5 places to bump into GEORGE CLOONEY
If you spy the silver fox, pinpoint his location for me!
It’s all very well getting breakfast in bed and a box of chocolates, but we all know what mums really want – some face time with George Clooney, the thinking woman’s crumpet. So here’s how to find it ...
1 Sonning- on-Thames, Berkshire, England
There’s no point ignoring George’s wife, so let’s pretend she’s shopping for baby clothes when we imagine our visit to this fairytale riverside village. An hour west of London (in a car, probably 10 minutes by chopper), George has spent a fortune renovating this mansion, even sending the neighbours away on an expensive trip to alleviate their construction grief. The Clooneys have been spotted at the nearby fancy restaurant The French Horn, but not at local pub The Bull or at Sonning’s Coppa Club diner, which looks fab. Rooms at the village’s Great House Hotel go for $126 a night.
2 Lake Como, Italy
We’ve all seen pictures of George’s gang hanging at his villa in Laglio. I tried stalking it myself a year or so ago, but to no avail. However, I did make it halfway down the drive of the famed Villa d’Este in nearby Cernobbio before being advised to leave the property. George (and Amal, although I’m imagining she’s having her hair done today) have been pictured dining in this sprawling lakeside hotel, which you can see from the ferries that visit various spots around the lake. Staying at Villa d’Este will cost you upward of $800, but you can book at the Veranda for dinner, although that could cost you $800 as well. There are great Airbnb options (and a McDonald’s) in Como itself if you’re not quite on George’s budget.
3 Los Cabos, Mexico
One of the many things to love about George is that he has his own award-winning tequila, Casamigos. Make a margarita out of that and you can be close to George wherever you are this Mother’s Day. His partner in the business is Rande Gerber, hubby of model Cindy Crawford. The two have neighbouring houses in a shared compound on Mexico’s Baja peninsula, where they do drinks at one house and dinner at the other, and I just so want to be there. In the absence of an invite, I’d check out the Giggling Marlin bar in Cabo San Lucas instead. Happy hour is between 11pm and 1am.
4 New York
Mrs Clooney is at work today, specialising in international law and human rights, so she and George need a pad near the United Nations. Word is they’ve bought an apartment in a yet-to-be-completed tower in Manhattan with a restaurant by a Michelin-rated chef in the basement. With Amal wrapped in red tape, George might head to Café Boulud on East 76th St for a three-course prix-fixe lunch at $70 – a good way to eat fancy in NYC. Or our hero could grab something more homey at Frank Sinatra’s old fave, Patsy’s Italian Restaurant, just south of Central Park.
5 Studio City, Los Angeles
In his second year of playing Doug Ross on hit TV show ER, George bought a house in Fryman Canyon (formerly “the Valley”) from none other than Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame. Miley Cyrus has a home there, as does Julie Bowen of
Modern-Family. It’s hard to know how often he gets back here, but anyone can hike Fryman Canyon, so he might. Amal would probably stay home with her feet up. In the mood for faking a sprained ankle anyone?