Visiting the rich and famous in Miami

The Miami home of Will Smith . . . or is it?

When Miami Vice's Crockett and Tubbs launched their pink T-shirts and white jackets on to our TV screens in the 1980s, Miami itself was populated mainly by over-70s from northern states seeking a bit of winter warmth.

But today, thanks in part to those TV cops and their heroics, it's out with the walking-frames and in with rollerblades and multimillion-dollar celebrity mansions with gin palaces moored out front.

South Beach became Party Central in the 1990s as celebrities discovered the chic art-deco neighbourhoods and pumping nightlife. House prices soared. Madonna owned a property in Miami, Dade County - but that was before Gianni Versace was shot dead on the steps of his Ocean Drive home after returning from coffee one morning in 1997.

Within months, Madge and others - including Sylvester Stallone - had off-loaded their publicly accessible homes in Coconut Grove in favour of more remote and exclusive neighbourhoods. Camera-toting tourists now take narrated boat tours around Star Island, Fisher Island and Palm Island for a nosy at the posh houses on enormous sections.

Knowing I would never live in a house bursting with bling, I thought I might as well have a perv at those who do.

The boats leave from Bayside Marketplace, an open-air shopping centre packed with restaurants and bars, including American greats Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters, and surrounded by shops selling beach-wear and souvenirs. Staple stores such as Victoria's Secret and Gap are here too.

It's a buzzing place near downtown Miami, full of street performers and providing great views of the harbour and skyscrapers.

There's nothing as exciting as a little voyeuristic celebrity-spotting and Miami offers it in spades. I was keen to get going on the boat I'd chosen, the El Horo, docked beside Hard Rock, but had to wait while Eddie - the narrator with a smooth DJ voice - ate a burger.

Man-made Star Island in Biscayne Bay was built in the 1920s by the city's pioneers, who saw potential in this swampy part of Florida. It is connected by a bridge from a private, gated road. Its exclusive residents, crooned Eddie, include J Lo and husband Marc Anthony, Will Smith, Kim Bassinger, Ricky Martin, Antonio Banderas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julio Iglesias, Rosie O'Donnell, Shaquille O'Neal, Gloria Estefan and P Diddy.

At this my fellow passengers became paparazzi-like and young couples took turns posing for pictures in front of the lavish homes and fancy boats moored at private docks.

When NBA star Shaquille O'Neal signed with Miami Heat, the 215cm centre threatened South Florida residents that he'd soon be walking naked on their shores.

"If you take pictures of me naked on the beach, don't sell them to the Enquirer unless I get 15 per cent," he told news photographers at the time.

I had my camera at the ready.

O'Neal paid US$20 million ($36 million) to former Heat centre Rony Seikaly for his eight-bedroom mansion on 1ha of prime real estate - which conveniently has 245cm doorways and boasts a tennis court, indoor racquetball court, gym, 100m dock and separate guesthouse.

I happily snapped away.

Madonna's house, Eddie pointed out, has a sweeping spiral staircase under a veil-like roof that she had built after she married Guy Ritchie.

Click.

You can tell that's Arnie's place, he said, it's the only one with the American flag on the front lawn. Sure enough, there was the symbol of Western patriotism blowing in the breeze.

Click.

We passed two empty sections with For Sale signs out the front. One is on the market for US$3.2 million ($4.5 million) and the other US$10.5 million ($14.8 million). Click. Click.

Gloria Estefan and her record-producer husband Emilio bought their home in 1986 for US$15 million.

I was frantically taking photos, trying to keep up with suave Eddie and recording which click went with which celebrity. It was becoming a little frenzied. I missed Kim Bassinger and Ricky Martin's places. But no worries, I resolved I'd email everyone when I got home to sort out my facts, identify the ones I missed, and try to find out how much they'd paid for their pads.

But separating fact from fiction was a lot more complicated than I anticipated. After spending hours online trying to glean information about Madonna's and J Lo's opulent Star Island digs - even resorting to trawling through their mad fan sites - I emailed my contact at Miami Tourism for her help about each celebrity I'd scribbled in my notebook.

"Oh, those tour operators will say anything won't they?" she mailed back. I couldn't believe it. Was the whole tour a scam? It appears so. Of all the names Eddie had dropped with wild abandon on our one-hour ride, only Gloria Estefan, P Diddy and Shaq really lived there. And whether Eddie knows which homes are actually theirs, I will never know.

Other celebrities do live in Miami - although Arnie was news to my tourism friend - but you're not going to find a tour that goes past their front doors. Even their fans don't know the addresses.

Nonetheless, it was certainly an interesting hour on the water and while it lasted I was quite awestruck. But I do wonder how bogus celebrity tours can keep running in a country where people sue for millions over minor matters.

I've decided my next investigation will be Hollywood star tours. I'll keep you posted.