Maldives

• Go in the summer silly! - Indian Ocean
• Lovers in Luxury - Maldives
• Feet first into the Maldives - Maldives
• No news, No shoes - Maldives
• My wedding pact with David Walliams - Maldives
• Push the boat out - Seychelles
• Relaxation Addict - Seychelles
• Mauritius the Delicious - Mauritius
• Mr Perma-Tan in Paradise - Mauritius
• Never seen you looking so lovely - Mauritius
• Island Iffy No Longer - Sri Lanka
• Having a swell time! - Seychelles
• Perfect, even for the world’s pickiest guest! - Maldives
• Do not disturb - Mauritius
• My tantrum in paradise - Mauritius
• Calendar girl makes a date - Maldives
• Lipstick and high heels not required - Maldives
• The five-star survivor! - Mauritius
• Strictly Unwinding - Maldives
• Why should paradise be only for lovers? - Maldives
• Strictly recharging - Maldives
• Busy doing nothing - Maldives
• Sweet perfection - Mauritius
• Something special about the Seychelles - Seychelles
• Pleasure Island - Maldives
• Moneypenny in Paradise! - Maldives

FILMING KEEPS ME away from home so much that when I get time off I usually stay in London near to my family and friends. But when my family decided to go to the Maldives, I found myself caught up in their excitement and agreed to go along. It ended up being one of the best things we’ve done.

Everybody was so relaxed while we were away. We all had such a laugh together away from the normal stresses and strains of everyday life. We stayed at the Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort. The journey involved a direct flight to the Maldivian capital Male and then a 50-minute boat ride.

We felt as if we’d been plucked from grey old Britain and dropped in the middle of Paradise. For myself, my mother, stepdad, brother, 15, and 12-year-old sister, the first impression was the hot sunshine and beauty of everything. And I was overwhelmed by the level of service.

We were dropped in the middle of Paradise

There were four people waiting for me to get off the plane and put me on the boat. When I got to the resort I found we had two villas on stilts over the sea. The villas were things of beauty in their own right. They were finely constructed with wooden floors - all very traditional and very spacious. Every day someone would arrange flowers on the bed. Lovely. What made the holiday so special?

The food was fantastic. What my dad liked was the fact that on the first day, we were assigned a table in the restaurant and that was our table for the duration of the stay. We had the same waiter who became ‘our waiter’ and he really took care of us and got to know all of our likes and dislikes.

And on a warm night he would move the table outside so that we could eat under the stars by candlelight, the sea lapping away beneath our feet. The Maldives is just so incredibly romantic.

Another thing we loved about the restaurant was that every night they served a different cuisine: local Maldivian food one night, Italian the next, followed by Chinese.

There was always a pasta bar and a choice of a hot-meat dish - lamb or chicken, for example - which is griddled in front of you.

And there was always a salad bar. The food was so varied with something for everyone. I particularly liked the huge spread on offer for breakfast with tons of fresh fruit and everything from rice pudding to wonderful sugary doughnuts (my brother is a big doughnut fan).

My ideal breakfast is what many people would have for their lunch so this sort of choice was perfect for me. Many mornings I had chicken and vegetables. Because dinner in the evening is always a big set-piece meal, you might have expected lunch to be a light affair, but it wasn’t. I usually tried to restrict myself to a salad but the buffet was vast and tempting.

Thank goodness I don’t have a problem of putting on weight. My brother and I can eat whatever we like and not pile on the pounds. When you reach the island you quickly realise that this is a place where you can just completely relax and get into a different rhythm.

If you do want some excitement there are different trips available. We had fun on the banana boat ride, we went out on a catamaran and we did a dolphin excursion. We also had the chance to visit another island for what they called ‘a culturally authentic experience’.

I did have my mobile phone but I never switched it on. My brother had his laptop so he could check my emails to make sure I wasn’t missing some amazing film role. There is a weekly party for all the guests on a beach illuminated by candlelight under a canopy of twinkling stars. My mother said it was like being in a movie it was so lovely - and everybody was dressed up and glamorous. We would love to go back.

It appealed to all our family. It was great for the children because they could be more independent.

We would return in a heartbeat

The island is so small you felt sure they couldn’t come to any harm. I’ve been travelling quite a lot recently. I went to Kenya to film The First Grader, the true story of an 84-year-old Kenyan villager and ex-Mau Mau freedom fighter who battled for his right to be able to go to school to get the education he had been denied as a child.

I was in Kenya for about six weeks, and I loved it. We got to know the local community. I’m not sure how much travel will be involved in filming the new Bond film, Skyfall.

There will certainly be some exotic locations, but as Miss Moneypenny I’ll probably get no further than Pinewood Studios! But if we had the chance, we would return to the Maldives in a heartbeat.