My kind of holiday: Festival Director Emma Durden

We asked the director of the Musho! International Theatre Festival shares about her best and worst holidays

Where did you spend your last holiday?

In Tuscany, at a wedding in a 7th-century castle.

What was the best thing you did while there?

Had lunch in the tiny village of Castelnuovo Berardenga - wild boar, arancini (rice balls), great salads, cheeses and picked vegetables. All delicious.

Your favourite city abroad and why?

Arequipa in Peru. The architecture is amazing and the evening light shining off the stone is something special.

What must a first-time visitor see there?

The Monastery of Saint Catherine (pictured above) is intriguing. You can see the footfalls of generations of nuns in the worn wooden library steps and the gardens are a riot of colour.

What should they not bother with?

The Plaza de Armas in the main square. Rather head for the back streets.

What was your best holiday ever? Why?

I spent a week at the Bukit Lawang orangutan sanctuary in Sumatra, Indonesia. I spent hours watching rescued orangutans in the process of being released into their natural habitat.

What was your worst holiday ever? Why?

I have never had a "worst holiday" but I did once have a very hungry holiday in Mozambique, when we ran out of food on day two.

What is the worst hotel you've stayed in?

A colleague and I went to do some work in Welkom. When we arrived at our B&B, I was given the keys to a room in the main house and my colleague (who is black) was directed to the "maid's quarters" outside. We walked out.

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

I was given a tiny hand carving of a bird by somebody who bought it off a bushman tracker in Namibia during the border wars in the 1980s.

Your favourite SA destination and why?

St Lucia and Cape Vidal in KZN for the combination of beach and bush.

Your favourite restaurant, anywhere?

St Clements in Musgrave Road in Durban.

One place you want to see before you die?

The smaller islands in the West Indies.

What do you avoid on holiday?

Crowds and busy shops.

What's your best piece of travel advice?

Pack light. Do less and enjoy more.

The Musho! International Theatre Festival on at Durban's Catalina Theatre from January 14 - 19, 2015.