On my recent holiday I thought it would be rude not to pop my head around the doors of Ibiza fitness retreat 38 Degrees North and spend the morning doing yoga with them and paddleboarding with retreat owner, James Davis.
I heard about 38 Degrees North a good year ago when a few people I follow on social media where either there or talking about wanting to be there. After taking one quick look at the website to see what it’s all about, I wanted to tag along too! When we settled on spending a week in Ibiza this year, I got in touch and made plans to head to the five-star Aguas de Ibiza spa hotel in Santa Eulalia to find out more.
Five-star luxury hotel
After a quick meet and greet with James at reception, my mum and I (yep, I took her along with me!) headed to a yoga class with the beautiful Ayda Ellis. Ayda’s therapeutic yoga classes are formulated by the current moon phase, therefore the flow constantly changes from week to week. Our focus for the class was to strengthen the shoulders and arms, so Ayda had us working through traditional yoga poses, with the added dance motions of tantric yoga, which I absolutely loved.
Showing off on my SUP wearing Beach Cafe UK bikini
I think I got a little too cocky with my SUP yoga tricks! Still smiling though!
After our energising yoga class, James and I headed to a bay nearby to hop onto some paddle boards and chat all things health and fitness, whilst trying to avoid a few jellyfish! James’ story is exactly what I’d hoped it would be… A guy in the wrong London-based job, who has a passion for fitness jets off to Formentera a few years ago to take part in a triathlon and ends up seeing a gym for sale while he’s there and buying it! And that’s where it all began. Obviously a lot has happened since then with 38 Degrees North now being based out of a luxury hotel and with people coming from as far as Washington DC to get their fitness holiday fix.
I’m seeing more and more retreats popping up on my social media feeds at the moment, so it’s hard to know which one is right for you. The great thing about what James and his team have created is that they cater for so many different needs. You can read about each programme in more detail on their website, but there really does seem to be something for every wellbeing lover, with DNA fitness retreats to luxury yoga and mindfulness breaks. And if you’re not sure the group thing is for you, during the two weeks per month that the group retreat isn’t happening they focus on bespoke health and fitness programmes for individuals.
Here’s what you can expect in a day from the Optimal Fitness programme:
08:00 Breakfast
09:00 Beach circuits or Aqua spinning
10:30 Rooftop Yoga or cardio circuit
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Outdoor boxing or watersports
15:00 Strength circuits
16:00 HIIT training or hike
18:00 Dinner and free time
Prices start at £1493 in low season up to £2571 for a week in high season. The retreats are running now, until October, so get in quick or start planning for next year. For my yoga-loving readers, Ayda is teaching on the September yoga retreat, which I’m dreaming of being at!
Thanks to James and Ayda for a brilliant morning. Hope to see you both again soon.
For those of you who have already commented on my Instagram photos asking where my bikini is from, it’s a Seafolly one from Beach Cafe – definitely the go-to website for amazing swimwear designers. I think this has to be up there with my favourite EVER bikini! You can shop the bikini right here.
Typing this back home, I’ve got a severe case of wanderlust. Hiking in Norway can’t come quick enough!
Love, Cat x