WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE HOLIDAY?
Venice 15 years ago – just Alex and me and incredibly romantic. I’d been there as a reporter for BBC1’s Holiday and vowed I’d return first chance I got.
The city was stunning – everything was like a Pre-Raphaelite painting and everyone’s so stylish. We stayed in the Gritti Palace, an absolutely beautiful hotel.
You think you know Italian food but you don’t really. It’s healthier, so much more delicious and less fussy.
I vividly remember having dinner in this tiny restaurant when Elton John arrived to meet the milliner Philip Treacy.
He arrived and left through the window – into a waiting gondola!
AND YOUR WORST?
Believe it or not it was our honeymoon in the Bahamas.
It was the first time we’d ever been on holiday together and we’d really got the hotel booking wrong.
It had single beds, stained sheets, a hole in the bath and skinheads in the pool. We put a brave face on it but after 24 hours, I burst into tears and we transferred to a luxury hotel.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY SOUVENIR?
Holidays are when I realise how bad my shoe addiction can be. Often countries have beautiful leather in simple, elegant styles.
Italy’s a classic example, or Spain or Portugal. Shoes have been my thing ever since I worked in a shoe shop as a 16 year old.
Some might say it scarred me for life. I would say it enriched me for life!
BEST HOLIDAY READ?
Any of the mysterious thrillers by Harlan Coben. Books have to hook me early on and his always do – they’re whodunnits that I would liken to a good TV drama such as Broadchurch.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME ON HOLIDAY?
Horizontal. I’m a sun worshipper. Luckily, we’re all the same in our family.
We like to flop on a lounger and people-watch. I don’t care whether it’s by a pool or on the beach, just park me there and turn me over every 20 minutes.
I do remember coming back from Portugal once and saying my back was really sore because the sunlounger had been a bit bent. First World problems!
I like city breaks, too, mopoching around and eating tasty food. I’m not a big drinker – I’m quite giggly with just one glass of rosé – so food’s a big part of a holiday.
WHERE WOULD YOU REVISIT?
The Caribbean. We did a fantastic cruise once with Princess Cruises. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Princess Cays.
I’d never done cruising and had an image of it that couldn’t have been further from the truth. It’s a floating city. There was a lot of space, so you could be alone or with others and the variety of things to do was amazing.
WHERE NEXT?
I’m open to suggestion, but definitely not the moon. I did a safari to South Africa for my 50th – that was stunning.
Now, I fancy visiting and helping out at an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo.
Carol Smillie’s DiaryDoll underwear pants are available from diarydoll.com, Boots stores and boots.com
