Laura Hamilton has reflected on her 13-year career as the host of A Place in the Sun and named her three favourite destinations. It’s safe to assume that Laura, in her more than 10-year capacity as host of the sun-kissed Channel 4 house-hunting programme, is pretty well-travelled.
It’s also reasonable to think that, with more than a decade of travel under her belt, it would be difficult for her to choose her favourite destination, but fortunately for those curious, Laura has managed to narrow it down to three. In a recent interview, in which Laura shared her thoughts on the endless appeal of the show, she was asked to name some of her best-loved locations. She explained to Woman magazine how the first has a family connection.
South Africa
“I loved filming in South Africa,” Laura said. “My dad was born there. It was great to get to see that.” South Africa, situated on the southern tip of the African continent, boasts one of the largest and most developed economies. It has 12 official languages, including Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, and IsiNdebele.
It’s also known as a haven for wildlife, featuring everything from lions and elephants to vervet monkeys and baboons. Meanwhile, off the coast, intrepid visitors could even spot great white sharks and dolphins.
Morzine, France
The next favourite of Laura’s was much closer to home. She explained: “I also loved filming in Morzine, in the mountains of France. I’m a big skier and it was great to see it in the summer months.
Morzine is an alpine village located within the Chablais mountain range, between the 4,800-metre Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva. A busy ski resort, the town enjoys a history dating back more than 1,000 years.
In previous centuries, monks and miners would call Morzine home. Yet, as it reached the 1800s, with the progression of technology, it was known for its slate mining, an industry that ultimately enriched the town.
Granada, Spain
Laura finally picked out Spain’s beautiful city of Granada and its surrounding mountain range. She continued: “Granada, Sierra Nevada, was amazing. Being on the beach in the morning and the slopes in the afternoon – that’s amazing. There are places I’ve seen that I would probably not have got to go to.”
Sierra Nevada refers to a mountain range in Spain, situated in the Andalusian province of Granada. It is reportedly also home to Europe’s most southerly ski resort, offering impressive views over the Mediterranean.
It follows reports detailing how Laura confessed to sometimes feeling frustrated by some “crazy” buyers on the show. Speaking in the same interview, she was asked if people ever take part in the show to simply land a free trip.
She shut this notion down, describing how it’s a “week’s work” and a huge decision for those involved. Despite this, she also explained how she has shown houses to people and thought “you’re crazy” when they opt not to buy them.