How was 2006 for you on the vacation quotient? Was the most exciting holiday you took spent lolling about the house in an old housecoat, occasionally getting up to feed the dog? Or did you jet-set around the kind of exotic locations that regularly make it to the cover of Travel+Leisure Magazine?

Here we ask some celebrities the where, when and how of their most exciting holiday this year and come up with a few surprises.

Madhur Bhandarkar, director

This year, the best holiday I’ve had was a trip to Orissa. I’d gone to Bhubaneswar for a function and visited the Jagannath temple in Puri. I’m quite religious, and the Jagannath temple is considered one of the holiest of Hindu shrines, so I’m glad I managed a darshan. I also went to the Puri beach and took a leisurely stroll around, doing typically touristy things like having coconut water and bhutta. In all, it was a simple, heartwarming holiday — just the way I like them.

 

 

Rahul Sharma santoor player

I went to Ladakh in September to shoot the music video for my album Ladakh — In Search of the Buddha and it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. This was the second time I went there and was mesmerised yet again. Although we were there only for three days, the trip was fulfilling in every way. The first day went in acclimatising to the weather, and then we did some work and trekking. I also managed to buy some authentic bells and chimes. I plan to go to Ladakh next year too, but this time I will make sure it’s purely for pleasure.

 

Aditya Bal, model

In November I spent a few days in Goa with friends and it was great fun. Now, my idea of a holiday is to loll around and do nothing — and that is exactly what I did. We went swimming every day and played football on the beach. We also visited Old Goa which has some fascinating churches. We gorged on the food — I especially enjoyed the local desserts like bebinca and dishes such as vindaloo and Goan sausages.

 

 

Karan Paul, entrepreneur

I am big on travelling. I have travelled a bit this year, though not as much as I’d have liked. I went to a couple of places abroad, one of them being Cambodia. It was my first trip to the place and quite a memorable one at that. I’d gone with a friend and we stayed at this wonderful resort called Amansara. The Angkor Vat temples were fabulous. We went on adventure trails — biking, boating and trekking.

We tried out the local cuisine as well and quite liked it. It is a cross between Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian cuisine — with hearty curries, spicy and not-so-spicy at the same time.

 

Charu Sharma, sports presenter

A trekking trip in Bhutan earlier this year with my son turned out to be one of the most exciting holidays I’ve ever been on. Though I have to do a lot of travelling for work, it’s never the same thing as some serious R&R with friends and family, and I’m looking forward to more of that this year. A leisurely three-day cruise through the Kerala backwaters on a luxury houseboat is on the cards in a few days time and I’m understandably excited about this trip. It’s just going to be family and some close friends, with nothing to do for three glorious days. Bliss!

 

Deepika Govind, fashion designer

A trip to Europe earlier this year proved to be one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. Paris, Milan, Venice — these are names that conjure up glorious pictures and they left me completely speechless. Venice, especially, made me feel like I was back in a romantic age in history. Visiting the Louvre was also an eye-opening experience. The Duomo Cathedral in Milan had a similar effect on me.

 

Abhinav Bindra, shooter

I needed a break from my hectic schedule and so opted for the peace and quiet of Langkawi Islands in Malaysia. It is a charming island surrounded by clear blue water. I went there in the last week of August and stayed for about 10 days. I put up at the Four Seasons Resort and it was a completely relaxing break. I didn’t venture out of the resort much since I wanted to enjoy a couple of lazy days with my family. This was solely the reason why I didn’t even go shopping. So the only souvenirs that I collected from Langkawi are memories.

 

Shaina N.C., fashion designer

My trip to Dubai in May this year turned out to be one of the most exciting ever. Actually I was eight months pregnant at that time and everybody advised me not to travel. But I felt I really needed a break and felt up to it, so I flew off with my husband and my daughter Shanaya. We were there for a week and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. And can you imagine, just a week after we returned my son Aryan was born!

 

 

June, actress

This year, my favourite tour has been to Thailand with my two kids, Shivendra and Shivangini. We splashed around the beaches of Koh Samui, had our share of the sun on the sands of Phuket and shopped at the lively bazaars of Bangkok.

While my daughter and I simply gorged on seafood — lobsters fit for kings and succulent crabs — my son was gastronomically more adventurous, and tried squid and other exotic stuff.

There’s little that can beat a short hop to Thailand. There’s everything — pristine beaches, amazing food, hospitable people and above everything, a spirituality that revitalises one’s inner self.