Ruth and Eamonn
Eamonn Holmes looks back fondly at his most memorable holidays, and what he and Ruth look for these days...
Summer holidays are a science. Planning them, arranging them and affording them all come in to play. Then there’s the location, the weather, home or away? I was 19 when I first went abroad – an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Faro in Portugal, then on to a highrise block of flats in a place called Torralta. I was part of an entourage that included my girlfriend, her parents, her uncle and aunt, her cousins and their boyfriends.
I’ll always remember that, among the suitcases, was a special one packed with essentials – all the things you probably couldn’t get abroad: baked beans, instant potatoes, bacon, bars of chocolate, tea bags, powdered milk and a practical dispensary of medication. Everything from sticking plasters to Germolene – I suppose you had to be around in 1979 to appreciate this more fully.
Nowadays, as I constantly tell Ruth, there is nothing you can’t get in continental holiday resorts that you can get here. However, although we don’t bring the suitcase of provisions, Ruthie seems to find good reason to still pack some sort of extra standby case.
Being self-employed freelancers, it’s not easy to schedule breaks. It’s harder still to schedule my life, Ruth’s life and our children’s lives together! I can’t tell you the last time we had two weeks away. But whatever time we get, we try to ensure it’s hassle-free and family-orientated.
I could honestly lock myself away in a garden shed as long as I was surrounded by my children, who now range in age from 17 to 30. My next project will be to recreate our Center Parcs holidays of old in grown-up form. This time, they’ll be looking after me, but it’s laughter that looks after us all. They say it’s the best therapy and nowadays, Ruth and I tend to look for therapy in the vacation breaks that we schedule.
Spas play a very big part in diluting the stresses and strains of public life and the wear and tear of getting older. The Mandarin Oriental in Bodrum, Turkey is the sort of place that can transport us from the hustle and bustle of everyday goings-on, and cocoon us in an oasis of calm, sea and sunshine.