Lusty Beg the Island on the Island

In October of last year I was offered the chance to take an over night trip to Lusty Beg Retreat in Co.Fermanagh. Myself and my other half travelled by bus to from Dublin to Lusty Beg with fellow bloggers and press . At the retreat we were joined by more bloggers and wedding planners from all over the Ireland.

On arriving we were treated to lunch of soup and selection of sandwiches and then checked into our room. Lusty Beg has a host of different types of accommodation. Courtyard rooms are similar to luxury hotel rooms, they are situated just a minute walk from reception and located in individual houses with just 5/6 rooms to the houses. You can choose from double/twin or family rooms. Perfect for a couple or family who just need to relax. The rooms are very spacious and beautifully decorated.

Lusty beg also has Lakeside cabins which are perfect if you are looking for even more luxury and a little secluded paradise.They are equipped with mini kitchenette, private veranda and outdoor hot-tub and breakfast is provided by the hotel.

For larger groups they also have Log Cabins which can sleep up 6 people. They are self catering and have stunning views of the marina or lake. Depending on which cabin you choose, they can come with wood burning stove, hot tub, flat screen TV. Luxury in a home away from home.

We had a choice of what we wanted to do on the island as there was a host of activities to choose from. The island has, clay pigeon shooting, archery, off road driving,kayaking, rib boating around the Lough Erne, as well as lighter activities such as walking, cycling and swimming in the in door swimming pool.

In the short video below was little clips of the activities we did. Clay pigeon shooting was amazing and so was impromptu off roading ( we only had 10 minutes of off roading but can do hour long slots). Archery was fun but by god do I need some more upper arm strength. 

The weather was not fantastic on the day but Lusty Beg have it set up that all the activities can go ahead in most of the weather conditions. They cater for everyone with the activities from small groups to large corporate events. It would also be a great escape for hen or stags weekends. 

Lusty Beg also have an on site Spa which provide amazing treatments exclusively using Voya which is an Irish skincare brand. I was treated to a very relaxing mini facial on the second morning and got to relax at the spa before my journey home the next day.

Lusty Beg Island is a very picturesque and private with the only access to the island by their own ferry. Looking for something different in a wedding venue then Lusty Beg ticks all the boxes,  outdoor and indoor weddings can be performed on the island, with a host of locations to get them amazing wedding photos done. Themed weddings can be catered for also, in the past they have hosted barn dance themed with BBQ for over 100 people and Hollywood theme weddings to name but a few.

So looking for a relaxing private break away from the hustle and bustle of city life, planning your dream wedding, or looking for something exciting to do for hen or stags or corporate event then Lusty Beg Island can cater to you.

 Thank you again to RDC Communications and Family and Staff of Lusty Beg Island for a wonderful trip.

We Only Get Summer For A Week But Your Skin Is For Life! Stay Safe In The Sun

Us Irish long for the sun to come it makes everything better and we can not wait to bare the flesh. We spend €€€ each year on fake tan , sunbeds etc that any chance to get a bit of colour for free, we lap it up. We have this perception that Irish sun is weaker then the sun in hotter climates*

We tend to only break out the sunscreen when we get a scolding from the mother or our bodies have been burned to a crisp that you vow never to do it again and the sun cream is your new best friend. But us Irish tend to forget, mainly due to our one week summers and even when we do not a majority of us are not even applying it right.

My Skin and The Sun

I have been on many holidays in my life, I have even lived abroad but there is two holidays that have made me cherish my skin more then anything.

First off was when I went on 3 day hen weekend to Benidorm in Spain. I was 16 and naive, getting a tan in the shortest time possible was the goal. On our second day me and my auntie headed to the beach after a late night the night before it was not too long before we snoozed off and no sun cream  was never reapplied. 

I went out that night with a half a body red and half a body white literally, I was very hot and uncomfortable and in pain but I partied on. Till the next day I woke with the shakes, been violently ill and in dire need of water this continued on for 12 hours. 

Even when I arrived home the torture was not over, while sunbathing not only had I burnt my arms back and legs I had burnt the soles of my feet. A few days home my soles did not peel the skin literally came off in one go and walking was excruciating for days.

Rash is visible on arms

Fast forward four years and I went on my next holiday, I was much more sun conscious  and my sister was working as a sun care rep at the time so I had the best in sun cream and religiously applied it. It did not matter my skin had literally became allergic to the heat. I had extreme prickly heat( as us Irish call it) and my whole body came out with a rash. Not only that but I was extremely tired throughout the whole holiday and spent most of the days asleep my room.

Over next two years I tended to avoid the sun. I worked full time anyway for most of the time that I missed the sunny days. Factor 50 became my new best friend worn every day under my makeup and my skin went a nice shade of ghostly white. It did not bother me one bit fake tan is always there when I need a bit of bronzing up.

So last year when it came to moving to Portugal I was in a bit of a panic, I feared the rash would come back and ruin all my fun in the sun. But I was sensible I paced myself in the sun for first two weeks spending more time in shade constantly topping up with sunscreen and even though I was there for six months I never went below a 20 SPF. I never spent hours lying in the sun nor did I ever leave the house with out sunscreen even when I was going to work at 5pm. I never got sun burnt, but I did have a beautiful brown tan and my skin was safe.

I had learnt my lesson, well until I fell back into the Irish forgetfulness routine and with working nights I had become a vampire that never saw the sun. With working in the bar and pictures been constantly taken my appearance is important and flash back is a no no! My factor 50 got left on the shelf and forgotten about.

Last weekend the summer came to Ireland, after work Friday night we decided to carry on partying and went to a friends for a garden BBQ. Alcohol and sheer forgetfulness I sat in the sun unprotected for hours. Literally thought nothing of it till I went back to work that evening, the redness came first and then the undying thirst. Shaking was unbearable and made doing my job very difficult. Then the vomiting.... I ended up in bed all of Sunday and half of Monday. By Tuesday I was still not a 100% nearly collapsed in town waiting on a friend. My sleep is all over the place and my whole body is dehydrated.

The burns well the photos says it all and these photos were taken 5 days after initial sunburns and countless amounts of aloe vera cream.

Now I back to sun conscious factor 50 all the way, never going to leave my bag. Not only am I sensitive to the sun but I have nearly 300 moles/beauty spots and the risk of skin cancer if not properly cared for is extremely high for me.

Choose a high factor with UVA protection, us Irish are not used to the sun and just because it is not as hot as Spain does not mean you need to wear a lower factor.
Protect yourself in whatever the weather, over exposure to UVA can lead to premature ageing and skin cancer. Just because its dull does not mean your safe.
Reapply, reapply, reapply. Any contact with water, even sweating can remove your sunscreen. Apply a good fifteen minutes before venturing out into the sun and reapply every 30-40 minutes.

*1 in 4 people believe 25 degrees in Ireland is not as hot as 25 degrees in Spain. Source: http://www.sossaveourskin.ie/sos_facts.asp