VIP VACATIONS

DESTINATION: ANTIGUA

Ben Fogle, 34, swapped a smelly rowing boat for beach romance – and popped a very important question

"After spending 50 days on a tiny, cramped boat with a very smelly, hairy James Cracknell in the Atlantic Rowing Race, I was desperate for a relaxing holiday.

So as soon as we crossed the finish line in January 2006, my girlfriend Marina and I checked into the Carlisle Bay Hotel on the south coast of Antigua.

I've been lucky to have travelled all over the world, but this holiday is my most memorable for a special reason.

It wasn't just that it was a five-star resort, with all the suites opening onto pure white sands and the turquoise blue ocean.

It wasn't even that it was the perfect place to unwind after our gruelling race – nor that it was so relaxed they didn't bat an eyelid if I had breakfast in my swimming shorts.

What set it apart was that Antigua was where 
I proposed to Marina.

I'd told the hotel I had a very special question to ask her, and my none-too-subtle wink left them in no doubt as to what I was planning.

They packed a picnic for us – nothing more glamorous than tea and sandwiches, as that was what I had missed most during the race – and took us by boat to a deserted island near the hotel.

There, using a piece of string salvaged from mine and James' boat, which I tied into a ring, I proposed – and Marina accepted.

I know it's a cliché, but I don't think I could have found a more romantic setting to ask her to marry me. I just hope that one day we can go back."

A seven-night stay at Carlisle Bay for two people starts from £3,000 (Carlisle-bay.com).