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Marbella used to have the reputation of a playground of the rich and famous, and pleasant hideaway for major European drug dealers. I must admit, I saw very little of the one, and none of the other. There are still some fabulous yachts to be seen, so the rich (if not the famous) do still come around, but over-urbanization and the influx of ever more tourists have pretty much spoilt it. For me, at least. Your milage may vary.

A nice place to have all the advantages of a south coast holiday, while avoiding the rush and the crime of Durban.

It’s a destination laden with political emotions, for both black and white South Africans. For some people the Voortrekker Monument, more than any other building in South Africa, symbolizes apartheid. But to a great many Afrikaners, the Voortrekker Monument is a symbol of their roots as political and religious refugees from Europe, carving out a primitive existence with meagre resources, and eventually building something worth calling a nation.

The political message broadcast by the Voortrekker Monument is hard to ignore, but over the last few years I’ve felt comfortable taking non-South African (and non-white) friends to see the historical depictions on the inside. Clearly, between the black and white of apartheid, there are also some very emotional grey areas.

I grew up in Pretoria, and lived there for 22 years, so I’m ambivalent about it being worth a visit or not. If most of my relatives didn’t still live there, would I ever go back? Probably not. Would I advise visitors to South Africa to spend one day less on the Garden Route or in a game park in order to visit Pretoria? No, I wouldn’t. So, on a stricly yes/no basis, I have to say it’s not worth visiting.

But if you’re stuck in Pretoria with nothing else to do, you’re more than likely to find some way to while away the time. La Madeleine is a world-class French/Belgian restaurant, Die Werf is an excellent South African restaurant, the Voortrekker Monument and Union Buildings are worth a visit for their sheer architectural scale, and if you’re lucky the jacarandas are still standing and in bloom.

There’s a reason Port Elizabeth is called the windy city—it’s windy. Often. I apologise to the residents of PE, who are usually quite convinced it’s the best place in the world to live, but I’ve always found it a dready place plagued by urban sprawl and industrial decay. Not what I look for in a fun place to visit. Great for surfing, though.

I lived in Cape Town for six years, and it’s both a great holiday destination and an incredible place to live.

A charming little mountain village East of San Francisco, and a lovely place to relax. Mark Twain lived close to here, and his first published work “The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County” is supposedly set here.

A bookworm’s wet dream. Not just bursting with history and literary significance, but stocked to the gunwales with the most incredible assortment of books.

Come see San Francisco, then take a photograph of the Golden Gate bridge…

An absolutely amazing city, and one of the few cities on my list of places I would like to live. I haven’t done much of the tourist thing in San Francisco, haven’t even been to Alcatraz or Haight Ashbury (although I did spend a very enjoyable afternoon in the City Lights bookstore), but I did spend nearly two weeks walking around and soaking up atmosphere in a variety of neighbourhoods. I would recommend SF for an extended visit any time.