Editor of Lifestyle website Showcook

Where did you spend your last holiday?

With a small group of friends and family in a castle in Entrechaux, near Avignon, France.

Your favourite city abroad and why?

Paris. It's designed to fulfil women's every dream , from the most exquisite clothes and the most exquisite food to great style.

What must a first-time visitor do there?

Have dinner at La Coupole, the epitome of the grand Paris brasserie in Montparnasse. The food is consistently good and the atmosphere is quintessentially Parisian. Also, visit Boeuf sur le Toit brasserie on the Champs-Elysées. It was one of Coco Chanel's haunts.

What should they not bother with?

Shiny cafés that are designed for tourists. Look for the smaller, simpler places the French enjoy.

What was your best holiday ever?

The ones with friends and family, which were not very frequent. My best working holiday was my first with the winners of one of our most memorable competitions. We were guests of the Ritz in Paris (very special), the Negresco in Nice, the Carlton in Cannes, and a number of major restaurants at a time when haute cuisine was alive and well.

What is the worst hotel you have stayed in?

Any with a slipper bath in what Brian Astbury used to call a "broom cupboard" - Vienna specialised in these.

What is the best thing you have been given on holiday . or pinched from a hotel?

A Finnish millionaire once invited us onto his yacht, and slipped a slender silver bracelet onto our wrists as he walked in.

Who would be your fantasy holiday companion and why?

Patricia Wells, who wrote for the International Herald Tribune. Her knowledge of France, restaurants and food is not only in-depth and comprehensive but also oozes charm.

Your favourite SA destination and why?

The Royal Malewane, in the Kruger Park, is restful and tranquil with fabulous food.

One place you want to see before you die?

St Petersburg in the summer.

What do you avoid on holiday?

Bores.

What's your best piece of travel advice?

Take the smallest handbag possible, one with a strap that goes over your shoulder and neck, and have nothing in it but your travel documents, a lipstick and my cure-all, a small vial of tea-tree oil in water. It's the best remedy for the dreaded flu.