Strictly star ALI BASTIAN heads to Jamaica and shares her heavenly holiday diary...

After all the frenetic activity and high kicks of her Strictly Come Dancing experience with dance partner Brian Fortuna, followed by her West End debut in the fast-paced dance show Burn The Floor, Ali Bastian needed to recharge her batteries so she could face 2011 with renewed vigour. 

A relaxing holiday to the all-inclusive 74-room Sandals Royal Plantation resort in Jamaica, combining a mix of yoga and life coaching, was the prescribed medicine. Accompanying her to this luxury ocean-front hideaway were her trusty life coach Ali Campbell – whose celebrity clients include royalty, rock stars and celebrities such as Kelly Rowland, Mica Paris and Nikki Sanderson – and her pal Jessica Huie.

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The 28-year-old actress – who has starred in Hollyoaks and The Bill – spent her week doing yoga on the hotel’s private beach, being pampered in the spa, swimming in the crystal-clear sea and chilling out in the lush gardens dotted with fountains,  gazebos and lofty palm trees. Ali also wrote up a daily diary, exclusively for OK!…

DAY ONE - A FRIENDLY ARRIVAL

It was a fairly nerve-wracking three-hour drive along winding roads through the hills of Fern Gully from the airport to the Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, located on island’s north coast. However, it was well worth it when we spied the luxury retreat that was to be our temporary home. On approach I was struck by the hotel’s grand colonial-style facade and the warm Jamaican welcome. The manager Peter Fraser asked us what we’d like for dinner that night and the chef specially prepared us a delicious crab starter and shrimp mahi mahi.

We were then introduced to our personal butlers! I thought all my Christmases had come at once as Audell insisted we were to do as little as possible all week, which came very naturally me! He then surprised us with a gorgeous cheesecake for dessert and hot chocolate with a drop of rum. I fell asleep relieved to be able to relax following a challenging few months.

DAY TWO - YOGA TIME

We woke up at 6am to blazing sunshine, pulled on our yoga kits and made our way down to the sunrise class on the wooden jetty with Maji, who we nicknamed Spiritual Yoga Man. An hour of yoga followed by 15 minutes meditation to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore on the lovely beach left me so relaxed I floated to breakfast. Ali C has prescribed yoga for me on alternate days and it’s great place for exercise as the warm climate enhances flexibility. My first life-coaching session with Ali C also took place on the beach. We got on like a house on fire when he helped me combat my stage fright through a combination of neuro-linguistic programming and gentle hypnosis for my role in Burn The Floor.  My aim on this trip was not just to chill out, but also a chance to re-focus so I have the energy to pursue whatever this year throws at me.

Session one was a guided meditation to help me slow down from the pace of London life. After this I felt so chilled I was now officially on Jamaican time. Ali’s style of coaching is really relaxed, so rather than arrive in Jamaica with a strict regime, he created sessions based on my feelings that day.

Later that day, when I was planning to work on my tan, the heavens opened – but all was not lost as we headed to the hotel’s stunning spa where we were treated to possibly the best heated massage I’ve ever had using lava shells. Jess and I giggled like schoolgirls as the therapist said: ‘Would you like to have a man?’ I could hardly string a sentence together after 80 minutes of massage bliss. I lost the power of speech, mumbled a thank you and had my best night’s sleep ever!

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DAY THREE - A LAZY DAY

I spent today lazing on the beach before a magical session of sunset hatha yoga with Maji. As we attempted to hold our poses there was a wonderful moment where a ray-fish swam past our feet – no other yoga session will ever compare after this. The session totally inspired me to restart yoga when I get home, if only I could take Maji back in my suitcase! I returned to the suite to find our butler had made me a fresh coconut cocktail and run me a petal-strewn bubble bath. They’d even created a little dog out of hand towels, which was sitting on my four-poster bed wearing my Tom Ford sunglasses!

DAY FOUR - ALFRESCO MASSAGE

I ordered a traditional Jamaican breakfast of ackee, saltfish, plantain and callaloo, a vegetable similar to spinach only tastier. It felt a bit cheeky but we asked the butler if we could eat it on the beach. ‘No problem, man,’ was his response – and it came with three glasses of champagne. Nothing is too much trouble here!

After another session with Ali C, I was tapped on the shoulder and invited to come for a walk along the palm tree-lined beach. They’d surprised me by setting up an alfresco waterside massage. I felt absolutely spoilt rotten. 

DAY FIVE - BACK TO SCHOOL

I felt very privileged to be invited to visit the local school today that provides for the poorest children in the community aged between three and five. The Jamaica Basic Schools Foundation supports them and Sandals also sponsors the one I visited. We stopped off at the shops to grab some art supplies which we presented to the class – although it was the bag of lollipops which the wonderfully well-behaved children loved the most. 

Later we joined a sunset sail around the island. It was raining so hard we expected the cruise to be cancelled but the crew had other ideas and we set sail for Dunn’s River Falls. It was an amazing way to see Ocho Rios and we also sailed past Grace Jones and Mick Jagger’s house. We couldn’t stop Jess from jumping off the boat for a swim and I wasn’t far behind her!

DAY SIX - IN LIMBO

On our final sunrise session of yoga with the lovely Maji, he surprised us with his post-session Rastafarian morning chant – I’m going to miss yoga Jamaican-style!

Tonight was the hotel’s Jamaican night on the beach. A group of traditional dancers provided the entertainment and Jess and I were the first two victims to be pulled up to attempt the limbo. I breezed under but flashed my knickers to the whole hotel before Jess bashed her head on the limbo stick and cut her gum – at which point an amused Ali C suggested we call it a night!

DAY SEVEN - REJUVENATED!

Woke up to the sun streaming through the window for our last day in paradise. It’s been the most relaxing week ever and I’m feeling fully recharged. After a final session with Ali C I feel ready for the next chapter. While I sometimes feel challenged by the sessions, I love the feeling afterwards – like a weight I didn’t know I was holding has suddenly been lifted. Topping off our perfect week, the chef prepared our last candlelit supper.
Now I feel rejuvenated and ready to take London by storm, kicking off this month with my new acting role in a stage production of Agatha Christie’s Verdict. It will be fantastic to get my teeth into a strong acting role after so much of the last year revolved around dance.
My New Year’s resolutions have to be getting to a yoga class a minimum of three times each week, having more adventures and eating less chocolate (fairly unlikely)!