same as viewing them in the wild. We saw koalas munching away in eucalyptus trees, dolphins frolicking and seal pups learning to swim. We also went stargazing and came across penguins on the beach.
In the resort's restaurants, there's a distinct focus on seafood, as you might expect, with plenty of sweet crayfish, scallops and King George whiting. But there's also an abundance of produce such as organic lamb and honey. In fact, here the world's only pure Ligurian bee colonies produce highly prized honey. I bought several pots of this liquid gold to take home as presents, along with delicious native jams and pretty decent bottles of sauvignon blanc.
I must admit I've never really been much of a runner. But after a glorious month-long tour of Australia and having piled on the inevitable pounds, I found myself on one of the most beautiful stretches of sand on Earth being put through my paces by a former chef at famous London restaurant The Ivy.
Jump to it: Sian meets one of the locals (sort of) at the Southern Ocean Lodge
Sue Pearson is something of a legend on Kangaroo Island.
She arrived in this wilderness more than ten years ago and now runs 'the best fish and chip shop in the world', according to one local newspaper. She also runs a
four-day training programme called Soul To Sole. It's basically away of getting yourself in shape while exercising and eating healthily.
I loved every second of my mini-fitness venture and just wish I could replicate it at the end of every holiday.
My husband Jonathan and I were staying at the much-acclaimed Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, or KI to the locals.
The island is a 30-minute flight from Adelaide. Alternatively, you can do an easy 90-minute drive through world-class wine country and board a ferry on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Whichever option you choose, you will get the sense of being in a very special place from the moment you arrive.
KI is roughly the size of Kent, and a microcosm of different Australian landscapes.
It's the place to see the best of Australia if you don't have time to see the whole country. Even on our short trip from the airport, we glimpsed bushland, eucalyptus woods, white sandy dunes and spectacular seascapes. And there were, unsurprisingly, a lot of kangaroos.
The Southern Ocean Lodge is perched on the island's wild south coast. It is a mind-blowingly beautiful location, with the sweeping white sands of Hanson Bay visible from every part of the resort. Each time we were greeted by the panorama, we couldn't help but say: 'Wow!'
On our first day, a friendly member of staff took us through our personalised itinerary as we sipped a glass of bubbly. We'd advised staff beforeoffered hand that we wanted to walk on rugged clifftops and cycle on empty roads.
As we chatted, a tanned and toned blonde woman walked towards us. We exchanged greetings and she introduced herself as Sue Pearson. Within a matter of minutes, I was readily agreeing to take part in the Soul To Sole fitness experience with her on the final day of our break.
A view to remember: As its name suggests, the hotel looks out towards the Southern Ocean
Staff clearly take pride in the Southern Ocean Lodge and couldn't wait to show us our suite. Each of the 21 guest rooms is named after a local shipwreck and they snake gently down the hillside towards Hanson Bay.
Our room was the pinnacle of luxury living, and if there hadn't been so much to do during our stay, I would have loved to spend more time on the heated terrace, snuggled up with alpaca blankets and books, soaking up the drama of the Southern Ocean and watching the weather change.
Our suite's walk-in wardrobe and bed were enormous, while the wooden floors of the lounge segued into soft carpet in the bedroom and heated limestone tiles in the huge bathroom.
Occupying centre-stage in the bathroom was a spectacular wooden tub. There was such attention to detail throughout. There was a Bose music system, cosy eco-fire, a fridge bursting with local food and drink, organic linens and even a tan leather toilet-roll holder.
And I don't know whether it was the KI water, the hairdryer or the shampoo infused with native lemon myrtle and wild lavender, but my hair had never looked and felt so good.
We spent the next two days exploring Kangaroo Island.
It is Australia's third-biggest island, and actually larger than we thought at almost 100 miles long and 34 miles wide. It' is also home to about 4,500 people. The guided tours in 4WD comfort with Exceptional Kangaroo Island were superb. A third of the island is a national park, with stunning natural features such as the wind-sculpted Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase. There, we watched seals being hurled against the rocks before swimming back to do it all again.
Then we went to Seal Bay and found ourselves within touching distance of these wonderful mammals. It's one of the rare places on Earth where you can actually walk with sea lions on the sands. No wonder they call this area the Galapagos of Australia.
Ogling animals in a zoo is simply not the same as viewing them in the wild. We saw koalas munching away in eucalyptus trees, dolphins frolicking and seal pups learning to swim. We also went stargazing and came across penguins on the beach.
In the resort's restaurants, there's a distinct focus on seafood, as you might expect, with plenty of sweet crayfish, scallops and King George whiting. But there's also an abundance of produce such as organic lamb and honey. In fact, here the world's only pure Ligurian bee colonies produce highly prized honey. I bought several pots of this liquid gold to take home as presents, along with delicious native jams and pretty decent bottles of sauvignon blanc.
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