The star of The Darjeeling Limited and The Addams Family picks her top destinations across the world
Where have you just come back from?
‘My ranch, which is north of Los Angeles, in a little town call Three Rivers. It’s in the foothills of Sequoia National Park: 6˚C warmer than Los Angeles in the summer, 6˚C colder in the winter. I have horses, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks… It was the first place I bought with my own money.’
Where in the world have you felt happiest?
‘On a vacation in Kipahulu, Maui, in the 1980s. I was there with great people for two weeks of bliss. There’s a place called the Seven Sacred Pools on the “wrong” side of the island, but it’s very beautiful. Bamboo forests and black sand. Who was I with? That’s kind of privileged information. I’ve never been back – when something is perfect, sometimes it’s better left alone.’
Name a place that most lived up to the hype
‘Claridge’s in London is always my go-to hotel. I love it. I was a little disappointed when they started doing movie and TV junkets there; I didn’t think such a thing would be possible at Claridge’s, but even so, it manages to hold its head up. One of my earliest memories is having my sixth birthday party there. I got a whole crate of mangoes, and I love mangoes, so it was particularly great. I’ve had birthdays there since, but none quite as impactful. My father’s portrait hangs in the restaurant, so I always feel at home.’
And a place that least lived up to the hype
‘Disneyland. It fills me with existential fear. The nature of every Disney journey is to make you feel secure and happy at the beginning, then suddenly everything darkens and turns nasty. You either drop from a great height, or enter some gloomy tunnel, everything gets very scary and then you come out and everything is cheery again. I don’t like the format.’
Describe your favourite view
‘It’s an old and sentimental one: the Cliffs of Moher off County Clare in Ireland (pictured below), where I grew up. I remember seeing a school of dolphins out to sea, with nothing else in sight. We’d make picnics and load extending ladders into the station wagon so we could get into the Martello towers all around. We used to climb inside and find things like cannon balls. It was still a place you could discover treasure.’
Which is your favourite city, and why?
‘London is my most familiar city. Friends, shopping, theatre, Sunday lunch at The Connaught – which is betraying my fidelity to Claridge’s a little bit, but I love the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.’
Describe a childhood holiday memory
‘Going out to sea from Galway with Lord Peter Patrick Hemphill, who captained his own boat. We’d go to the Aran Islands and Bird Island, a little spot with birds at all stages of Darwinian growth. The sea was rather tumultuous.’
Describe a holiday disaster
‘There was no bathroom on the Irish fishing boat… Not so great.’
What do you pack first?
‘Pinkie, my old cashmere blanket, which is more grey these days. I wear Pinkie on my head on long trips. When they crank up the air-conditioning on the plane, Pinkie is invaluable.’
Tell us about a Great Little Place you know
‘The Hôtel Esmeralda overlooking Notre-Dame in Paris, which I used to stay in when I was a model in the 1970s. It’s the best tiny hotel ever, although you have to walk upstairs – there is no lift. I think that is why all French women have great figures. And then there is Le Mayabor, a restaurant I discovered in the town of Bedous in the Pyrenees. It’s run by a lovely couple, Liza and Daniel; I went there every day when we were filming Waiting for Anya. It was so lovely getting to know them, I actually wept when I left.’
Sightseeing or sun lounger?
‘It depends on the weather and my level of fatigue. I love to be on boats. Not huge boats, but nice medium-sized boats owned by rich people that take you up and down the coast without too many bumps. Barry Diller’s boat is beautiful and Ron Perelman’s boat is spectacular, too – those are the friends whose back pocket you want to be in. Or front pocket maybe.’
‘I lost my heart in…’
‘Dublin, to someone who will remain anonymous, in one of the greatest cities.’
Confess to one thing you’ve taken from a hotel room
‘Ashtrays when I used to smoke, they were the best. And I’ve snuck a couple of pillows from The Ritz Paris. Nowadays they charge you for anything – a facecloth!’
Who is the most interesting person you’ve met on your travels?
‘Arvind Singh Mewar, the Maharana of Udaipur. I met him in Rajasthan when I was working on The Darjeeling Limited. His City Palace on the lake has a rotunda as you walk in that has stuffed tigers from the 19th century coming out the walls, as though they were advancing toward you. His jewels alone were fascinating, his robes, his demeanour. He’s really, properly grand.’
What would you like to find in a mini-bar?
‘Caviar. Make that free caviar.’
Most regrettable holiday souvenir?
‘I would say this is regrettable, because I am a serious conservationist these days, but I have table placements of butterflies petrified in plastic. Now I’m more discerning than I used to be.’
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