This guest article was written by Charlotte McCulloch a travel writer for MoneySupermarket.com who loves all things travel and reality TV, in particular TOWIE. You can follow her on twitter @charlmc86. I would just like to add that neither Charlotte or I were paid for publishing this article by any means, this was written purely because she is a fan of the show and I thought since I posted lots about reality TV and TOWIE, that it would be relevant and enjoyable to my readers!
With January off to a particularly blustery start, we can be forgiven for allowing our minds to wonder taking us from our grey and dismal Tuesday morning to a day dream of bright sunshine, white sand beaches and cocktails in the afternoon.
For the TOWIE fans amongst us these daydreams are even harder to avoid with Twitter giving us insights into our favourite cast members every move – including their luxurious sun drenched holidays.
With tourism in Essex itself up by a massive 180% due to the success of the show, why not go one step further and rather than visiting the home of Amy, Sam and Mark, instead head to the places they go to unwind. After all you can enjoy their fake tan, eyelashes and clothing ranges so why not holiday like them too.
Boot Camp
If your December (and maybe a little of October and November if I’m completely honest) has been anything like mine before you even contemplate sunning yourself in your Dolly Rocker bikini on an unspoilt beach, you’ll have to do some serious work to get in shape.
The TOWIE cast do this by heading to bootcamp for an intensive week or two of training. A popular one with the Essex cast is No 1 Bootcamp located in Norfolk and Ibiza, guests are put through their paces with a schedule of gruelling training regimes and food provided by chefs designed to maximise your chances of weight loss and toning up. TOWIE guests have included, Mark Wright, Gemma Collins, Arg and Joey Essex to name a few and they regularly book in for a week here and there, who knows you might be lucky enough to be there at the same time.
For the devout TOWIE fan, Essex star Ellie Redman who coined the famous ‘No carbs before marbs’ phrase has recently begun her very own No Carbs Before Marbs bootcamp which offers 5 and 2 day training and healthy eating packages in Essex itself with prices starting at £375 per person.
Marbella
After all of your hard work and resisting the temptation to eat any carbs for weeks it would be rude not to pay a visit to the summer Mecca of all true Essex natives, Marbs!
Once the filming of the series has finished the cast flock here for a bit of time to unwind and party in one of Spain’s most luxurious resorts and favourite of TV and sport stars, Puerto Banus. Expect long lazy days on the beach, endless pool parties and exclusive nightclubs taking you into the early hours.
To enjoy Marbella as a true Essex star would, stay at Sisu Boutique Hotel, the luxury hotel offers 5 star accommodation, wild pool parties and sumptuous spa facilities. In fact the hotel caters for everything a budding celebrity could wish for including chauffeur driven cars to anywhere you want to go, gym, fitness classes and beauty salon. There is no way you’ll be looking anything but reem after staying at this hotel.
Whatever you do don’t ‘do a Joey Essex’ and leave £10,000 cash (who has that kind of money in cash?!) and designer clothes lying around whilst you’re on holiday. Joey was unlucky enough to have these stolen from his villa in Marbella over the summer. For any valuables you do plan on taking with you make sure you take out an adequate travel insurance policy that way if anything were to be stolen you would be covered and you could purchase another on your return home.
Gold Coast Australia
If your dreams of holidaying like a star of TOWIE involve taking you further a field and unrivalled luxury is your idea of heaven then why not head to the Palazzo Versace hotel in Queensland Australia. This is the hotel used for the stars of ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ before and after their visit to the jungle, where Ant and Dec stay for the duration of the show and where the friends and family wait anxiously for their loved ones.
If you want to experience what the king of Essex himself Mark Wright enjoyed after a gruelling few weeks eating creepy crawlies in the outback and where Jess and Carol Wright waited for him to return then this is the hotel for you.
Designed entirely by Donatella Versace in a tribute to her late brother Gianni, everything from the artwork to the cutlery and crockery you eat from is Versace and with every room offering a Jacuzzi this hotel is celebrity at its extravagant best. When you tell people you have stayed in this hotel ‘well jel’ will be an understatement!
Ibiza
If a holiday in Marbs earlier in the year isn’t enough for a TOWIE cast member there’s no need to worry a later summer break to Ibiza will help them to relax and unwind. Many of the cast enjoyed a break here during the summer break from filming including sisters Sam and Billie Faiers who partied their days away on a private yacht.
Ibiza is known for being the place to come for the hard core clubber so expect to be surrounded by beautiful people looking for a good time for the duration of your time there. Whilst it is true that the old town of Ibiza offers a quieter holiday than the monster clubs of Ibiza Town and San Antonio, it wouldn’t be the TOWIE way if your holiday wasn’t one long party!
When Mark visited recently he even tried his hand at DJing at the famous Eden nightclub and fellow heartthrob Mario was on a boys holiday to the White Isle when his girlfriend Lucy spent that infamous night back in Essex with Mr Wright himself, leading her and Mario to split up (since getting back together of course!)
Ibiza is the perfect choice for boys and girls holidays for people who aren’t looking to relax but instead party day and night with fellow ultra fashionable club goers.
Wherever you choose to holiday as long as you’ve got a TOWIE attitude you’re sure to have a glamorous, fun and above all eventful holiday….now pass me the fake tan and eyelashes this summer is going to be reem!
