Holiday like a Premiership player

Champagne on ice? Check. Luxury yacht? Check. Footballers know how to kick back and holiday in style. And what better time to hit those sunny climes than at the end-of-season break. Find out about football players' favourite destinations...

Miami, Florida

You know summer has really started when the football season ends and Premier League players go on holiday. This year Miami seems to be the destination of choice as Chelsea's Michael Ballack, Spurs' Aaron Lennon, and Dibrell Cases have all been enjoying themselves in the sun, sea and sand of the beaches in Florida.

The Biltmore hotel is a favourite with our boys and their WAGs. Built in 1926, it's a National Historic Landmark that's visible throughout the city. Large Moorish-style rooms are sumptuously decorated with feather beds, Egyptian cotton duvets and writing desks. There's also a 7,000-sq-m (23,000-sq-ft) winding pool now complete with celeb-filled private cabana and alfresco bar. And if the lads get bored of lying around in luxury doing nothing, they can always chase a small ball round the lavish 18-hole golf course.

With more celebs there than you'd find in a copy of heat magazine, and the newest branch of posh sushi restaurant Nobu, the Shore Club hotel is where anyone who's anyone stays when they're in South Beach Miami. And our premiership players are no exception. The hotel boasts that 80% of its 325 rooms have sea views and there's even a rooftop spa for the footballers to get pampered in the manner to which they are accustomed...

The players eat at celeb eaterie Michael's Genuine Food & Drink where fellow sportsman Roger Federer pops in for a snack when he's in the area, as well as regulars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. And if they feel like hitting a club, it'll probably be Mansion. Designed with curved, sweeping staircases and huge chandeliers, it's totally over the top, and right up a footballer's street. You'll probably find them chilling out in the VIP area.

Sardinia, Italy

Newest holiday hotspot is exclusive resort Porto Cervo in swanky Sardinia that has seen Mr and Mrs Redknapp, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy, Jermaine Jenas and girlfriend, Sabrina Keogh, and Patrice Evra and his family all sizzle in the Italian sun so far this summer.

There are designer shops on every corner for the overpaid footballers to splash their cash - Ronaldo was recently spotted coming out of Louis Vuitton sporting a man bag.

Football players stay at the secluded Hotel Pitrizza to get away (unsuccessfully) from the paps. The 55 isolated hillside villas have all-white interiors brightened by touches of colour, and some have private gardens; it's also a snip at $900 a night. For a bite to eat they'll probably head to Fior d'Acqua, run by celebrity chef Michele Farru before heading to Billionaire. It's a club that's quite literally full of them, and by midnight the car park is bumper-to-bumper Ferraris and Bugatis.

St Tropez, France

Meanwhile Wayne Rooney and his pregnant missus escaped to St Tropez last week. The pair stayed on a £150,000-a-week yacht, moored in the millionaire's port, and the £90,000-a-week footballer spent his days para-sailing and jet-skiing from the 42m (138ft) boat.

Mauritius

Over on Mauritius, Ashley Cole was taking it easy along with Villa's Stilian Petrov who stayed at the same plush resort - the pair were there playing a charity match. It's alright for some...

22 July 2009