Need to buy a US Money Order - from the UK

I have need for a USD money order, to pay some expenses in the US.  Why the recipient needs cleared funds in the form of a physical cashiers check, or money order and not electronic funds is another question, but they do.

Is this possible from the UK, has anyone done this recently?  I can find no bank, transfer service or forex service that offers an International Money Order.  I cannot remotely obtain a cashiers check from my US bank and I am completely stumped. It seems Western Union branches and possibly the UK Post Office offered these in the past, but not any more. 

Thanks for any suggestions.  The only option I can see is to ask a US friend to help.

Could you ask your bank for an international bank draft? (And check with the cottage owners to see if they'd take it? Otherwise I think you'd want to stay somewhere else. Because once they have the draft/money, there's no way for you to get it back.  If they're running a scam, you're sunk. If you book with a credit card, at least you can get a charge-back.)

My UK bank told me they don't offer international bankers drafts for retail customers, everything they do provide is electronic.  You suggested what the funds are for and no it's not something like that, where I agree, it would absolutely sound like a scam. 

A friend in the US seems the easiest option.

I’ve had to do this once since moving to England, to renew my US passport through the US embassy in London in 2018. At the time they would only accept a US cashiers check in USD and I was able to get my US bank, HSBC USA, to send me a cashiers check which I was able to include with my passport application. (A couple of years later when my son came to renew his passport they had arrived into the 21st century and now accept credit and debit cards in GBP.

I’ve had to do this once since moving to England, to renew my US passport through the US embassy in London in 2018. At the time they would only accept a US cashiers check in USD and I was able to get my US bank, HSBC USA, to send me a cashiers check which I was able to include with my passport application. (A couple of years later when my son came to renew his passport they had arrived into the 21st century and now accept credit and debit cards in GBP.

   I knew this sounded familiar but couldn't remember when I had to get a cashiers check as well.  It must have been for renewing a passport.    I couldn't remember how I got it either or I would have posted.