Fab Mag

DONNA Smiley discovered the Canary Islands.

While Sinead McIntyre and her family found bliss on the Turkish Riviera.

Tenerife

Senior Writer Donna Smiley discovered foodie heaven in the Canary Islands.

As three pilot whales playfully leap in and out of the sea, everybody on our boat is grinning.

We’re only 30 minutes into our two-hour boat trip from Puerto Colón, so there’s still plenty of time to have a dip in the crystal waters ourselves, before we sip wine and eat tropical fruit as the sun sets on our journey back to shore.

A two-hour boat trip costs £51 per person for up to nine people (Bluejacksail.com).

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We’re staying at Joia El Mirador by Iberostar in Costa Adeje, 10 minutes’ drive away, where all rooms are suites with four-poster beds.

With its lagoon-style pool dotted with palm trees and setting right on one of Tenerife’s best golden-sand beaches, this five-star adults-only hotel makes quite the impression.

So too does the family-run artisanal goat’s cheese farm, Quesería Montesdeoca in Adeje, 15 minutes’ drive away.

With lush green fields and a glimpse of neighbouring islands La Palma and La Gomera from its rooftop, we learn all about the cheese-making process, which is done by hand, and meet the goats and sheep who love being stroked, before the all-important tasting.

Hour-long tours cost from £17 per adult (Quesosmontesdeoca.com).

Back at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant El Cenador, we tuck into a 10-course tasting menu, £72 per person.

Every course is delicious and crafted with local produce, and it ends in style with a passion fruit cake served under a cloud of candy floss, which dramatically dissolves when the sauce is poured over.

Come morning, cooked-to-order eggs benedict, pastries and cappuccinos made with coffee beans from a local farm don’t disappoint, either.

The bus to the island’s capital of Santa Cruz takes 50 minutes, where we find a branch of Zara with prices cheaper than at home, plus more foodie gems.

We wander the charming streets of the old town and grab a barraquito – a local-speciality coffee of condensed milk, Licor 43 (a Spanish vanilla liqueur), espresso and frothed milk, at rooftop cafe La Escala (@Laescala tenerife).

Then we make our way to Colmado 1917, a tiny Michelin-flagged restaurant offering delights such as salted fish with black potatoes and anchovies, £6, and beef tartare, hand-chopped before each serving, £11, with a red from northern Tenerife, £5 a glass (Colmado1917.com).

Finishing our getaway in style, we hit Japanese restaurant Kensei, a short stroll along the beach from our beds (Kenseijapanesetenerife.com).

Its low-temperature wagyu with teriyaki sauce, celeriac purée and lotus root chips, £40, is a delicious end to an equally delicious mini-break.

Turkey

Editor-in-Chief Sinead McIntyre, husband Alistair and twins Riley and Harris found bliss on the Turkish Riviera.

Diving into the clear-blue sea, my 14-year-old twins are in holiday heaven.

After trying to outdo each other holding their breath underwater, they emerge to slump in our cabana and have their fill of the nuts and fresh fruit on offer.

As I have learned over the past year or so, keeping two teenagers happy on holiday can be a challenge.

But Corendon Playa Kemer on the Turkish Riviera, close to Antalya, has risen to the challenge – and then some.

We arrive at our five-star hotel, a 45-minute drive from Antalya airport, in the early hours of the morning after flight delays, so don’t really take in our surroundings as we wearily check in.

It’s only when we wake and head to breakfast at the main Zephyranthes restaurant that we marvel at the view – outside is a terrace with two sparkling swimming pools and, just beyond, the pristine sandy beach.

The hotel is all-inclusive and the food is excellent.

For breakfast, we feast on eggs, pastries, yoghurt and mountains of fruit, while lunch and dinner consist of grilled fish and meat, salads and desserts, including melt-in-the-mouth chocolate mousse and sticky-sweet baklava.

Playa Kemer beach has a series of wooden jetties jutting out to the sea, lined with luxe four-poster sunloungers and cabanas.

We decide to splash out and book a cabana, from £18 per day, and it proves a winner with Riley and Harris.

They especially enjoy taking selfies with the view behind them to send to friends, as well as seeing who can jump the furthest into the sea off the jetty.

Every afternoon, chilled music plays and there are also live performances, all contributing to a feeling of total relaxation.

As does the on-site spa, where I have a Turkish hammam massage, leaving me feeling completely rejuvenated.

Treatments cost from £61 for 90 minutes.

One evening, we indulge in fresh prawns, mussels and calamari, with Turkish bread, dips and salads at the alfresco Pier Seafood A La Carte restaurant, surrounded by twinkling lights.

The day after is spent parasailing around the bay, £157 for two people.

Riley and I head high into the air on a tandem pulled behind a speedboat and can see for miles – a scary, but exhilarating experience.

And no trip to Antalya is complete without a visit to 40m-high Karpuzkaldiran Waterfall, where the Düden River plunges over a cliff into the Mediterranean.

We look in awe at the men fishing far below on the rocks as the spray from the waterfall covers them.

From there, we head to the old town and browse the bustling bazaar for amazing spices and Turkish Delight, before heading back to our hotel with two delighted teens in tow.

COLEEN ROONEY will mark her 40th birthday today with a series of celebrations at her £20million Cheshire mansion.

But the hundreds of bottles of champers on ice this weekend are far from the only corks she will be popping this year.

Mum-of-four Coleen — wife of former Manchester United superstar Wayne — has big plans in the pipeline — with one pal telling The Sun: “She’s entering her powerful era.”

With a seven-figure Primark deal and a fly-on-the wall Disney documentary already in the bag, insiders say the 2024 I’m A Celebrity runner-up is dreaming big.

One friend explained: “Coleen’s sons are growing up fast and she is excited about the opportunities ­coming her way.

For a long time her primary focus was being a mum to her four boys. She is the backbone of their household, a constant for her sons and for Wayne.

“But now they’re growing up — the boys somewhat more than Wayne at times — Coleen is ready to reclaim some of herself.

“Going into I’m A Celebrity was a great way for her to dip her toe into the water. She loved it and it was obvious the nation still has a ­massive soft spot for her.

“Coleen said she would take a break after that to work out her next move.

“Turning 40 and with loads of exciting things coming her way, she’s entering this powerful new era.”

Coleen will celebrate today with Wayne and their sons, budding Man Utd footballer Kai, 16, Klay, 12, Kit, ten, and eight-year-old Cass.

She will then throw a huge bash for her closest friends and family.

An enormous white marquee has been erected in the 50-acre grounds of their home, previously dubbed “Morrisons mansion” because of its vast size and appearance.

‘A good knees-up’

Wayne’s footballer pals, including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and ­Darren Fletcher, are all on the guest list, along with Coleen’s Wag chums such as Annie Kilner and Abbey Clancy.

“I’m looking forward to it, I love a birthday and a celebration,” Coleen said ahead of her bash.

“I have decided to enjoy a couple of different celebrations with family and friends over the year, and with my birthday falling over Easter weekend, some friends are away — so any opportunity to extend the ­celebrations…”

Caterers and staff will keep the party running smoothly, with insiders saying no expense has been spared.

“Coleen loves a good knees-up,” another pal explained.

“She can afford a lovely lifestyle and everything at the party will be classy and beautifully done. But for her, plenty of booze, good music and her family is all she will want.

There’s going to be live music and you can guarantee Wayne will be getting up on the microphone

Pal

“There’s going to be live music and you can guarantee Wayne will be getting up on the microphone.

“He loves to sing and will be keen to give everyone a tune or two.”

Those close to Coleen say eyes will be kept on Wayne following a rather embarrassing boozy night out before the Brit Awards in February.

Photographs and videos from a posh bar in Manchester obtained by The Sun showed Wayne struggling to do up his trousers after he spent time chatting with a mystery woman.

He was later seen leaving the venue at 3.45am and getting into a car alone to head home.

At the time, pals close to Coleen said they were furious at his behaviour, which came in the same week Coleen was launching her Primark clothing collection.

Branding Wayne an “idiot”, one seethed: “It’s upsetting to see Wayne acting this way because it takes the spotlight away from her.”

After dating Wayne since she was 16 years old, Coleen is well-versed in facing down his antics. She has stuck by him through every crisis in their marriage — including visits to sex workers in 2004 and 2009 and being charged with drink-driving in 2017.

In recent years Wayne has curbed his wayward ways, but has still had his share of controversial moments.

Turning 40 and with loads of exciting things coming her way, she’s entering this powerful new era

In 2020 he allegedly poked fun about his lack of a sex life, while the following year he was ­photographed fast asleep in a hotel room chair while three women struck comic poses around him.

“If Coleen is the angel then Wayne has definitely always been the devil on her shoulder,” one friend joked.

“Her friends think she’s the ­strongest woman out there for ­putting up with everything that Wayne has done. It takes a certain kind of woman to tolerate that behaviour and live with it. But Coleen has always just asked for honesty. 

“The only time I think she’d draw the line is with anything that could affect her children.

“Her four boys are Coleen’s world. And when it comes to her kids, she is like a lioness with her cubs.

“Wayne absolutely knows that. She is just as fiercely protective over him too, to be honest. Coleen comes across as soft on the surface but she’s got balls of steel. No one would mess with her.”

Coleen herself confessed she was used to Wayne’s poor decision making and said she stuck with him for love.

She told British Vogue: “We’ve had our ups and downs. Obviously everybody knows. It’s been hard to go through it in the public eye but there has always been true love there.

“If the love is gone then, it’s pointless. But if not, you’ve got something to work for.”

Coleen added: “We’ve never backed away from it. We own it.

‘Cheering her on’

“I remember having a conversation about this with someone and I said, ‘Well, do you know what your wife gets up to every day and night? At least I know what my husband is doing!’

“It might not be good, but I know. People lie to themselves.”

Coleen first came into the public eye when Wayne burst on to the scene as a teenager at Everton — and she was famously photographed in her school uniform aged 16 in 2003. 

Her fashion choices saw her becoming a regular at high-end Liverpool boutique Cricket, once dubbed the “unofficial footballers’ wives headquarters” for how often she and other local Wags, including ­Steven Gerrard’s wife Alex, shopped there.

But it was at the 2006 World Cup at Baden-Baden in Germany that Coleen cemented her status as one of our favourite Wags alongside Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham.

Coleen comes across as soft on the surface but she’s got balls of steel. No one would mess with her

Friend

In that same year she teamed up with Asda as the face of its George clothing brand, before kicking off a lucrative deal with Littlewoods four years later for her own range.

It is expected that Disney TV ­cameras will capture parts of Coleen’s birthday celebrations, with the family opening the doors of their home for a fly-on-the-wall series. 

Simply called The Rooneys, the three-parter has filmed both Wayne and Coleen, while also shadowing Coleen as she worked with Primark on her clothing line.

Insiders say the big plan for Coleen is to help make her star shine brighter.

Undeniably, she now has the opportunity to bring in the bigger pay packets.

Her deal with Primark was worth millions, while further lucrative deals have been coming in thick and fast.

Meanwhile, Wayne has struggled as a manager. He left Plymouth Argyle after seven months in charge, and was sacked by Birmingham City after just 83 days.

He now has regular gigs as a pundit on Match Of The Day but, as one pal puts it, that is not going to sustain their lifestyle.

“Coleen is the golden ticket for the family now,” a friend explained.

“Wayne was the breadwinner for so long and now the roles have started to slowly reverse.

“To put it bluntly, Coleen is very marketable. She is popular, unproblematic and relatable. Her ­decision to create an affordable brand with Primark shows that.

“Watching her next steps is going to be really interesting. Everyone who knows and loves Coleen is cheering her on and wants her to succeed.

“This is just the beginning for Coleen. Now you just have to sit back and watch her rise.

“We just hope Wayne catches on and keeps himself in line.”

In search of the perfect reset, Deputy Editor Ellie O’Mahoney and Art Director Laura Cunningham both tried different adults-only retreats.

The spiritual getaway with Kim Kardashian’s psychic in St Lucia proved magical for Ellie, while Ibiza offered the perfect couple time for Laura and her husband.

LUCIA SELF

FLYING into the Caribbean island paradise of St Lucia, I can see why it’s been chosen as the destination for a psychic retreat.

The mystical double mountains of the Pitons loom out of the mist, and I wonder what I’m going to discover about myself.

I’ve signed up to a four-day Spiritual Awakening retreat at adults-only, all-inclusive resort StolenTime, a sister property to St Lucia’s famous wellness resort, the BodyHoliday.

Set on the island’s longest white-sand beach, on its north-west coast and within seven acres of beautiful tropical gardens, StolenTime has 100 guest rooms and my veranda suite offers the most unreal view over the palm trees.

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The bed is absolutely gigantic and one of the comfiest I’ve ever tried, plus there’s a super-spacious bathtub, too.

As I sit on the love seat on the huge veranda, I gaze at the sky-blue sea while tropical birds chirrup, and it strikes me that this is my idea of total heaven.

READING THE ROOM

After waking early and making the most of my jet lag by heading straight to the beach to jump into the bath-warm sea, it’s time for the group’s first session.

The retreat is run by Jayne Wallace, one of the UK’s leading psychics, who has performed readings for both Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, at home, no less.

She’s far from your stereotypical woo-woo type – 6ft tall with a Cockney London accent, she’s straight-talking, and our group of six are all champing at the bit for a personal reading from her.

But first up is a workshop on flower psychometry, AKA flower readings. We each pick a flower and give it to a partner, who then has to describe what the bloom tells us about the picker.

It’s obviously not the most scientific process, but after a stressful few months, it is incredibly restorative staring at petals and trying to find out more about my fellow travellers.

Other workshops include aura drawings, how to connect with crystals and, my favourite, moon manifestation, which involves writing down our heart’s desires, then lighting bits of paper and sending them skywards in lanterns.

We cackle as the lanterns don’t quite do what we want them to.
I’m pleased to say, my personal reading with Jayne was worth the wait in the end.

And while I’m not going to divulge all the juicy details, there were a few things she got spot-on, including how wonderful my daughter is! Her readings also really seemed to comfort other members of the group.

JURASSIC JAUNTS

When we’re not tuning into our psychic selves, the hotel offers everything for the stressed-out soul – from yoga and Pilates to water-skiing, pickleball and archery.

There are two swimming pools and a lazy river, and each morning I head to the beach to grab fresh coconut water straight from the source, before digging into pastries, freshly made omelettes and delicious papaya at the buffet breakfast.

Come dinner, I dine with my feet in the sand at Malabar Beach Club and feast on treats like jerk pork rillettes with prunes and pancetta, and chips, of course!

Puds include roasted cashew nut tart with amaretto and beetroot ice cream, which sounds odd, but is divine.

On the last day, we take a four-hour boat trip, £56 per person, to spy the Pitons – think Jurassic Park views – and snorkel in coves. I gasp as I see a squid swim among the coral and coloured shoals of fish.

Later, we head to StolenTime’s champagne bar for a final toast. As I sit on a swing chair suspended from a 150-year-old samaan tree, its huge branches adorned with fairy lights, it feels as if I’ve found magic.

MORE THAN ALL WHITE

As the sky turns golden, we paddle into an atmospheric coastal cave, and I can’t help but mouth “wow” to my husband Barney, before promptly toppling off my paddleboard and splashing into the warm waters of the Med.

We’re on a two-hour guided sunset tour from our dreamy digs, the adults-only retreat of Cala San Miguel in northern Ibiza.

Just hours in, we’re already feeling more zen than we have in months – as two exhausted parents of three children under 10, we’re enjoying some much-needed couple time here.

The resort offers a host of complimentary wellbeing activities, including painting, guided hikes and mornings of yoga and sound healing.

Succumbing to the sound of gentle bongs and rain sticks make for the perfect start to any day.

The decor is all soft linens and natural wood tones, and a short stroll through lush gardens brings us to the private sandy beach – we spend our days flitting between here, the three pools and the seven eateries.

For lunch, poolside bar Calido serves up Asian-fusion dishes, such as crispy prawns with kimchi sauce, £16.

By night, its terrace transforms into La Savina, with succulent roasted poussin, £28, that we pair with sangria, £14 a glass.

But high above the bay sits Italian restaurant Da’mar, which wins for its stunning views and its gorgeously garlicky fettuccine puttanesca, £21.

Our favourite afternoons are spent at the Beach House right on the sand, tucking into fried squid, £21, creamy omelette with the freshest of red prawns, £19.50, and huge cuttlefish paella served straight from the pan, £28.

On our last evening, as we sink into a massive bean bag for a movie night under the stars, there’s the bonus soundtrack of waves lapping the shore, and we’re already planning our return.

B&B stays at Cala San Miguel Ibiza Resort cost from £193 per night (Calasanmiguelresort.com).

KIP with the kids in a two-bedroom lodge at The Mole Resort or try the boujee airport hotel alternative of a grand Italianate mansion.

In search of the perfect pit stop, Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley found out all that both had to offer.

The Mole Resort

As I slam on the car brakes, my kids Poppy, seven, and Raffy, four, shout: “Woah!” In the middle of the road is a local walking her dog – which happens to be the size of a small pony.

Yep, it’s safe to say rural Devon is proving to be an eye-opener for us all.

We’re kipping at The Mole Resort, a country-house hotel that had a spruce-up a couple of years ago, set in 125 acres of rolling countryside.

Our two-bedroom, two-bathroom lodge in the grounds comes with floor-to-ceiling views of a verdant meadow and a hot tub, which proves particularly restorative after the long drive.

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Another huge win is the raft of activities on site – from pickleball to pétanque, disc golf to axe-throwing, and archery to pottery painting.

Talking of which, the kids adore painting egg cups, £14 each, and are thrilled to pick up their newly glazed souvenirs the next morning.

There’s also a restaurant, games room and health club with a pool – though this has seen better days.

The village it sits in, Chittlehamholt, is also home to excellent 16th-century pub The Exeter Inn.

Owners Hazel and Steve welcome visitors like family, as does their gorgeous cockapoo Frankie.

Flavour-packed dishes like Peking duck bon bons with hoisin, £9.50, and beef and ale pie topped with stilton, £17, are spot-on.

As are the proper puds – pick spiced sticky toffee, £8.50, for the win.

With more than 80 gins and local ales aplenty, you won’t go thirsty, either (Exeterinn.co.uk).

Just 20 minutes’ drive away is another absolute gem – Quince Honey Farm, which brings joy even on the drizzliest day.

Here, we roll our own beeswax candles, forage for wildflower seeds and taste five varieties of the golden stuff – the dandelion honey is crowned our fave.

Entry per adult and child over five costs £10.80 (Quincehoneyfarm. co.uk).

Leaving armed with brilliant bee facts, we all agree this pretty nook of Devon makes for a super stop-off en route to a beach break.

Stays in a two-bedroom lodge at The Mole Resort cost from £120 per night (Themoleresort.co.uk).

Down Hall Hotel

I’m not a huge fan of airport hotels, which is why the boujee alternative of a grand Italianate mansion in the Essex countryside instantly appeals.

Less than 20 minutes’ drive from London Stansted, its rural setting will help you to properly relax before take-off.

A giant chessboard, tennis courts and a mini football pitch in the expansive grounds keep the whole gang entertained.

Meanwhile, the newly opened Barn Spa offers mini-me treatments, including head and scalp massages, from £25 per child, and the recently refurbed family rooms come with a Nintendo Switch, so the kids are more than alright.

Tuck into dinner treats, such as crab with apple gel, cucumber and nasturtiums, £16.50, followed by venison loin with a dark-chocolate jus, £41, at The Garden Room, which holds two AA Rosettes.

And it would be rude not to try the moreish house cocktail – a Down Hall Bramble, made with the hotel’s own garden gin, £15.

When in Rome (or Essex) and all that. . .

Family rooms at Down Hall Hotel cost from £212 per night (Downhall.co.uk).