Holidays are an annual tonic for our wellbeing and the ideal way to lift our spirits. Celebrities reveal their favourite destinations and some of their fondest memories to Gabrielle Fagan.

 

:: Amanda Lamb, 40, presenter of UKTV Home's My Flat-Pack home, says: "My husband, Sean, and I love southern Italy and we have a little place in Puglia where we go with our daughter, Willow, four. It's the perfect holiday spot as it's beautiful, quiet, and off the beaten track."


:: Lisa Snowdon, 41, co-presenter of Capital FM's Breakfast show, has joined forces with Belvita Breakfast Biscuits to campaign for better mornings. She says: "It has to be Kamalaya Koh Samui Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort in Thailand.

"You can go there just to chill and holiday, as I do, but there is also a wide selection of programmes to help people with a wide variety of specific problems such as burn-out, diet or stress.

"The spa's amazing and the resort is set in the most beautiful grounds, with exotic sweet-smelling flowers everywhere.

"You can be comfortable going there alone or with a partner and I never fail to feel wonderful when I return."


:: Chelsee Healey, 24, the actress who's appeared in BBC's Waterloo Road and competed in Strictly Come Dancing, says: "Dubai is a regular destination for me because you can enjoy everything there from shopping to chilling. There are amazing buildings, great beaches and it's always hot."


:: ITV weather presenter Sian Lloyd, 54, says: "Kangaroo Island, south-west of Adelaide, Australia, is the most amazing haven.

"It's a pristine wilderness which offers protection to native Australian animals and so you can see sea lions basking on white beaches, koalas dozing in lofty eucalyptus, pelicans soaring over shimmering lagoons, and, of course, kangaroos bounding around.

"I fell in love with Australia when I appeared in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2003 and I've been back to the country about seven times since."


:: Sarah Beeny, 41, a TV property expert who's backing a campaign by Keep Britain Tidy and cleaning equipment company Karcher, says: "France is definitely my favourite country for a holiday.

"My husband, Graham, and I are going this summer and will drive over in a car fully loaded with our four sons and too much luggage!

"We love the cities such as Paris as much as the countryside."


:: Lulu, 64, the singer who's recently helped launch a new range of glasses, Specsavers Aurora, says: "A cruise on the Bosporus in Turkey in a traditional three-masted wooden sailing boat, a gulet, stands out in my memory as a fantastic holiday and a beautiful destination.

"I went with friends and it was fun and relaxing at the same time. We sailed to Istanbul and saw all the sights, which was a brilliant conclusion to my visit to Turkey as it was fascinating.

"It was a trip I'd never have dreamt of myself but I'd do it again in an instant."


:: Caroline Flack, 33, presenter of ITV2's The Xtra Factor, says: "I love travelling and want to see the world, so I've got a big list of places to get through!

"I've particularly enjoyed Kerala on India's Malabar coast, which is absolutely beautiful. But I love the buzz in Sydney, Australia.

"Variety is essential for me. I've just come back from a spa trip to Miami so my next trip will probably be a city break."


:: Actress Angela Griffin, 36, says: "Last summer for the first time in years I took two weeks off, because of work I never normally get more than a week. I went with the family to Valencia in Spain.

"I'm not a beach person so we had a villa with a pool and spent lazy days swimming and eating and others travelling by car to explore the area. It was a brilliant break and our two daughters, Tallulah, eight, and Melissa, five, had a ball. I'd like to go back this year."


:: Gardener Charlie Dimmock, 46, says: "I travel quite a lot, giving lectures, so I often don't holiday. Instead, I prefer to stay at home in Hampshire and catch up on all the gardening I've missed.

"I prefer to be active and busy, but I take short breaks, such as seeing my family in Portugal.

"My sister and I once took a break in Jamaica. We spent the entire week relaxing and reading. I have to admit that was bliss!"


:: Kara Tointon, 29, who's currently starring in West End play Relatively Speaking, says: "I'd always pick a ski holiday over a summer holiday.

"I enjoy being active and burning off lots of energy and I always feel brilliantly refreshed when I return from the mountains.

"Even when I go on a beach holiday, I hate lying around, so I'm in and out of the water and I'm always looking for activities to try such as jet skiing.

"Luckily, my boyfriend (Artem Chigvintsev) is the same as me. Having the same taste in holidays with your partner is so important!"


:: Aston Merrygold, 25, former JLS member and judge on Sky1 talent show Got To Dance, says: "For a holiday with my mates, it's got to be Ibiza; it's such a fun island.

"But the holiday I'll always remember and would love to repeat is going with my family to Florida and visiting the film studios there including Universal.

"It was fascinating and I've promised myself I'll return to explore Miami as well."


:: Gemma Collins, 32, star of reality series The Only Way Is Essex, says: "I saved up for a year to go to my friend's wedding at the luxury resort Sandy Lane, Barbados, and I'm determined to go back one day. It was incredible - she looked like a film star and I felt like one being in a place like that.

"I also love a bit of Tenerife, that's the Essex girl in me, but as we're filming the series through the summer, I won't get far this year.

"If I get a break, I'd love to visit Sardinia and enjoy wine, pedalos and chatting to the locals."


:: Chris Beardshaw, TV gardener, 43, says: "I don't get a break in the summer as we're always busy with flower shows and filming.

"But when I do, I like visiting new countries and my ideal is somewhere warm with a mix of great scenery and a range of activities.

"I've been diving in Britain and abroad for more than 12 years, so it would need to be somewhere coastal, with the opportunity for eating plenty of fresh, delicious food.

"In fact, the more I talk about it, the more I would really like a holiday!"


Tried & tested

Eating at least five vegetables every day, as recommended in Government health guidelines, can be tricky with a hectic lifestyle and little time to cook. Polly Weeks tests a new vegetable smoothie range.


What is it?

SaVse's vegetable smoothie range uses freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables, including 'super' vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach and avocado, but has no added sugar, preservatives colour or water.

The company uses high-pressure processing to remove bacteria but this doesn't require the product to be heated so, it claims, the valuable nutrients in the vegetables are preserved.

"SaVse has been created for people on a diet or generally trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, and all those men and women in offices who want a healthy drink to accompany their lunch," says company founder Guka Tavberidze.

"Our smoothies are jam-packed with everything from beetroot to broccoli and a little sweetness from some fruity friends. They're a tasty way to get two of your five-a-day."


What's it like?

Sometimes life can seem like an endless list of 'to-dos' - if you're not downing pints of water and cramming in gym sessions, you're worrying about getting your fix of fruit and veg.

I've got a busy lifestyle and just grabbing a sandwich is often as much as I can do in a day. Tired and famished by the end of the day, my desire for heaped plates of vegetables has ebbed away and I want carbs - and quickly!

Apparently, I'm not alone - current research shows that 78% of people find it difficult to take in what they consider adequate quantities of vegetables a day.

SaVse claims to come to the rescue with its new range of drinks, whose creation was inspired by company founder Guka Tavberidze's memory of his Georgian mother's delicious smoothies.

I tested all of the three varieties, Super Green, Super Purple, with beetroot, apple, avocado, lime, mango and lemon, and Super Red, with strawberry, broccoli, celery, kale, orange and spinach.

The drinks are tasty; full of flavour and chunks of vegetable, and they're not sickly sweet like many smoothie drinks.

My favourite was Super Green, which contains broccoli, pear, spinach, kale, kiwi, lemon and banana.

These are great as an on-the-go snack, and a fast way to absorb your two of that recommended five-a-day. I'd say they're more suitable for lunch and the afternoon; I wouldn't have been able to take the flavour for breakfast.

My verdict: Excellent, particularly if served chilled, and a quick and easy way to feel virtuous and tick off at least one thing on that stress-causing 'to-do' list.

:: Information: SaVse, £2.49 for a 250ml bottle, come in three flavours, and are available in major outlets including Selfridges, Harrods, Whole Foods and Plant Organic. For more information, visit www.savsesmoovies.com