VIP VACATIONS

DESTINATION: NEW YORK

Former G4 member Jonathan Ansell, 26, will never forget his trip 
to the Big Apple last year – not least because he had no idea he was going!

"I was sitting on the train to Heathrow airport, looking forward to a trip to Scotland to celebrate my birthday last year, when my girlfriend Debbie handed me an envelope.

I'd always dreamed of visiting New York, and in my hand were two tickets for a three-day trip to the Big Apple.

Unbelievably, she'd managed to arrange everything without me knowing. It was such a shock, my next thought was whether I'd packed enough! For the next three days, I was blown away by surprise after surprise.

We stayed at the stunning Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Our room on the 52nd floor – complete with a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake – had floor-to-ceiling windows and the most incredible view of a snowy Central Park.

I loved the energy and vibrancy of the city, which rubbed off on us as we dashed around packing as much as we could into three days.

I had to be dragged out of the Abercrombie & Fitch store in SoHo, as we were heading to Broadway to see The Pirate Queen musical.

Everything I'd seen in films and photos, like yellow cabs and the lights of Times Square, came to life – even watching smoke rising from the drain covers, which I'd always thought was a movie special effect.

I'm sure I'll have many more amazing holidays, but I don't know if anything can beat a surprise like that."

Rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Mandarinoriental.com) cost from £463 per night.

Jonathan stars in The Mikado at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre from September 23-27. His album, Forever, is out on October 6.