My Kind of Holiday
Where did you spend your last holiday?
In Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Phuket with my kids and wife.
What was the best thing you did while there?
Bonded with the family — it’s not often that we are all together. We also loved trying out the street food of South East Asia.
Your favourite city abroad and why?
New York. I lived in the US for 10 years and visited there often.
What must a first-time visitor do there?
Stop and take in the energy. Let it take hold of you. Then walk through Central Park, or down 5th Avenue; eat hot chestnuts on a rainy day, or engage with the characters who drive the taxi cabs.
What should they not bother with?
Nothing there is a disappointment. Just don’t let New York’s energy overwhelm you.
What was your best holiday ever?
A stay on Praslin Island, Seychelles, at the Paradise Sun. The family hadn’t been together for a year. The weather was beautiful, the beaches are the best in the world and the walks are endless.
What is the best thing you have been given on holiday ... or pinched from a hotel?
I was given a dark green Inuit carving by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when I was general manager of the King Edward Hotel in Toronto. It was a thank-you for the care we had taken of US President Bill Clinton when he visited Canada. It now sits in my garden.
Your oddest travel moment?
Elizabeth Taylor was booked to stay at the King Edward in Toronto. The day before she was due, I was at a meeting in New York and was phoned by my staff to say she had requested cappuccino rice cakes for her dog, and there were none to be found in Toronto. I ran around frantically and eventually found two packets. We put the rice cakes in a silver bowl in the second bedroom and I met her and escorted her to her suite. She took one look at the bowl on the floor, told her then husband, Larry Fortensky, that he would be sleeping in the spare room, and had the bowl and the dog moved to the master bedroom.
Your favourite SA destination and why?
I love Johannesburg. It is where I was brought up and it has a great energy.
What is the most exotic dish you have ever eaten on holiday (or anywhere)?
Durian fruit. Its stinks so badly it’s not allowed in hotels or taxis. My kids dared me to eat it and I was pleasantly surprised by its taste.