Strictly Come Dancing winner Jonathan Boynton-Lee shares his travel tips.
First holiday memory?
Wearing massive armbands and clinging tightly to my dad in the ocean at St Michaels in Natal.
Favourite place in SA?
Impossible to name just one but, if I had to choose, the Drakensberg. It’s a place that’s very close to my heart. I basically grew up there, at a place called The Cavern Berg resort. I’ve been going every year since I was five. There’s a lifetime of memories in those mountains, some of the defining moments of my life happened there.
Best holiday?
New Year’s at The Cavern, 1999. I finally kissed my childhood sweetheart.
What have you learnt from your travels?
Be completely present in every moment. Travel should be spontaneous, unpredictable, one big exciting adventure. Useful tip: pretend you’re in a movie and someone is chasing you, you’ll get to see the place very quickly and with lots of laughs along the way.
Ideal travelling companion?
She’s a French supermodel, fun-loving, crazy, adventurous, spontaneous, and I haven’t met her yet!
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?
Equal parts of all three – the secret to a perfectly balanced holiday.
Greatest travel luxury?
Probably my laptop because I love to write while I’m away, to work on my movie scripts and story ideas.
Holiday reading?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. And The Far Side by Gary Larson for some comic relief.
The Power of Now was a real turning point for me; it tells of a beautiful way to live life.
We’re always thinking; we live through memory and anticipation. The more you focus on time, the more you miss the now. Now is all there is, the only thing.
Where has seduced you?
Quilalea Island in Mozambique. Closest to paradise you’ll ever get. It even has its own time zone.
Worst travel experience?
None so far. Touch wood.
Best hotel?
15 on Orange in Cape Town. It’s not only perfectly situated in the centre of Cape Town with a beautiful view of the mountain, but it really has the best service. I’ve been to many hotels all around the world and the service there is by far the best.
All the staff remember you by name, and they’re always smiling and genuinely happy. That’s a big deal in my books. Oh and let’s not forget the rooftop pool and spa, that’s pretty awesome too.
Favourite walk, swim, ride or drive?
Walk: Amphitheatre Drakensberg. Swim: Tugela River, Drakensberg. Ride: The Canal du Midi in the south of France.
Drive: road-tripping up any of South Africa’s beautiful coastal stretches.
Best meal abroad?
Fresh lobster straight out of the ocean in Mozambique and served on the beach by candlelight.
Favourite city?
Johannesburg. It’s where my heart will always be.
Where next?
Probably The Cavern Drakensberg Berg Resort and Spa (again).
Catch Boynton-Lee on Top Billing, SABC3, Thursdays, 8.30pm.