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A stinky spa has to be one of my favourites… Author Marilyn Bennett picks her favourite holiday destinations

A boat in the harbour mouth of the Pitons in St Lucia.
A boat in the harbour mouth of the Pitons in St Lucia.

MARILYN BENNETT, 45, has spent more than 20 years working in TV, often as head of production on series like Ricky Gervais’ Derek.

She started out to write a screenplay – and ended up with her debut novel.

Granny With Benefits (Matador £9.99 paperback) is about dating and finding romance in middle age. Marilyn is single and lives in London.


THERE are two holiday destinations that are unforgettable for me – one I keep going back to and the other where I found I had vertigo!

That was Mexico, which I went to with a friend not long after I graduated from university.

We went to the famous Chichen Itza Mayan ruins and my friend raced ahead and up the pyramid.

It’s a series of steep steps and I got halfway up, looked back – and froze. My heart was racing, legs shaking and I broke out in a sweat.

I had no idea until that moment that I had a fear of heights. I thought I was going to be stuck, and the only way I could get down was shuffling step by step on my backside.

Now I can’t even go up the ladder to my loft without shaking.

The other place is St Lucia, which has pretty much been my annual holiday since 1998.

I go with a group of girlfriends and it’s become the one big time we catch up as busy lives keep us apart so much these days.

We always go in May because that’s when their big jazz festival is staged.

It’s a massive deal for the island and I’ve seen wonderful people like Luther Vandross and Smokey Robinson.

All of the concerts are held outdoor, which is fine because it’s usually about 32 degrees and it hardly ever rains.

The concerts all seem so intimate and personal as you’re really close to the acts.

And for years after 9/11, when the American tourists stopped travelling, it was really quiet, although it’s been picking up a bit.

The island itself isn’t as green as some other Caribbean islands and is very flat.

To be honest, there’s not a huge amount to see and do, but that’s part of the appeal for us.

The days are spent lazing on the beaches or going to the sulphur spa.

It absolutely stinks of rotten eggs but your skin feels wonderful afterwards. It’s the ultimate natural outdoor spa.