The ‘Cold Feet’ star on her upgrade obsession, camping nightmares, and a run-in with the police

The thing that makes me happiest on my travels?

A room upgrade. It’s the ingredient that makes my holiday better but also makes the rest of my family’s holidays terrible and it’s become a bit of an addiction. It started when we went to a five-star hotel in Lanzarote some years ago. It turns out a five star in Lanzarote is a two star in England and so I bagged myself an upgrade. Now it’s part of my holiday routine.

I always start with immediate passive-aggression

“Well, if you think I’ll enjoy my holiday in this little room, then let’s wait and see,” I usually say. If that’s not working, I’ll say, “I’d like to see some other rooms,” and then I’ll do sad puppy-dog eyes. For a decent room I can well up in seconds. If I’m having to step it up, I will suggest that the manager gets involved. I’ll look him in the eye and say, “Google me” then walk away. A friend has printed off a “Google Me” card that I present to hotel managers. It fails 90 per cent of the time but one in 10 we get offered the presidential suite, which makes the whole process totally worth it.

The cruel irony is I never sleep when I’m on holiday

Despite fighting for the best room I never feel truly comfortable and always end up pining for my bed at home!

Someone called the police on my husband when we were in Spain

It was the most memorable meal of my life. My husband decided to propose at a restaurant not far from Seville. I was elated and wanted to share the news with my family. Little did I know, the restaurant had a no mobile phone policy. A rather stern-looking couple complained and sent a waiter to discipline us. My husband was not happy and marched over to explain. He patted the woman on the shoulder in a bid to defuse the tension, but her husband considered it a physical assault and called the police!

“Enjoy your meal,” I remember saying as we walked out. “We’re going to be happy for the rest of our lives while you’re clearly miserable… Have a nice meal and don’t worry about us.”

Fay had the most memorable meal of her life at a restaurant just outside of Seville Credit: Getty

I’m not one for adrenalin-fuelled travel

I did brave a toboggan ride in Oslo, though. I was on Richard Ayoade’s Travel Man show and, despite being a confirmed scaredy-cat who can’t ski, I managed to nail Oslo's Olympic run from the top of the mountain. I thought I would fall off and break a limb or something but actually it was fabulous. It was so fun that I want to do it with my kids.

Deia is my happy place

For the past four or five years I’ve been going back to the area around Sóller and Deià in Mallorca and I love it. The food in Deia is so good. The whole area is perfect. My husband and I always stay at Es Molí, in Deia. We first stayed 25 years ago. It’s still as small and old-fashioned as it was. It isn’t as fancy as the super-posh Belmond La Residencia up the road, but it’s so lovely I don’t even ask for an upgrade.

Fay took a toboggan ride down Korketrekkeren in Oslo Credit: iStock

Our teenage sons never want to hang out with us

The only time do is if we’ve paid for them to go somewhere lovely. My children are 14 and 17 and about to leave the family, so now it becomes about hanging on to them on every holiday. We might as well enjoy this bit now while it’s just the four of us.

I made my son cry on our first ‘camping’ experience as a family

My kids had been pestering to do something outdoorsy for years. I finally relented about three years ago and booked a night of glamping at Leeds Castle. It wasn’t quite what they had in mind.

My husband and I had a four-poster bed while the kids were on camp beds. The “tent” did have parquet flooring but by two in the morning every one of us had cried in discomfort. My daughter couldn’t cope with the camp bed so hopped in ours. I ended up lying horizontally at the foot of my son’s like a dog. He was sobbing into his pillow because we’d ruined his first camping experience! It wasn’t for us.

Fay's family were reduced to tears on a glamping trip to Leeds Castle Credit: Getty

I spent 11 hours on the Gatwick tarmac on Boxing Day two years ago

We were supposed to be flying to Copenhagen with Ryanair when a huge snowstorm trapped us on the plane. They gave us no food or bottled water. All we had was melted ice cubes. We were there so long the crew changed shifts but we weren’t allowed off! When they did de-ice the plane it wasn’t some massive machine but a bloke with a hose!

I always book a hairdresser and a restaurant for every night before I travel

It sounds a bit girly but if your hair is important to you it’s well worth the effort. I’m all about the prep. I learnt my lesson on a girls holiday to Mallorca. We decided to “see how the mood takes us” and ended up munching sandwiches in our room. My family are going to Ghent with three others soon. I have planned with near-military precision and I guarantee it will pay off.

Interview by Nick McGrath

Fay Ripley returns to Cold Feet on ITV1 in January