Camp Leader
Most of us train before going on holiday. For the elites, training is the holiday – and those people come to Club La Santa. Lanzarote’s fitness utopia has it all
For years, the summer holiday trope went like this: train hard for four weeks and lay down some disco muscles, before hitting the beach – then watch your body go in reverse. No longer. Increasingly, fitness is the holiday, and the more nourishing and worthwhile the experience, the better.
As people have grown accustomed to using their time in the (home) gym or on the bike saddle to look after both their body and mind, a penny has dropped. Why not treat yourself to a whole week of the stuff that makes you feel good? But while every city in Europe is set up for boozy weekenders, there’s now a wave of destinations catering for the recreational athlete yearning for escape when ordinary travel resumes. Club La Santa in Lanzarote is at the crest.
A 30-minute drive from Arrecife Airport, it truly earns its #worldsbestsportsresort moniker. A playground for active people, the complex is a hub of fitness activity set in sunny climes. That training in the heat is proven to boost fitness is a welcome bonus, along with the tan.
It’s not just recreational athletes who travel here, either. The club has the sweaty stamp of approval from several sporting greats. Team GB’s Brownlee brothers have called it home as they worked to achieve peak fitness ahead of triathlon season. Top CrossFit Games athletes such as Sam Briggs and Sara Sigmundsdottir recently came to Club La Santa during the Open, and Olympic track and field teams often take advantage of the facilities. The resort has more than 80 different sporting activities to choose from.
Start Your Engines
After breakfast, the resort is yours to enjoy. Things start fast here – by 8am, there’s already a buzz at the Olympic running track, which continues right through to 7pm. Nestled around it are multiple tennis courts, a boxing ring and a golf practice area. For water-lovers, there are three 50m Olympic outdoor pools (the most at any resort in the world). That means you’ll very rarely have to share your lane when you’re trying to master your tumble-turn. If this all sounds a little clinical, there are wilder challenges, too. You’ll also find the lagoon, which is a haven for those who enjoy windsurfing, kayaking and open-water swimming.
Those who like to lift have an indoor gym that (unsurprisingly for a place that boasts three Olympic-grade pools) is well stocked. But what really steals the show is the outdoor functional training area, where you can train and tan by signing up for one of the hugely popular CrossFit classes run by head coach Greg McClure.
You won’t want to leave but if you do venture out, take one of the resort’s high-spec Cannondale road bikes, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a mountain bike. You can join a group ride, which caters for all abilities, or head out on your own.
“A playground for active people, the club offers more than 80 activities to choose from”
Booking your fitness pursuits when you’re there couldn’t be simpler. It’s all done via an app that you can download on arrival. Hit the CrossFit box before breakfast, work on your backhand at lunch and then earn your dinner with lengths in the pool. Remember, though, that you are on holiday and that recovery is important. Start your cool-down in the Wellness Centre, unwinding in the suite of hydrotherapy and steam baths or hot and cold pools.
All too often, people come back from a holiday spent boozing and immediately declare that they need another holiday. We suggest updating your attitude to travel, once coronavirus is out of the picture. Make doing the things that make you feel better the priority and you’ll return to normal life refreshed, reinvigorated and still have a tan that’s the envy of your colleagues.