With MARION O'DWYER
What's your earliest holiday memory?When I was about three years old we went to Waterford. I went around all the tables in the hotel, announcing that I was on my holidays.
What was your worst holiday?I had a rotten, miserable time in Paris years ago, when I was very young. There was thunder and lightning, and the place we stayed in was vile – even when I was young I wanted luxury. Paris has never been idyllic for me. I don't know what it is, but things always go wrong for me there. Even romances go bad.
What was your best holiday?A trip to Genoa for a friend's wedding. We flew to Nice and took a train to Italy. There's great culture and food, and warm people, but I was away with so many friends it was the best craic.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I'd love to go on one of those super deluxe spa holiday breaks, probably somewhere in the sun, like Thailand.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?I would try to persuade my mum, Sally, who isn't keen on trains and planes. Otherwise, my friend Pat McKane, whom I worked with on Ballykissangel. We took a trip along the Amalfi coast last year. She is adventurous and stretches me to go out of my comfort zone. She's been to India and Egypt on her own. I'd be timid about things like that.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?I spent two glorious days at Monart Destination Spa, near Enniscorthy. Two days is worth two weeks of a holiday for people who are short on time and long on cash. I would go there all the time if I could afford it. It has landscaped gardens with beautiful curves, the decor is really tranquil, the food is amazing and you get Zenned out with massages. It's good for stressed-out people, and you don't have to get on a plane.
Where will you go to next?India and Cuba are on my list. I'd love to revisit Crete or go back to Italy and do a cooking holiday. I tend to visit friends and have had a magical time visiting my friend Brendan O'Carroll in Florida, where I did lots of shopping. But I can have a holiday in an afternoon with no airplane at Kildare Village, where I shop for the whole day and then have a beautiful meal in the Italian restaurant.
- Marion O'Dwyer is appearing in Philadelphia, Here I Come!at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin from March 15th
- In conversation with Genevieve Carbery