When I arrived at eco-chic resort Amansala for Bikini Bootcamp, I was expecting just that – a week full of hard-core beach workouts to tone up my body for spring. I was also escaping New York’s brutal winter and after a quick three-and-a-half hour flight from JFK to Cancun, bootcamp base is just a 90 minute drive to Mexico’s bohemian town of Tulum - a decidedly more exotic getaway than Miami for seasonally depressed New Yorkers. What I wasn't expecting at Bikini Bootcamp was the spiritual journey that accompanied it and how the group of 18 women who had also traveled from America’s North East, Canada and London would be the ingredients to such a unique experience. Bikini blast: Bootcampers kick off the day with a 7am beach walk in Tulum, Mexico, followed by a blast of exercises before heading into yoga . Vigorous Vinyasa: Jessica Satherley practices her bridge pose in one of Bikini Bootcamp's yoga studios in the class before the 9:30am breakfast . Much like a summer camp, but for professional women mainly in their thirties and forties, we all sat down for opening circle on the first night to introduce ourselves and reveal what brought us here. The fitness instructors – predominantly Americans who work seasonally in Mexico or moved down permanently for the lifestyle – told us that every group each week is here for a reason. We had all come from different backgrounds, with our different reasons for choosing Bikini Bootcamp. Some were mothers who needed a week to themselves, some were marathon runners who wanted a scheduled workout vacation and others needed a kick-start on their fitness regime before summer. Whatever the intention for signing up, we all ended up being here this same week, and the first uncanny coincidence of the group was realized when the two complete strangers from London found out they live on the exact same street, just two houses apart. Broadway Dance Class: Jessica and the bootcampers pictured learning choreography for dance class . Rooftop yoga: The group hit the rooftop studio for an ocean view while performing chair pose . Most of the women weren't looking for a bonding experience when they signed up for bootcamp, but inevitably tight friendships soon formed. After a night of introductions and our first yoga class, it was time to hit the sack and drift into a deep sleep while listening to the Caribbean waves lapping right outside our bungalows. The fitness aspect of bootcamp kicked off straight away each morning, with one hour sunrise beach walks at 7am followed by a ‘bikini blast’ on the white sands to feel the burn in our arms, gluts and abs. Morning sessions are encouraged to be performed on an empty stomach and after the ‘bikini beach blast’ it is straight into either Power Pilates or Vigorous Vinyasa before breakfast. Meditation: The studio was filled with candles and flower petals for an afternoon of yoga and meditation . By the time 9.30am rolls around and we’ve already worked out for over two hours on empty, all I can think about is running to the restaurant for a well-earned feast. Food prepared by the resort is all low sugar and low carb and the naturally delicious meals are all accompanied by detoxifying juices. Despite not seeing bread for the entire week, each meal leaves me feeling satisfied and ready to take on the next physical challenge. Breakfast is followed by a one hour circuit class taken by a Channing Tatum-lookalike, which makes the push-ups and sit-ups a little more bearable, and then bootcampers are allowed a five hour break before afternoon classes resume. 7am: Beach walk ending with a 'bikini blast' workout for arms, gluts and abs . 8.30am: Power Pilates or Vigorous Vinyasa . 9:30am: Breakfast . 10:30am: Circuit class . Or bike tour to the Tulum Ruins and Gran Cenote for snorkeling . 12:30: Lunch . Free time for spa services and relaxation . 4:30pm: Power abs/ Dance Class or Kickboxing . 5:30pm: Restorative rooftop yoga . 7:30pm: Dinner . 8:30pm: Salsa . Breakfast: Fresh fruit, Mexican eggs (scambled/poached/hard boiled), home-made granola and natural yoghurt served with detoxifying juices . Lunch: Green gazpacho, home-made salad with mixed greens, cabbage and carrots, accompanied with either grilled fish or chicken and house-dressing made of Mayan honey, balsamic, olive oil and sesame . Afternoon snack: Smoothie of your choice . Dinner: Puree of local squash and either fresh fish or chicken on a bed of quinoa, shredded broccoli, spinach and almonds . Relaxing in paradise: Bikini Bootcamp's Caribbean beach (pictured) at the resort is the perfect place to rest in-between fitness and yoga classes . Mexico’s Riviera Maya is home to some of the most beautiful beaches on earth so it’s not hard for every afternoon in Tulum to feel like you’re in paradise. A 20 minute bicycle ride along the dusty beach road will take you to the Tulum Ruins, which were erected 700 years ago on the Mayan coast to protect the city. Another short drive from the ruins will take you to Tulum’s Gran Cenote, which is one of the most popular diving and snorkeling areas in the Riviera Maya. The intricate cave system consists of stalagmites and stalactites that will have you weaving between each formation while discovering the underwater mazes. Diving in: Jessica Satherley seen diving in Tulum's Gran Cenote cave system . Day tours: Afternoon breaks from bootcamp can be filled by cycling to the Tulum Ruins, sitting on the coastline of Riviera Maya (pictured) The underground rivers and caves are over 6,500 years old and you’ll definitely burn a few calories while swimming through the system. And while myself and my fellow bootcampers aren’t exploring the bio-diversity and history of Tulum, we are working around our massage schedules back at the resort. Part of the spirituality within the program comes from the healing powers of those who work in the spa. The therapeutic treatments are so rejuvenating that it’s no wonder Demi Moore came here after her divorce from Ashton Kutcher in 2013. Healing her heart: Demi Moore (pictured) went to Bikini Bootcamp in Mexico in 2013 after her divorce from Ashton Kutcher . Before Botox: Jessica Satherley spreads the anti-aging Mayan clay over her as one of the treatments . A huge list of spa services offer everything from a typical full body massage or reflexology, to alternative treatments such as an appointment with the heart whisperer – an old Mayan healer who whispers in your ear while detoxifying your body and soul. And then there is the Mexican Temazcal – a sweat lodge which is not only a spiritual journey that originated from the pre-Hispanic Indigenous people of Mexico but is also a detoxifying ‘rebirth’ which will leave sweat dripping from every pour of your body. Each treatment is influenced by a meditative angle and even the Mayan clay full-body mask used for anti-aging was accompanied by a visualization technique. The Aztecs used Mayan clay to maintain their youthful skin centuries before Botox was invented, so I generously lather the substance from my head to my toes. The 18 women in my group all join in and once we’re unrecognizable in our clay body-masks we assemble down at the ocean’s edge where one of our yoga instructors carries out a meditation exercise on us. As the sun dries the clay and it slowly begins to crack, it’s time to run into the Caribbean Sea and wash away the mud… and all our negative thoughts. It is easy to become distracted in this avant-garde beach town perched on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is why the bootcamp schedule helps keep me on track. Ready to cleanse: Jessica and her fellow Bikini Bootcampers pose after their full body Mayan clay mask before washing it off in the Caribbean Sea . Classes resume at 4.30pm, which rotate daily between kickboxing, Broadway dance classes, Power abs or a tone and sculpt class. Bikini Bootcamp's price range starts from $2,250 for a triple room to $3,950 for a private deluxe beachfront room. Aeromexico has daily direct flights from New York's JFK to Cancun and return flights start from $600. 7:10am: New York JFK to Cancun . 5:46pm: Cancun to New York JFK . Shuttles drive from Cancun Airport to Amansala Resort in Tulum for Bikini Bootcamp in 90 minutes . Buses also leave regularly from Cancun Airport to Tulum, via Playa Del Carmen . In terms of the quality of the fitness classes, they are on par with my local gym in Manhattan, but the ocean views from open-walled and rooftop studios are unbeatable. The programme is also a la carte so bootcampers can choose to participate in every activity on the day’s menu or only attend the ones of interest. I often miss the circuit class straight after breakfast and opt to swim in the ocean or cycle to the local boutiques instead and never feel any pressure to have my butt kicked by the blonde heartthrob taking the session. I also never get the feeling that this week is about extreme weight loss and in fact neither I, nor any of the women that I ask feel they had lost any substantial weight by the end of the week. It is instead about cleansing the mind, body and soul, without an obsession with bathroom scales. Sunset yoga: Bikini Bootcamp days would end with Restorative Yoga classes during sunset on the rooftop . Despite not losing weight, I definitely feel a deep awareness of having a healthy body, mind and an overall rejuvenated sense of self. My favorite class of each day is always restorative yoga on the rooftop studio during sunset between 5.30 and 6.30pm. I still consider myself a beginner at yoga and only started practicing regularly over the past six months but one thing I enjoy about every class is learning to be present in the moment and finding gratitude for something in my life. As I watch the sunset over Tulum during my downward dog, the only thought going through my mind is to be grateful for this very moment in paradise.
Bikini Bootcamp is a fitness and yoga retreat in Tulum, Mexico . Demi Moore attended the bootcamp after divorcing Ashton Kutcher . Days start at 7am with a beachwalk and 'bikini blast', followed by yoga, circuit classes, dance classes, kickboxing and more yoga .