George Clooney ‘wants to build a mega mansion in an area dubbed the Hamptons of Portugal’  

Hollywood star George Clooney looks set to add to his property portfolio by building a mega mansion for his family in an area dubbed the ‘Hamptons of Portugal’.

The actor and his wife Amal, already have two luxury homes ‘abroad’ – an 18th century waterfront mansion at Lake Como in Italy and a 17th century pad in Sonning, Berkshire.

Both have recently been affected by floods so it seems he’s no taking no chances with his latest purchase – a clifftop villa overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the beautiful village of Melides on Portugal’s west coast.

The area, with its secluded beaches and surfing waves, has been compared to St Tropez in the 1960s and Ibiza before it became party central.

And it has caught the eye of several leading jet-setters including Madonna, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian beauty Monica Bellucci.

Now, according to the respected Portuguese news and economics website ECO, the Clooney’s have fallen deeply in love with the place and are planning to build.

Their report stated: ‘George Clooney is going to invest in Portugal, specifically in Melides south of Comporta. ECO has learned the American actor and producer is going to buy a plot of land in the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club project owned by Discovery Land Company.’

Clooney has been led to this latest investment by his fellow tequila tycoon Mike Meldman.

The pair teamed up in 2013 to launch tequila firm Casamigos and sold it four years later for a reported £1bn.

Meldman, the CEO of the Discovery Land Company, acquired the 722-acre plot which runs along the Atlantic coast in 2019, with an initial £435million investment.

Having already overseen the building of 24 luxury residential golf communities around the world, he has now established the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club luxury resort community.

It recently claimed that a Wellness centre, equestrian centre, community village, 18-star golf course, 146 single-family homes and 29 residences belonging to the club would be completed by the spring of next year.

The Clooneys will no doubt have been reassured by the green credentials claimed by the estate they plan on moving to.

According to the CostaTerra website it is a, ‘flourishing community and thriving ecosystem grounded firmly in the values of sustainable development’. It describes itself to potential buyers as ‘your family’s private European escape.’

However, it is understood that the Clooneys do not want one of the estate’s ‘off the shelf’ luxury villas but intend to take over the design of their own property.

According to Spanish digital newspaper El Confidencial, the family plan on visiting the area later this month to look at the evolution of their new home.

If the purchase is confirmed it will be the fourth major property owned by the star and his wife.

The others are a multi-million dollar apartment in New York, a £13 million mansion on the River Thames in Berkshire and another mansion on the banks of Lake Como in Italy which he allowed the Obama family to use as a getaway in 2019.

Both the English and Italian properties have been affected by floods in recent times.

In 2020 after Storm Dennis struck, the River Thames burst its banks flooding his property.

And in July of this year, while he was staying at Lake Como with wife Amal and their four year old twin sons, the roads outside their property turned into a river as floods destroyed several homes in the area.

Melides, sitting high on the coast should be reassuringly above sea-level, and offer the family breath-taking ocean views.

However, it is not clear how much use he will get out of the development’s stunning 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

According to Golf Digest, who produce the handicaps of celebrity participants, he ‘plays rarely and doesn’t talk about it’ with a handicap of 25.

The Discovery Land Company and CostaTerraGolf and Ocean Club were both contacted for comment.

A spokesman for Discovery Land Company said: ‘George Clooney is indeed a business partner of Mike Meldman in a joint tequila venture called Casamigos. We do not comment any activities related to our properties.’