It’s that time of year again when the papers are awash with the A-list sunning themselves aboard sleek, white yachts in glamorous Mediterranean harbours. If money is no object and you want to holiday like a star, follow in their footsteps and set sail for one of these glitzy ports says ANNABEL MACKIE

ST TROPEZ
Wall–to-wall celebs, millionaire playboys posing in fast cars and all-day beach parties – welcome to St Tropez in the summertime, where debauchery, decadence and over-the-top extravagance reign supreme.

Many of the rich and famous, such as George Clooney, P Diddy, Eva Longoria and most recently David Walliams, visit this fabled port on France’s Côte d’Azur during the peak summer season aboard sumptuous white motor yachts which lay anchor in the town’s charming harbour. However, if they don’t have a super-yacht at their disposal, the perennially popular hotel Le Byblos is a great alternative.

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Encircling a swimming pool, the walls of this terracotta and ochre-hued hotel could recount many a celeb secret. Uma Thurman and Sir Elton John have stayed, Brigitte Bardot made it famous back in the ’60s and it’s here where Mick Jagger proposed to Bianca de Macias. You’ll also find the legendary nightclub Les Caves du Roy nightclub, with its kitsch boudoir-style decor, flashing palms trees and glittering disco ball, in the hotel’s grounds. Here you might spot Naomi Campbell, P Diddy, Bono or Bruce Willis in the VIP area.

By day the showbiz crowd hang out at one of the fashionable beach clubs. You may find Cindy Crawford, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson enjoying a leisurely lunch – bowls of mussels and grilled fish washed down with chilled rosé – at the thatched-roofed Club 55, while Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony helped kick off Naomi Campbell’s 40th birthday with lunch at Le Voile Rouge. George Michael, P Diddy and Paris Hilton prefer the frenetic party action at the Nikki Beach Club, where models sashay around the swimming pool and others lounge on day beds and sip or spray champagne.  Meanwhile, chef Gordon Ramsay has just holidayed here, as has David Walliams and his new model wife Lara Stone.

As the sun sets, sip an aperitif at one of the quayside bars such Le Sénéquier or Le Quai Joseph. Kate Moss has been spied chilling at the port-side Le Senequier, while Alex Gerrard dined at Le Quai Joseph last year. The late-night action takes place at Le Caves du Roy and the VIP club.

The gold card brigade will find plenty of designer stores – Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavilli and Pucci – on Place de la Garonne. J.Lo was spotted in Pucci on her recent trip. Mere mortals have to make do with the twice-weekly morning market on the main Place des Lices, where you’ll find more affordable jewellery, kaftans, olive oil and lavender soap.
 
British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from London Heathrow to Nice from £132 return, including tax.

Byblos St Tropez (www.byblos.com) offers room only rates from £348 per room per night. The hotel is open until October 24.

For tourist information, visit www.saint-tropez.st.

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PORTO CERVO

The unashamedly overpriced and ostentious resort Porto Cervo, on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda coastline is a favourite summer holiday hotspot for the A-list and wealthy yachties on their Mediterranean tour.

Nicknamed the ‘Billionaire’s playground’, you’ll need a healthy bank balance to enjoy yourself in this Mexican/Moroccan-style resort, purpose built by Prince Aga Khan in the ’60s. Not only is a lavish yacht deemed an essential accessory, even the taxis – white Mercedes – are posh here!

It was in Porto Cervo that Victoria Beckham sipped flutes of champagne on Roberto Cavalli’s yacht one summer, while Claudia Schiffer and Elizabeth Hurley have enjoyed Valentino’s hospitality in the past and Sharon Stone was even seen canoeing off the coast last summer.

If you don’t have your own yacht, check into one of Starwood’s three Luxury Collection hotels in and around Porto Cervo. If you stay at the five-star Cala di Volpe hotel, there’s a high chance of spotting a celeb on the sunlounger next to you. Earlier this month Jamie and Louise Redknapp holidayed here alongside Christine Bleakley and Frank Lampard, while the Redknapps were in residence at the same time as Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy last year, who have just enjoyed another sunshine break in Sardinia.

During the summer, the Mediterranean-style hotel hosts a series of concerts. Lionel Richie and Enrique Iglesias have played in the past, while Simply Red are performing on the pool-side stage on July 30 this year and Anastacia on August 12. The showbiz set also like Starwood’s beach-side Hotel Romazzino, where Courteney Cox and Emma Bunton have stayed.

Back in Porto Cervo, the marina’s quayside turns into a temporary catwalk as the sun sets and the super-rich take their evening walk before sipping a Campari and soda at Il Portico. There’s also an array of designer boutiques on the Piazzetta (main square), for those who want to flex their Amex. After a candlelit dinner of lobster washed down by Cristal champagne at Il Pescatore or the Next Door restaurant, the hip and beautiful crowd head to Billionaire, the nightclub owned by businessman Flavio Briatore, to dance till dawn alongisde Paris Hilton, Claudia Schiffer and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Citalia (0871 664 0253; www.citalia.com) offers a seven-night full-board package, including return flights from London Gatwick to Olbia and car hire, staying at the five-star Cala di Volpe, from £3,549pp, based on two adults sharing. For information on Starwood’s Luxury Collection hotels in Porto Cervo, visit
www.starwoodhotels.com/costasmeralda.

For more on Sardinia tourism, visit www.italiantourism.com/sardegna.html.