Déirdre de Búrca, a Green Party senator and the party’s Dublin candidate in this year’s European elections, talks about her holidays
What's your earliest holiday memory?When I was about nine my parents started taking us camping in France and Spain. We got the ferry from Rosslare to Le Havre and drove through France to Sitges, outside Barcelona. My father was a school inspector and my mother was a teacher, so we had five long weeks to spend on the beach, eating outdoors and enjoying outdoor life.
Your worst holiday?One of the first holidays I took when I started working was to Ibiza. I have terrible memories of the man-made beaches, the nightlife and the apartment developments.
Your best holiday?There's an ecoresort in Turkey called Huzur Vadisi that I have been to with my sister a few times. We flew into Dalaman and took a taxi for half an hour up the mountains to a peaceful and remote valley. The accommodation is in yurts – traditional Turkish tents – which are embedded in the valley, and the resort has a stone open-air swimming pool. There is a big emphasis on yoga, and the food is locally grown. You get to meet interesting people there.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I would take three months to travel around Asia, as I have never been there. I would love to combine sunbathing on beautiful beaches with cultural traditions. I'd go to Thailand, to see its white beaches, and to Malaysia and Indonesia. I have an interest in spirituality, so I would also go to Nepal.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?My sister is the ideal companion, as we have very similar taste. She is a sun worshipper but loves culture and is interested in alternative things in terms of environmental issues and spirituality.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?Mayo. My father is from Ballycastle, near the Céide Fields. We have a family holiday home overlooking Lacken Strand, which is like a private beach but is not. It is fabulous to get away at the weekend. Every summer my family, including nieces and cousins, converge in the area and go swimming and walking.
Your recommended holiday reading?I am halfway through The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama. It's a great read. I like to bring a political biography of some kind. I find his rise to fame and his view on issues in American public life very interesting.
Where to next?If I were to travel anywhere next it would be New York, as my sister lives there with her young children, so I try to see her when I can.