Chelsea captain John Terry believes his mini-break with his family in Dubai will be of huge benefit to him as he prepares to return to Premier League action on Saturday.
Terry, 33, was given permission by Blues boss Jose Mourinho to take his family on holiday last weekend, with his official Instagram account featuring images of him swimming with sharks.
And the former England international believes his time away will help to refuel him ahead of Saturday's game against West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge.
"It's really good to have had a break, which is kind of unheard of at this time of the season," Terry told Chelsea's official website. "Winning at Liverpool really helped and the manager decided to give us some time off, maybe a little longer than we expected.
"It was great to get away but you keep yourself ticking over, so I was in the gym a lot too. We don't get given strict fitness programmes because at this level you look after yourself in the right way, and all the lads who had time off have done that."
Terry is hoping the momentum Chelsea had built up before the international break, establishing an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League, can be maintained when they face West Brom.
"Now we're back in and back on it," Terry added. "When the international break comes and you're on a good run of form it's important you hit the ground running when you return to action.
"Now we've got West Brom at home. They drew with us at Stamford Bridge last year and we know they will give us a tough game, but we're playing well and we have to continue with that."