Dinner in the conservatory, overlooking the mountains, began with a tart gin-and-tonic sorbet. It was followed by salmon marinated in liquorice with pink grapefruit, and then venison, washed down with a smoky New Zealand pinot noir. Retiring to the lounge - walls covered in country prints, wooden floor with seagrass rug, and another well-stoked fire - we sank into the leather sofa for a game of Trivial Pursuits.LOCATIONMonachyle Mhor, Balquhidder, Perthshire (01877 384622; www.monachylemhor ), is four miles down a single-track road from Balquhidder, in the lee of Ben More, along Loch Voil.Time from international airport: Edinburgh is 90 minutes away.COMFORTABLE?There are just 11 rooms, where the contemporary is stylishly blended with the traditional, and local stone and timber are incorporated into the decor. Room 4 features a bed on a raised platform overlooking the loch, with shuttered windows, and Persian rugs scattered across the wooden floors. Room 11 doesn't have a view but does have twin claw-footed baths, and the courtyard suites also have log fires.Freebies: L'Occitane toiletriesKeeping in touch: Flatscreen TV, wireless internet connectionTHE BOTTOM LINEDoubles from £95 to £220, including breakfast. Dinner £39.I'm not paying that: Monachyle Mhor's self-catering cottages start at £250 for a week, with shorter stays outside peak times..
Interview by Sophie Lam First holiday memory? Going to the Isle of Man by sea with my mother. I remember spending the voyage chasing a very attractive girl around the poop deck She was rather tantalising and we both had a great time. I think I was going on seven.Best holiday?I don't take holidays as such If I am filming I tend to stay on afterwards I have enjoyed most of the places where I've filmed. Venice is an all-time favourite; I lived there for a year after the war. I also like Mauritius very much and Bali has been a favourite for many years.Favourite place in the British Isles?Ullswater in the Lake District, despite the traffic. I remember staying at a hotel there as a child and getting up before dawn, climbing into a boat and rowing onto the lake by myself. I sat and drank in the beauty of the dawn - I was greatly touched by the scene.
I'm very susceptible to beauty.What have you learnt from your travels?You must react immediately to your first impressions, because they soon become normality. When you drive in Sri Lanka and pass an elephant on the road for the first time you think "wow", but after a few days it becomes perfectly normal.Ideal travelling companion?Someone of the opposite sex who can do the packing. In my case it's Valerie, who has travelled with me for 35 years, thank goodness.Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?I couldn't begin to think of sitting on a beach. I travel with a point, there's always an end result and I never laze around. I drive about to see what's there; I like to be stimulated.Greatest travel luxury?Crisp, white linen sheets and a soft down pillow. Sadly, I don't get them too often.Holiday reading?I'm a compulsive reader; I normally read for research if I'm filming I'm a great newspaper reader. Correcting the Whicker's War proofs kept me busy, it was a smashing read!Where has seduced you?So many places, particularly Venice.