MIAMI NICE!

 

CELEBS ARE SO WALL-TO-WALL IN HIP A-LIST PLAYGROUND MIAMI THAT IT TOOK WRITER CAROLINE CORCORAN JUST 24 HOURS TO FILL HER AUTOGRAPH BOOK…

 

8am Breakfast at Jerry’s Famous Deli

Don’t let walls filled with photos of famous guests at this typical ’50s-style American diner distract you from the 100 mouth-watering items on the menu.

While I tuck into an obscenely huge plate of choc-chip pancakes, I scan the booths for famous faces, then console myself with the thought that 8am is surely too early to spot any of the city’s renowned residents (P Diddy and Mariah for starters).

10am Walk along Ocean Drive

My first celebrity spot of the day is on one of the most famous roads in the world.

As I stroll along, Miami regular Owen Wilson (right) wanders past me.

Scrabbling to get my phone camera out of my handbag, I notice no one else is batting an eyelid.

A-list encounters are clearly nothing special here.

11am Mandarin Oriental Spa

After walking much further than I realised – Miami is a big sprawl without a definite centre – there’s only one thing for it.

Footsore, I book in to the Mandarin Oriental for a massage.

This being super-bling Miami, it doesn’t have just any spa – this one has been voted the best in the world by top US magazines.

The aromatherapy massage ($210/£107) is dreamy, and afterwards I relax in the outdoor Jacuzzi, take a dip in the infinity pool, and when I look up there’s Jennifer Aniston reading a script on the lounger next to me.

Later in the week, Jen’s snapped snogging man-of-the-moment John Mayer there.

1.30pm Lunch at Sushi Samba Dromo

This Japanese/Peruvian/Brazilian fusion restaurant featured in Sex

And The City when Samantha threw a Martini in cheating Richard’s face.

It’s a perfect lunch stop for Lincoln Road mall shopping sprees.

In the evenings, the achingly cool atmosphere makes it a prime people-spotting venue.

Tables outside are hard to come by, so I’ve booked ahead.

But sadly, I only spotted average Joes scoffing the divine yellowfin tuna.

3pm Shopping on Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue

There’s an appealing casualness about shopping in Miami. Renée Zellweger, Anna Kournikova and Lindsay Lohan regularly go shopping at Urban Outfitters and MAC here, and there’s also a huge branch of defunct-in-the-UK make-up mecca Sephora.

And with a great dollar exchange rate, you can shop like a star.

7pm Dinner at Azul

Fresh seafood, beautiful wines, and Penélope Cruz and Matthew McConaughey as regulars – it doesn’t get more luxurious than Azul, the Mandarin Oriental hotel’s most high-end restaurant.

If you can tear yourself away from the famous chocolate-tasting plate, you’ll see the yacht-packed waterscape – a setting for many hip-hop music videos.

10pm Drinking at Mokai

One of the many bars that Coleen McLoughlin and pals visited on her Miami hen week, Mokai has played host to Lindsay Lohan and Pharrell Williams.

No familiar faces tonight, but the bar staff assured me – as they went about making me a signature Pumpkin Martini – that celeb-free nights are rare.

There’s always next time, and it’s the best excuse I can think of to come back…

 

Photography: Getty Images, MCP Images, Retna, Xposure. All prices correct at time of going to press.