Rio Ferdinand in Camber Sands
Most footballers jet off to exotic locations the moment the football season is over, taking with them their glamorous wives - usually with an army of paparazzi in tow.
But not Rio Ferdinand. The England player has revealed that his favourite retreat is Camber Sands in East Sussex - a quiet English seaside resort, which boasts none of the bling of Ibiza or Miami.
He told the Times: "I’m not stuck up about holidays and have no time for Wag-like choices of places to stay. I’m looking forward to going to Camber Sands, in East Sussex, again when I finish playing football."
The footballer revealed that he encourages his children to appreciate the value of more modest holiday destinations, rather than the more garish places in the sun that the rich and famous are typically expected to jet off to.
Ferdinand said: "I want my kids to go and see that sort of place, with the big sand dunes and the happy atmosphere.
"You can run on the dunes without a care in the world. It feels close to being on a foreign holiday, without having actually to leave Britain."
The footballer revealed that as a child he took several trips to Camber Sands, as one of seven children in a working class family growing up on a council estate in Peckham.
And after travelling all over the globe in his role as a professional footballer he still prefers the East Sussex retreat to anywhere abroad, although admits that due to his level of fame holidaying on home soil is sometimes difficult "because of interruptions".
While Camber Sands may not be England's most famous holiday destination, it has sandy beaches, picturesque dunes and a plethora of wildlife to recommend it, as well as the quaint village of Camber.
The coastal resort is home to the brown-tail moth caterpillar, which has long hairs on its body and tastes so badly that only the cuckoo dares to eat it.
Wildlife lovers can also spot the skylark, sea spurge - a green fleshy leafed plant - and the weever fish, which lives on the sandy sea bed and has a ridge of sharp spikes running down its back.
Furthermore, the resort boasts seven miles of Blue Flag award-winning beach, making it a perfect place to relax on a warm summer's day.
And for football fans there is the added attraction that they may well bump into Ferdinand as they top up their tan.
But not Rio Ferdinand. The England player has revealed that his favourite retreat is Camber Sands in East Sussex - a quiet English seaside resort, which boasts none of the bling of Ibiza or Miami.
He told the Times: "I’m not stuck up about holidays and have no time for Wag-like choices of places to stay. I’m looking forward to going to Camber Sands, in East Sussex, again when I finish playing football."
The footballer revealed that he encourages his children to appreciate the value of more modest holiday destinations, rather than the more garish places in the sun that the rich and famous are typically expected to jet off to.
Ferdinand said: "I want my kids to go and see that sort of place, with the big sand dunes and the happy atmosphere.
"You can run on the dunes without a care in the world. It feels close to being on a foreign holiday, without having actually to leave Britain."
The footballer revealed that as a child he took several trips to Camber Sands, as one of seven children in a working class family growing up on a council estate in Peckham.
And after travelling all over the globe in his role as a professional footballer he still prefers the East Sussex retreat to anywhere abroad, although admits that due to his level of fame holidaying on home soil is sometimes difficult "because of interruptions".
While Camber Sands may not be England's most famous holiday destination, it has sandy beaches, picturesque dunes and a plethora of wildlife to recommend it, as well as the quaint village of Camber.
The coastal resort is home to the brown-tail moth caterpillar, which has long hairs on its body and tastes so badly that only the cuckoo dares to eat it.
Wildlife lovers can also spot the skylark, sea spurge - a green fleshy leafed plant - and the weever fish, which lives on the sandy sea bed and has a ridge of sharp spikes running down its back.
Furthermore, the resort boasts seven miles of Blue Flag award-winning beach, making it a perfect place to relax on a warm summer's day.
And for football fans there is the added attraction that they may well bump into Ferdinand as they top up their tan.