What is the best trip you have taken?

I find it very difficult to answer because every trip, and every part of the world, is so memorable for so many reasons.

I started typing out a list the other day and stopped when I reached 20. It then took me hours to prune that list down to five.

So here goes my five favourite holidays, in no particular order, with some highly commended holidays, too.

— Luxury

– Turtle Island, Fiji

The seaplane pulled up about 50m shy of the beach, which meant we had to wade through waist-deep water to reach the shoreline.

We were still in the water when friendly Fijians met us with welcome drinks and escorted us to our bure, one of only 14 on the island. Turtle Island also has 14 private beaches so each morning we were collected by boat and dropped at our own isolated beach for the day.

We were left with two Eskies one filled with fresh seafood, fruit, sweets and sandwiches. The other, my favourite, was filled with drinks – in fact, any drink we desired.

Britney Spears had one of her honeymoons on Turtle Island, and when we stayed, Catherine Zeta-Jones’ lawyer was one of the guests.

Highly commended

-Qualia on Hamilton Island; the Shangri-La in Paris; and Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand.

— Australia

– Penola, South Australia

I visited Penola in winter on one of my first work travel trips. I flew into Mt Gambier on Rex Airlines and then drove to the region that most of us know as Coonawarra, famous for delicious, meaty red wines and more recently celebrated as the home of Saint Mary MacKillop.

Penola is a small town that has managed to unlock the secret of how to really do country charm. Think tiny cottages, open fireplaces, live music in barrel rooms and a food culture that surprises, considering the town’s size and remote location.

I remember the contrasts of seeing Bruce Redman it must be cool to have a wine label that carries your name wearing RM Williams boots, walking across the crusty tops of ageing wine in cement tubs telling us the story of his company, and then visiting the sleek Rymill winery. That blend of old and new seems to work well here.

 Highly commended

Margaret River in WA; Kiama in NSW; and Hobart in Tasmania.

— Family

– Novotel Nusa Dua and Novotel Benoa, Bali, Indonesia

For some reason it took me 45 years to get to Bali. But when I did, I fell in love.

I went to both these properties on a work trip with journalists and PR representatives. As soon as I arrived home, I booked them for our next family holiday.

The villas at the Novotel Benoa have private pools and outdoor lounge rooms. We booked adjoining villas one for the girls and one for the adults. At Nusa Dua, we had a massive three-bedroom villa, again with a private pool. We were living like kings but it was one of the most budget-conscious holidays we have had.

Kids love Bali hair extensions, cheap clothes and all-round sunshine.

Highly commended

I took a father-daughter trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival one January – that was great fun.

Line-dancing is highly underrated in my opinion.

— Sport

– St Andrews, Scotland

For golfers, it is the ultimate trip. The home of the game, St Andrews Links, at the time had a ballot system that gave anyone a chance of getting a game on the famous Old Course.

Andy, a former boyfriend of my good friend Jen, played there one sunny Tuesday. I had 88 off the stick and managed to only double bogey the infamous road hole.

We played Carnoustie the next day in typical Scottish conditions. It was cold, windy and wet. It was so cold that Andy’s glasses disintegrated in his hand when he went to adjust them. All he was left with was one lens and bad eyesight.

I immediately doubled the bet. I had 115 off the stick, which proved to be a winning score in those conditions.

Highly commended

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; New York Yankees baseball team home game; Arsenal v West Ham at Emirates Stadium in the Emirates box.

— Active

– Loire Valley, France

The brochure for the eight-day World Expeditions bike and barge tour said the course we would be taking was flat. Wrong. It was mountainous in parts.

But despite at times having to push the bike up hills, there is an amazing sense of achievement in this kind of holiday.

We slept and ate on a barge each night but during the day we would hit the unequalled beauty of the French countryside on cycles, stopping at villages on local market days to taste food and sample wine. The barge sleeps 20 so it is an intimate group.

Highly commended

Ski trips to Whistler or Mt Hotham in Falls Creek, Victoria.