Sienna Guillory: My Life In Travel

'I love galloping my friend's racehorse along Holkam Beach in Norfolk'

First holiday memory?

First holiday memory?

My brother and I jumping naked off the dunes at Blakeney Point in Norfolk. I thought it was an island because we only ever sailed out there.

Best holiday?

When I was 10 I went to stay with some cousins in Mexico to learn Spanish. We drove from Mexico City to Acapulco and when I was there I made friends with some street kids. We played all sorts of fantastic games and stole tamales and stuffed ourselves with coconut ice cream.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

For the tiny, homogenised island that is Britain, the north Norfolk coast is extraordinarily wild, and there never seems to be anyone there.

What have you learnt from your travels?

To leave a tip on the pillow every day so that nothing gets stolen.

Ideal travelling companion?

My husband, Enzo Cilenti. He's a linguist so that's really helpful, too. We try to meet up when we're working abroad, so he'll come and meet me if I'm filming and vice versa.

Greatest travel luxury?

Bose travel speakers; they're amazing. It's like taking your home sound system away with you.

Holiday reading?

I'm reading Our Ecstatic Days, by Steve Erickson. It's an extraordinary journey and the most exciting thing I've found since The Master and Margarita, which I've read about 20 times. I like being taken away somewhere by a book.

Where has seduced you?

The Reethi Rah Resort in the Maldives. It's complete luxury. You stay in villas on stilts over the sea with hammocks hanging over the side so you can jump in and out of the ocean. The sea was pristine and the food was great.

Better to travel or arrive?

To arrive, although I like the fact that nobody can get hold of you when you're travelling.

Worst travel experience?

Filming in Tbilisi, Georgia about 10 years ago when it was very unstable. We were driving to an ancient city of caves called Vardzia with the film crew and one of our party was shot in the head through the window. It was very scary but we just had to put our foot down and drive.

Worst holiday?

I went to Walt Disney World with my family when I was about seven. My parents were mid-divorce and my father hadn't told my grandparents, who we were staying with. I also fell ill with mumps and had to be pushed round Disney World in a baby's pushchair and wasn't allowed to go on any of the rides.

Favourite walk/swim/ride/drive?

The best ride in the world is galloping along Holkham Beach in Norfolk. I've got friends who train racehorses there so they occasionally let me ride them along the beach.

Best meal abroad?

I recently had an extraordinary Italian meal in the States, which was very strange. It was at a place called Via Veneto on Main Street in Los Angeles and was better than most food I've had in Italy. Los Caracoles in Barcelona is an absolute find; you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the tables. I also went on a safari in the Masai Mara and they surprised us on the last day with a picnic breakfast on the edge of a river with crocodiles and hippos.

First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?

I try to find the best restaurant. A good tip is to ask every person you meet which is their favourite and if the same name crops up several times, go there.

Favourite city?

Rome. Everything about it is awe-inspiring and magnificent. It's just beautiful.

Where next?

Back to Reethi Rah, when I get rich!

Sienna Guillory is an actress and a model