I never imagined it would be so tricky to trawl through a decade of travel experiences, files of photos and memorabilia in order to pick a select few of my all time favourites. What a tussle it’s been…

Favourite Destination?
The place I can't help harking back to and feel an urge to return to as often as I can is the breathtaking coastline of Pembrokeshire and St David’s peninsular.

As a family, Pembrokeshire is somewhere we've holidayed many a time - from camping as a child in some of the most amazingly positioned sites, high on the cliff tops looking out to sea, to isolated little stone cottages crammed with every generation for boisterous Birthday or Christmas get-togethers. But nostalgia aside – you can’t beat walking those windswept cliff paths, edged by deep banks of vibrant gorse and wildflowers, with the sea birds squawking and swooping overhead as you wend and weave the endless furrows. The sheer and slippery rock face slices down into a choppy blue sea where seals bob playfully!  

My favourite coast-trail starts at the vast sweep that is Whitesands Bay (the centre of interest for sandcastle builders and surfers alike) and travels southwards, around Point St John where untamed Ramsey Island comes into view. Take a boat trip around this RSPB reserve and you might spot puffins, pods of dolphins and even whales.
Then on to St Justinian and the home of St David’s lifeboat since 1869 - a fantastic Victorian building that has housed many a maritime hero, saving those lost out in the scary swell of the Irish Sea.  

The last few miles bring you refreshed but heavy-legged into pretty Porth Clais, before a final ascent up into St David's past its beautiful Cathedral. Then kick your steaming boots off and nestle up to a crackling fire at The Farmer's Arms, with a pint of their finest 'Felinfoel' and a packet of pork scratchings!

Name your favourite hotel (non client):  A couple of places stand out, which are quite diverse in style…and luxuriousness.

First are the villas at ‘Desa Dunia Beda’, found out on their own in the north of Gili Trewangan – a tiny Indonesian isle, north-west of Lombok.
These absolutely astonishing Javanese Joglo bungalows command the biggest wow factor on this rather ramshackle island. Each is decorated with beautifully crafted local furniture and four-poster beds draped in muslin.     The back-to-nature open-air bathrooms are bliss, despite the coldest of rainwater showers! Being so isolated on the quiet northern tip – the resort’s saltwater infinity pool was ours alone, as was the sundeck looking out to sea.

     
And there's a great buzz to be found in the evenings. Downtown, the sandy ‘strip’ is bustling with restaurants that competitively sizzle their colourful lobsters on the barbie and the local liquor slips down a treat.

Second is Ellerman Villa at the Relais & Chateau Ellerman House hotel, which sits on the cliff above Bantry Bay in Cape Town, looking across the Atlantic towards Robben Island.
This place offered me a snap-shot of obscene luxury never experienced before - and never likely again! It left an indelible mark on my memory of Cape Town and has been referred to, with awe, many times since!

The opulence was immeasurable...with 6 bathrooms each in a different shade of marble; a whole floor dedicated to African art treasures; a private cinema strewn with silk cushions; numerous bedrooms each with an ocean view and - wait for it - a cylindrical glass lift that zoomed you between floors in seconds. One night here just wasn't enough!

 

Most exciting/wonderful travel experience:  Nowhere has worked its way under my skin like Bhutan has. This kingdom of devoted spiritualism, extraordinary landscapes and engrained traditions leaves you quite in awe.
Following in Diana’s footsteps - last year I pieced together a press trip to COMO’s Uma Paro, tucked away in the mountains of eastern Bhutan. After a few chaotic days in Delhi – we swooped our way through the dense forested Himalayan valleys, lurching and bumping our way in on the small national airline Druk Air…the thrills had already started!
Under the incredibly attentive supervision of our young guide, Kuenzang, we took to the high mountain passes in search of remote nunneries and monasteries that were to be found pinned to the rock faces at staggering heights of 3000m upwards.
In driving monsoon rains we clambered over the roots of giant Rhododendrons, up slippery paths of mud and moss, through layers of mist until the fluttering of colourful prayer flags, in every direction, told us we were near. 

   

Relief flooded our veins as the tiny white huts came into view and then a cluster of claret robes as the nuns scurried to our aid.

   For hours we sat, letting the moisture evaporate from our clothes down to our socks, drinking hot tea and gnawing on dry biscuits. But the real reward was yet to come. We were allowed to enter the temple to witness a rare ‘puja’ – a ceremony of chanting from the scriptures, performed only on auspicious occasions and accompanied by cymbals, horns and drums. Sitting cross-legged on the wooden boards, we were totally captured in their world and wrapped in their spirit – we felt transported. It’s one of the most emotive and remarkable moments I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

Worst Travel Experience?
On the grand scale of potential travel disasters – I’ve gotten off lightly. Possibly the worst, to date, was during my 2 years backpacking the usual beaten tracks around Australia and SE Asia, when I was following the convoys from Bangkok down to the southern Thai islands - Ko Tao, Pha Ngan and Samui. Having been told about reclining chairs and air-con, I fell for the overnight bus option, plus ferry: the slowest, most uncomfortable, but by far the cheapest means of travel. 650km of rough highway with barely one loo-stop and the seat ahead fully reclined and pinning me down by my knobbly knees – was nearly the end of me! But it was a means to an ends and the islands definitely made up for it.

What 5 things do you never travel without?  Aside from the obvious – some Aspirin for flights, lib balm, camera, pen & paper and a bottle of frizz-ease (my hair has a hoolie in humidity)!

What city should everyone visit? Top tips from that city?

I think Moscow is a must. A city that has ‘savvy weekender’ written all over it. Tips are:
- Stay at the city’s first (and coolest) boutique hotel, The Golden Apple. It’s just around the corner from Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral, as well as the cultural highlight – The Kremlin.
- Embrace the Moscovite’s enthusiasm for chilled vodka – wherever you are, whatever the hour of day!
- Grab a box (or any seat on offer) at the Bolshoi
- Book dinner at the exquisite Turandot Restaurant on Tverskoi Bulvar. A huge, white marble courtyard leads to a circular, two-story dining room, off which numerous little private dens can be found. The décor (hand painted chairs and tables, tapestries, frescoes across the walls and copula ceiling), the costumes of waiting staff and the chamber musicians performing classical music - transport you to a scene from the 1700s – it’s magical. Belying first impressions the cuisine is Chinese...and it’s heavenly.
- Visit in late winter when the fattest snowflakes are falling on Red Square

Where are you travelling to this year?  After a press trip via private jet to the burgeoning city of Baku this year…I’m not sure what can match it!? More walking in Wales please!

What are your tips for the hot place to visit in 2010?  I’m big on Britain for 2010 and, in particular, its remote islands.
The Isles of Scilly seem to be enjoying a bumper year, especially after the impact of ash-clouds and air-strikes – which is great news. Looking after two properties on the smallest of the inhabited isles (Hell Bay on Bryher and the Flying Boat Club on Tresco) - I’ve a vested interest, but they really do offer a unique holiday experience in one of the most spectacular spots in Europe. Being Designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, they are at their most awesome during early autumn when the wildlife is in abundance. Seal pups are clambering ashore, pods of Porpoise lurk in the mild waters, and overhead rare birds are spotted on their migration. It’s a remarkable place that I’d really recommend going to.

 

What's Your Dream Holiday Destination?  I've been day-dreaming a lot about Zanzibar lately... and a conjured image of flour-white beaches, a gently rippling turquoise sea and lazy travellers and locals gathered, chatting and drinking under the shade of the odd palm tree. Sleepy, easy, carefree - and just what I’m craving right now!
But when a zoned-out, sleep refueling few days have passed, the island is thought to offer an intriguing history and cultural mix. In the small capital of Stonetown, you can explore a wonderfully authentic, crumbling ruin of a place “with a balmy and brooding atmosphere”.
Back on the beach is the rather exclusive ‘Kilindi’, which comprises 15 domed pavilions scattered across 50 acres of lush plantation, overlooking what’s reputed to be the best beach on the island. It brings a welcome dash of pizzazz to the place...and in my dream world - I’d be staying there!