Celebrity Britain

From free-flowing champagne to canal boating, in Britain anyone can holiday like a celebrity. True, if you want to get married like Madonna at Skibo Castle(01862 894600, www.carnegieclub.co.uk) it will cost a fair amount – but your wedding will come with a neo-Gothic castle, pipers and 7,500 acres of pure-aired Scottish romance. However, the famous also come to Britain for a more low-key vacation. Last year Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart visited Shropshire and Wales, hiring a canal boat and staying at the Bryn Howel Hotel (01978 860331) in Llangollen in Clwyd, where rooms start at £49.50 a night. And Prince Charles goes to Cumbria for a holiday each year, staying at a farmhouse B&B, making it easy to follow in his footsteps.

Celebrities – and celebrity-spotters -- are spoiled for choice in London. The boutique Covent Garden hotel   (020 7806 1000, www.firmdale.com)is first choice for many actors. Scarlett Johansson was a resident when filming Woody Allen’s newest film last summer while Tim Robbins and Meryl Streep also check in on a regular basis. Part of the appeal is its location – it’s right in the middle of London’s theatre district, but the private cinema is a draw, along with the hotel’s famous honesty bar on the first floor – guests can help themselves to drinks and snacks, writing down their room number. The large rooms and suites, beautifully decorated in an eclectic British style, also win them over.

Donatella Versace and foreign royalty like Claridges, Donna Karan always stays the Metropolitan but Jude Law usually opts for the Dorchester (020 7629 8888, www.dorchesterhotel.com). He and his girlfriend, the actress Sienna Miller, got engaged at this   Park Lane hotel last Christmas. Britain’s latest heartthrob actor Colin Farrell has also stayed, as has Jennifer Aniston when she was filming in Britain recently. Of all London’s grand hotels, the Royal Family tend to favour the Ritz (020 7493 8181, www.theritzlondon.com) – it’s just round the corner from Buckingham Palace and Prince Charles’ London home, Clarence House. Even though Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t usually eat in restaurants, Her Majesty makes an exception for the Ritz, where the gourmet meals come with mahogany panelling, chandeliers and perfectly starched linen. The younger generation of Royals head for more informal bars and restaurants. Princes William and Harry like to meet their friends in posh-but-relaxed Fulham, particularly Too So bar, Foxtrot Oscars and have been known to go clubbing at Chinawhites.

On a nice summer’s day, however, the celebrity-spotter should head for Primrose Hill. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin have a house here, as does celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Jude Law lives around the corner and Moby has been seen at its vegetarian restaurant Manna. With restaurants, the Ivy in Covent Garden traditionally offers first-class celebrity-spotting, with everyone from the Beckhams to Madonna, Stella McCartney and Sting enjoying its tasty bistro-style food. But in the past year the Wolseley in Piccadilly, next to the Ritz, has been giving it a run for its money; Ewan McGregor and film director Baz Luhrman were seen sharing a table recently.

London’s shopping brings out celebrities in droves, from the designer boutiques of Bond Street and Sloane Square to the quirkier shops of Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill. Elton John is an acknowledged expert. He sometimes goes to the Virgin Megastore on the Kings Road for CDs and Richard James on Savile Row for ‘guy-gifts’ such as shirts, socks, ties and cuff-links. He likes Selfridges on Oxford Street too, describing it as “the best department store in Britain”; Thomas Goode, a china and glass shop in South Audley Street, Mayfair is another favourite.

The county of Gloucestershire, north-west of London, is popular with royals – Prince Charles’ house Highgrove is here – and William and Harry are often to be found playing polo, or catching up with their friends in one of the village pubs. Neighbouring Wiltshire has Madonna, often to be found jogging through the country lanes around her mansion. She’s also a fan of Babington House in Somerset, especially – rumour has it - room six, which has a bath perching on its balcony. Babington House (01737 812266, www.babingtonhouse.co.uk) is one of Britain’s coolest hotels – full of clever contemporary design, plus all-day breakfasts, an infinity pool and family-friendly Stable rooms, which come with bunk beds. Part of Soho House, the chic members-only club, Johnny Depp and Jude Law are among those that have stayed.

North now, to the Lake District in Cumbria. Sir Paul McCartney proposed to his wife at Sharrow Bay Hotel (017684 86301, www.sharrowbay.co.uk) and Nicole Kidman has stayed at the luxurious and private The Samling (015394 31922, www.thesamling.com), taking her children to buy Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread in nearby Grasmere. Prince Charles stays at the Yew Tree Farm B&B (017687 77675, www.borrowdaleherdwick.co.uk) for a walking holiday each year. It’s comfortable rather than luxurious and your stay probably won’t coincide with the prince’s – there are only three bedrooms after all, but the price of ?30 per person, includes a full English breakfast, making it one of the cheapest places in the world to live like royalty.

The Cotswolds, which stretch over Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, with postcard-perfect villages and rolling hills, have long been popular with visitors and are now full of the famous, too. Two well-known Kates – Moss and Winslet, the supermodel and the actress, have both got homes here, as does Liz Hurley. Her ex, Hugh Grant, plays golf at Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire while Damian Hurst, the artist, has a house nearby as well.

The hotel to head for here is Barnsley House (01285 740000, www.barnsleyhouse.com). Liz Hurley lives around the corner and calls in regularly, while Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Chris Martin have checked in to enjoy the luxurious rooms, award-winning restaurant and acclaimed gardens. They might just stay again this summer when Martin’s band Coldplay headlines at the Glastonbury Festival (June 24-26).

Whether it's work or play, staying in one of London's hip hotels, visiting the Edinburgh Festival or relaxing in the countryside, it seems celebrities can't get enough of the British way of life. To start planning your trip, see the website www.visitbritain.com and, for those looking for seriously stylish travel, there’s the new site www.visitbritain.com/luxury. 

12 November 2005