Small in Basel, big in Broome30 November 2009, 20:54:09 - (323 hits) Marilynne Paspaley is that rare breed - at ease in Europe, at home in the Australian desert.
As a child, I loved having holidays in ... Darwin, in the wet season. Where we lived was a real neighbourhood, very quiet, with long grasses to make cubbyhouses in and trees to climb. In the afternoon, it was so hot, we'd be lying on someone's floor listening to the radio. It was hot, wet and free. Children would play from house to house and, at dinnertime, the house that had the best cooking smells, well, the child who lived there would ask if the others could stay to dinner. We hardly ever slept in our own beds unless there were four friends with us.
My first overseas trip was ... a cruise of the South Pacific, as a child. It was my father's way of having a holiday, as he loved being at sea and wasn't disturbed by phones and he hated unpacking. As an adult, my first trip was to London and I was disappointed because it was so familiar; completely different but similar. We had to stop over in Bahrain for a few hours on the way and when we flew out, the sun was rising on the desert and it was all straight lines - roads going into the distance with horse-drawn carts full of people going to work. When I landed in London it seemed ordinary by comparison.
A place that gave me goose bumps was ... Chantilly, where a French noble thought he would be reincarnated as a horse when he died, so had grand stables built. It's still a working stable [Le Musee du Cheval]. I'm not all that comfortable with horses, however the show performed there is one of the most remarkable expressions of trust I've ever seen, as these big animals work in partnership with humans, doing the most unnatural poses and positions for animals with such long legs. It's very moving because there is such trust from the horse and such care and respect from the human.
I never travel without ... my computer. And little camera. To take photos of hotel rooms and lobbies, reception areas and gardens.
The last great place I recommended to my friends was ... apart from my own hotel? The Ahimsa in Seminyak, Bali, is a fabulous hideaway for a couple. [You can have] as much or as little service as you want, very comfortable villas with a lovely openness.
My fantasy holiday home is ... to be just home, not working.
Ever been asked by customs, immigration or police to "step this way"? ... Yes, in America, after 9/11. I had changed my travel dates and the agent had forgotten to cancel the previous booking, so I came off as suspicious - for the next five years. When I entered or left America, I was taken off to the side every time and had every bit of luggage searched, was patted down and my shoes searched. I was very zen about it, as I expected it to happen each time. Very calm. You had to expect change after 9/11.
Window or aisle seat on a plane ... always a window, because I love going to sleep after a glass of champagne.
If I'm stuck sitting next to a total bore, I ... put headphones on and go to sleep.
The mile high club is ... something I haven't joined yet.
The best bed I've slept in overseas was ... a spa bed in Bermuda, during a treatment. I was feeling as though I was enveloped in clouds, cocooned, and I didn't want to leave.
The worst was ... the Hotel Alexander, Basel, Switzerland - and I sleep at that hotel every year during the Basel Jewellery Fair [Baselworld], as it is just next door. Shockingly small rooms.
For sitting and watching the world go by, nothing beats ... the Basel Jewellery Fair. Sit outside in the jazz tent and you'll see everyone in the jewellery business in the world passing by. It's the most extraordinary show of fashion, glitter and fun. They really dress the city up, too.
My most memorable meal was ... in Paris, the first time my husband and I went away alone after having our child. We would get up very early each morning and walk, not stopping to eat until our nose told us what was good. We stopped at a restaurant, in a hotel, and had a magnificent three-course lunch. The duck confit melted on the tongue. The dessert was sensational.
I secretly collect ... hotel soap. When you take it out at home, it reminds you of where you've been.
I wish my luggage was ... as good as the people I bought it from told me it would be. It keeps breaking.
Digital technology I take with me includes ... ipod and computer.
The one place I never want to go is ... It's not my temperament to say I never want to go. I decide not to do something again, rather than not to do something.
The destination I want to experience before I'm dead is ... South America or India. I think I want to see the Himalayas.
Pinctada Cable Beach, Marilynne Paspaley's new $33 million spa resort in Broome, has just won two AHA Hotel Awards for Excellence.News from brisbanetimes.com.au
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