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Ed Stoppard stars as Dan Dare in Dan Dare – The Audio Adventure
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE HOLIDAY?
For our 10th anniversary, Amie and I had a three-day break on Ischia, one of those idyllic, romantic Mediterranean islands.
We stayed at the Mezzatorre Resort and it was heaven – calm and secluded with unobtrusive but perfect service.
Everything was understated elegance.
The food was wonderful. We didn’t do much.
Amie’s idea of a holiday is to remain static.
I’m not even sure I put on shoes for the duration of our stay.
We would walk in the beautiful landscaped garden or just find idiosyncratic areas, little roof terraces, to hang out. I don’t normally like swimming in the sea but it was glorious.
Leaping off rocks into the water was about as energetic as we got. It had a slightly unreal air, like some multi-millionaire had lent you their mansion.
I felt like 1970s Roger Moore wooing his Bond girl.
AND YOUR WORST?
Christmas 2010.
I thought southern Spain would be quite hot, so we rented a villa near the Costa del Sol billed as having a heated pool.
It was heated using a mechanism extracting heat from the air but the air wasn’t very warm.
It was 12 degrees.
I remember treading water with my teeth chattering saying to my kids: “It’s not bad once you get in…” and them standing on the side clutching their bodies trying to stay warm, shaking their heads.
There was a sign warning us about flesh-eating caterpillars on the trees.
The town was horrible – like a strip mall that had gone bust and it was hard to find anything decent to eat.
Then, on the second to last day, I woke at 2am in agony – I had slipped a disc.
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Ed treated his wife Anita to a trip to Ischia, a Mediterranean island
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY SOUVENIR?
I was once filming in Rome on our anniversary, so I said to Amie: “Come out…”
We had dinner in the only swanky restaurant open, in this five-star hotel, which was deserted but for us.
When we nipped to the loos, there were beautiful linen hand towels.
I said to Amie: “Did you have those fabulous towels?”
She said: “Yeah, I’ve got three in my bag.”
I ran back and got three myself.
I’m not proud of this but they are cherished. I’ll return them one day.
BEST HOLIDAY READ?
We travelled around s for our honeymoon and stayed at The Malabar House Hotel in Fort Kochi, a hopelessly romantic place.
I took The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – the perfect book for that location.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME ON HOLIDAY?
I can appreciate the pleasures of a beach holiday but I prefer to be more active.
Although I’m not the sort of person who goes cycling or climbs mountains, I love exploring and soaking up the atmosphere.
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Ed would like to revisit Italy’s stunning Venice
WHERE WOULD YOU REVISIT?
Venice.
I took Amie for a November weekend 10 years ago. It rained the whole time and was still the most magical place.
Every time you turn a corner, it’s in anticipation of what amazing piece of art or architecture or cultural moment is going to greet you.
I had my most memorable Italian meal at Trattoria Dalla Marisa.
There was no menu, they just brought six courses, each one more remarkable than the previous.
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Ed travelled around southern India with his wife for their honeymoon
WHERE NEXT?
The Costa Brava near Cadaqués – a beautiful coastline with idyllic bays, wonderful whitewashed buildings and lovely food. It ticks all the boxes.
Then, we’ll go to New York. My wife’s stepmother lives on Long Island; the most amazing beach in the world.
Ed Stoppard stars as Dan Dare in Dan Dare – The Audio Adventures available as a CD box set and digital download via dandareaudio.com
