Desert Island Discs. You all know the score: you pick a top track, a book (to accompany the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare) and one luxury item. We asked some of the team what they’d choose, and where they’d like to be stranded (well, it wouldn’t be very i-escape otherwise, would it?).
Melissa, Senior Editorial Assistant
Top track: ‘Here comes the sun’ by The Beatles.
Book: How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (plus all her columns, if I can bend the rules a little?!).
Luxury item: My rock-climbing shoes, so I can entertain myself by exploring the coastline.
Stranded at: An Lam Ninh Van Bay. I love the back-to-nature ethos and admirable eco-credentials, as well as the creature comforts on offer! Food is also very important to me, so the beachfront restaurant’s extensive menu of Vietnamese, pan-Asian and international cuisine would keep me pretty happy!
Liz, Editor
Top track: Hippie Sabotage’s remix of ‘Stay High’ by Tove Lo. Perfect sunshine music.
Book: I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. The best thriller I have ever read.
Luxury Item: My Kindle (cheating?). My pillow and its White Company pillowcase; the perfect plumpness and linen that always feels cool.
Stranded at: JapaMala Resort on Tioman Island in Malaysia. What I would give to be there right now, snorkelling in the technicolour underworld, lazing on talcum-powder beaches and drinking pina coladas…
Nadine, Kids Collection Editor
Top Track: Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick so I could sing and dance
Book: A good guide to the flora and fauna of the Yucatan; if I’m stranded it would be good to find out more about the place, especially the birds!
Luxury item: Thick pillows and eye mask
Place: Hotel Esencia in Mexico, as the whole family would have to come with me of course
Ben, Bookings Consultant
Top Track: ‘California Dreamin’ by The Mamas and The Papas.
Book: Shantaram – it might kill a few days/weeks.
Luxury item: A big case of rum.
Stranded at: Mango Bay in Vietnam, for the name alone. Laid-back rustic vibes and some serious hammock time.
Emily, Bookings Consultant
Top track: ‘Red Eyes’ by The War on Drugs.
Book: Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson. It’s really gripping!
Luxury item: Mojitos (plural)!
Stranded at: Golden Buddha Beach Resort in Thailand.
Rich, Rates Administrator
Top Track: ‘Hit the Ground Running’ by Smog.
Book: The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropist by Robert Tressell (appropriately set by the sea).
Luxury item: A lifetime supply of sun cream (factor 50).
Stranded at: Jashita in Mexico – tranquil and secluded, with sea-to-table food. Exactly what you want on a desert island.
Kate, Head of Bookings
Top Track: ‘Spanish Sahara’ by Foals.
Book: One Day by David Nicholls.
Luxury Item: A vat of curry. And baby wipes (seriously – they have to be one of the most useful things ever!).
Stranded at: Nikoi Island – proper barefoot lux in Indonesia.
Ben, Rates Manager
Top Track: ‘Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes’. Every time I land in Africa, this song (well, the whole album, in fact) plays in my head.
Book: The Poisonwood Bible. I read this book the first time I travelled through Eastern and Southern Africa and have wanted to read it again ever since. Or, for an easier read, I’d choose Freddie Mercury by Peter Freestone. He was born and raised in Zanzibar, and I am secretly obsessed with Freddy.
Luxury item: A snorkel and mask.
Stranded at: Fundu Lagoon, on Zanzibar’s stunning Pemba Island.
