Zumba – Travels with Ali

Day Three

What a fun day today was going to be, a mystery tour had been planned for a coachful of women! Reminiscent of a school outing with our names being ticked off by Vicki as we boarded. It was non-stop chatter from the moment we sat down and Laura our lovely instructor had to whistle very loudly to get our attention. We boarded at 10.30 am and would be back at 4pm, no-one had a clue about where we would be going.

Our first stop was a winery for a quick tour and of course the requisite wine tasting. The winery was Aravina Winery, a 180 acre property with a surfing museum attached in Yallingup. The owners were very accommodating and explained each wine as it was tasted.

After sampling many wines we were back on the bus and onto our next mystery destination. This time also stopping for lunch. With much guessing going on we finally arrived at Black Brewing Company. Two large tables had been reserved for us and the staff did an excellent job of serving so many ladies! I was one of the lucky ones who was served very quickly, some were not so fortunate and waited for a while.

A few of the ladies that were still sitting by the time I got around to taking a photo

This place had the most amazing grounds, so after lunch I had a walk around to snap a few more shots. There was intermittent rain so it was a case of dodging it while walking.

A small island sat on the opposite side of the bridge with a stunning gazebo.

Each of the glass windows had a story of winemaking written on them with wonderful artwork. The photos didn’t quite come out the way I wanted.

Back on the bus and our next two stops were more about shopping. The first one was Vasse Virgin Olive Oil. All products were natural, made with olive oil, plant extracts and essential oils. We had a great time here sampling all the products and getting hand scrubs.

What finishes off a day nicely, a trip to a chocolate factory goes down very well with anyone, and that’s where our last stop was, The Margaret River Chocolate Factory.

I bought a few gifts to take home and all the ladies were given a bar by the lovely Laura.

So this was a no dancing day as everyone was pretty tired after a hard day’s touring. A very quiet pizza party was planned for the evening with cupcake decorating for dessert.

Day Four

More eating today with morning tea at Cape Lavender Teahouse. Devonshire Cream teas with lavender scones, cream and jam, just the best start to the day.

I was so happy that they did gluten free also, enjoyed every bite. There was also a gift shop, so did the obligatory shop and came away with even more gifts.

Yallingup Maze was next and then lunch at another brewery. Lisa and I opted instead for more shopping and a walk along the beach before a zumba class at 4.15.

Our last night’s party had a Bollywood theme with everyone invited to dress up and bring a curry. The outfits were amazing and everyone made such a great effort and the food was gourmet standard.

And so ends a fantastic five nights of dancing, eating, drinking, making new friends and catching up with old ones. A magnificent achievement by our zumba instructors – maybe next year back to Bali!

I’m just back from a wonderful five nights in Dunsborough, Western Australia where I took part in a five night stay Zumba Retreat. It was organised by our three lovely Zumba instructors over four days. There were over 40 ladies in all who participated! I certainly didn’t know all of them but with all the events happening have come away with many new friends. My friend Lisa booked us a three bedroom house in a complex very close to many of the other ladies. It was within walking distance to the beach and the small local town, a winner on all fronts.

And so it begins!

Day One

Of course it started with a Zumba class at 9.15 am for just over an hour, ready for a nap already. Back to the house for showers and then off to Clancys Fish Pub for lunch and a shopping session after.

Dunsborough is full of quirky shops selling all kinds of gifts, designer clothes and things you generally don’t need but just have to have. We ended up going home with multiple bags each.

In the afternoon there was a tango lesson, which I baled on, I wanted to preserve energy for the cocktail party later that evening. As you can imagine this was a noisy gathering, so many cocktails and wild dancing.

Day Two

Not too early a start today, a zumba class at 9.15 followed by a morning tea. More zumba at 10.30 – 11.30 am. I am definitely feeling it by now and ready for a rest. Lisa, Rose and I had a quick lunch at our house and decided to go for a drive to a winery and restaurant.

I spotted this big boy from the car as we were driving away, I love seeing kangaroos in the wild

More Zumba at 3 to 5.15 pm but also missed that! Opting instead for a walk along the beach.

Another big party tonight, well two actually! First a welcome party for the newcomers and a goodby party for the other ladies who were departing.

Our first party involved so many games designed to get to know one other. So much fun and plenty of food and wine and of course more dancing. Luckily the other party was within walking distance and was in full swing by the time we arrived, more dancing and drinking. Ready for my bed.

So far so good, I was actually hoping to lose a few kilos! I doubt that will be happening with all the morning teas, lunches, party food, wine and cocktails. I think it will be going the other way.