Ever wonder where Sofia Coppola goes when she needs to get away? How about Kate Moss when she’s searching for a respite from paparazzi flashes and prying eyes? For those who trade in glamour and stardom — such as Stella Tennant, Cara Delevingne, Jeremy Irons, Florence Welch, Bryan Ferry, Kate Winslet and Alessandra Ambrosio — what do they consider high enchantment escapes?

You can find out in Chic Stays (Assouline), an insider’s insider’s guide to top-shelf vacation spots, brought to you by the experts at Condé Nast Traveller. There are 35 bold-faced names featured, each sharing a personal essay on their personal hideaway. With destinations as diverse and far-flung as the Amalfi Coast, Sri Lanka, Scotland and Bangkok, Chic Stays offers plenty of travel inspiration for the would-be globetrotter — not to mention the landlocked day dreamer. Here, a few excerpts to jump-start those future itineraries…

Sofia Coppola — Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Italy
“Slip off the street, through the gates and into the gardens, and Palazzo Margherita is its own magical world. I could sit in the courtyard all day or with a book by the pool, where the wonderful staff bring platters of fresh fruit – plums, apricots — on crushed ice. In the summer, when it gets really hot, I wander into the kitchen and feast on incredible pasta or a salad of fresh tuna, handfuls of rocket and fine red onions, served on beautiful, hand-painted blue-and-white dishes that my mother chose from a nearby town. Then I pull up a seat at the Cinecittà Bar, named after the legendary Italian movie studio, and drink iced coffee while the jukebox plays old tunes, or wander into town for gelato at Gelateria Novecento.”

Jeremy Irons — Palácio Belmonte, Lisboa, Portugal
“With my job, I stay in some of the most glorious places in the world, but Palácio Belmonte was like nothing I had ever encountered before. I was in the Portuguese capital making Night Train to Lisbon, and as soon as I saw this historic noble palace, built in 1449, I wanted to stay here. It feels like a private house with a slightly chaotic but hugely welcoming atmosphere, and each of the eleven suites is different. My favourite – the Bartolomeu de Gusmão suite — is spread over three floors in a seventh-century Moorish tower with tiled floors, big shutters and simple period furniture. One more flight up the circular stone staircase leads to a roof terrace, from where I can survey the old port and peer into surrounding courtyards. If the weather is warm, I could sling a hammock and sleep there.”

Kate Moss — Amilla Fushi, Maldives
“I love the Maldives — the beauty, the peacefulness, the wildlife, the privacy — but mostly the water; the water here is like nowhere else in the world. It’s an overused phrase in these islands, but Amilla Fushi really is paradise: the most idyllic and relaxing place in the world. Some people worry that there’s nothing to do in the Maldives, but I never have a dull moment at Amilla Fushi: snorkelling with turtles and sharks, fishing, a boat trip at sunset — all sorts of water sports. Under, over and on that astonishing water, there’s so much to do.”