Most Exotic And Expensive Vacation Destinations To Find Celebrities
Even celebrities need to take a break from being in the public eye every so often. Some stars prefer the privacy of a secluded island away from photographers, while others enjoy wandering around the charming streets of historic cities. Most vacation spots have several things in common: gorgeous views of the water, tropical climate conditions, gourmet food, and luxurious accommodations. Relaxation is the name of the game for the following unique and expensive celebrity hot-spots.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai, with luxury resorts and spectacular beaches, is the most populated city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, where the weather is always akin to summer. It was listed as the twenty-second most expensive city in the world and the most expensive Middle Eastern city in 2012, making it a perfect destination for celebrities. Celebrities who have vacationed in Dubai include the Beckhams, Kim Kardashian, Claudia Shiffer, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, and Kobe Bryant. Jude Law, John Travolta, Giorgio Armani, Tom Cruise, Nicole Scherzinger, and Rita Ora have also vacationed at the hot-spot.
Each celebrity has their favorite place to stay, but the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel is arguably the best in the area. Burj Al Arab’s stunning building is shaped like a sail and offers a wide range of luxurious services, including a gold-plated iPad and a chauffeured Rolls-Royce to take guests around the city in style. Celebrities who stay in the suites have private butlers to cater to their every need. Guests also enjoy a private beach, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a spa during their stay. If celebrities get tired of lying on the beach, they can enjoy one of more than seventy shopping centers and stock up on jewelry from one of Dubai’s 250 gold retail shops. Dubai is well known for delicious food and entertaining nightlife. According to the New York Times, Dubai is “the kind of city where you might run into Michael Jordan at the Buddha Bar or stumble across Naomi Campbell celebrating her birthday with a multi-day bash."
Ready for a French destination? Keep reading for more.
St. Tropez, France
St. Tropez is a town located on the southeastern part of France on the French Riviera. It is known for its luxurious beaches, which are around thirty meters wide and include beach huts for private or public tanning. Other Tropezian beach activities include sailing, canoeing, and windsurfing. Motorized water sports rentals, such as power boats, water skiing, and jet bikes, are available. Titled the 'playground for rappers and international celebrities,' St. Tropez is known for its sandy beaches, hot nightlife, culture, and gourmet food. Located in St. Tropez is the Plage de Tahiti beach, which has a clothing-optional policy and risqué atmosphere. When celebrities are not tanning, they can be found on the dance floor of the Les Caves du Roy Club at the Hotel Byblos.
The legendary Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has hosted celebrities including Sharon Stone, Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, and Colin Firth. It was originally built as a private mansion, but became a hotel in 1870. In 2011, the hotel spent sixty-seven million dollars on renovations to make it the celebrity-worthy hotel it is today. Vacationing like a celebrity in St. Tropez will set you back roughly 710 dollars per night at a five-star hotel and 350 dollars per night at a three-star hotel. Privacy is not something the average guest at St. Tropez will experience, as the vacation spot sees more than one hundred thousand visitors each day.
Ready for a fantastic destination in the Atlantic Ocean?
Gustavia, Saint Barthelemy
Gustavia is the capital of the island of Saint Barthelemy or St. Bart for short. Located in the Atlantic Ocean, it was named after a Swedish king: Gustav III. Home to sparkling white sand, yacht ports, gourmet restaurants and luxurious spas, St. Bart is a favorite vacation spot for many celebrities and is home of the Victoria Secret catalog shoots. Jay-Z and Beyonce took daughter Blue Ivy to St. Bart to celebrate her first holiday. The Eden Rock Hotel has housed A-listers Zac Efron and Paris Hilton, who came to relax on the island for a bit of privacy.
The most popular times of year to find celebrities are Christmas and New Year’s due to the tropical weather. During the holiday season, a rental village goes for as much as 150 thousand dollars per week. On New Year’s in 2015, the island filled up with yachts where Paul McCarthy, Toby Maguire, Kendall Jenner, Harry Styles, Robin Thick, Justin Bieber., and Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted partying. Popular hot-spots include the La Plage Restaurant and the Le Ti Club. Partying like a celebrity on New Year’s at St. Bart’s will cost eighty thousand dollars per week for a ‘super-yacht.’ The hefty price will also get you front row seats to the New Year’s fireworks located over the harbor. A recently added five-star villa called Ginger is available for New Year’s booking at ninety-five thousand dollars per week.
The next breathtaking destination is tucked in the Indian Ocean. Continue reading to learn more.
Maldives
David and Victoria Beckham are frequent visitors of the Maldives, an island located in the Indian Ocean in Asia. It features pristine beaches, breathtaking marine life and incredible luxury fit for a celebrity. The Beckham’s like to stay at the One & Only Reethi Rah Resort, which includes yacht transportation from the airport to its villas located on the sea. Other celebrities who have frequented this resort are Fergie and Josh Duhamel. Best known for its seclusion, the resort is a blend of serenity and beauty. The only way to get to the island is by a seventy-five-minute boat ride. In 2016, Ultras Awards voted it the best hotel in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Its luxurious and tranquil sea villas include outdoor showers, flat screen televisions, and terraces with direct access to the beach. Upgraded villas provide hammocks, private pools, soaking tubs, and canopy day beds. Guests can enjoy a meal at one of the resorts five restaurants and three bars. It has three outdoor pools, a spa with hot tubs, steam rooms, and lush gardens. Activities at the resort include scuba diving and snorkeling. It also has a teen’s club for celebrities who like to travel with their family. The price range for a standard room is between 1,100 and three thousand dollars per night, making it a prime location for the wealthy taste of famous A-listers.
The next destination is, to put it simply, an Italian dream. Continue reading to reveal the details.
Portofino, Italy
Portofino is a fishing village located in the Ligurian Riviera that hosts a stunning harbor and many beautiful waterfront houses. Known as the resort of the rich and famous, Portofino attracts celebrities such as Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Steven Spielberg for its unmatched sunsets and friendly dolphin visitors. Getting to the car-free village requires visitors to take a ferry, boat, train, or bus. Its restaurants specialize in fresh-caught fish. Wine tasting is also popular in the small village, which only holds five hundred permanent residents.
Hotels in Portofino are expensive, though this is not a problem for most celebrities. Popular places to stay include the five-star resorts Grand Hotel Miramare, Eight Hotel Portofino, and Belmond Hotel Splendido Mare. Portofino’s preferred resort is the Excelsior Palace Hotel Rapallo, which faces the Italian Riviera to the east and the headline of Portofino to the west. It is the only five-star hotel on the Portofino Coast and includes the elegant architecture featuring work of the early 1900s. With its romantic setting, the Excelsior Palace offers a beach club with sea terraces, personalized cabanas, and two spectacular pools. Other celebrities, including Madonna and George Clooney, prefer the Hotel Splendido, which is known as a millionaire’s playground. The hotel boasts a more laid back atmosphere than the Excelsior. All rooms include a balcony overlooking the harbor. The resort’s wellness center specializes in treatments for children and teens, making it a better option for celebrities looking for a getaway with the family.
Continue reading for information on a spectacular Spanish vacation locale.
Marbella, Spain
Marbella is a city in southern Spain celebrities are known to frequent. Home to the world’s most expensive yacht dock, visitors can enjoy watching boats as big as their houses park on the Puerto Banus beach. The city features luxurious beach clubs and the legendary restaurant Villa Tiberio where celebrities Melanie Griffith, Sting, and Antonio Banderas enjoy kicking back. Since the 1970s, Marbella has been a playground for the rich and famous. It proudly features some of the best golf courses in Europe, world-class nightlife, and Michelin star restaurants. Although luxurious, the city is warm, charming, and welcoming, making it the most visited city in Spain. The beaches, shopping, museums, and festivals make the city the first choice for overworked celebrities in need of a break.
‘Marbs,’ the city’s playful nickname, is home to the infamous Marbella Club Hotel, where Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and Cary Grant were recurring guests back in the day. It is a beachfront hotel with marble bathrooms, private outdoor pools, and rainfall showerheads. The hotel, which offers an off-site golf course, costs around one thousand dollars per night. Sean Connery famously owned a home in Marbella called Casa Malibu, located in San Pedro, and lived there for twenty years with his wife. The couple was known to host parties to entertain other celebrities including Richard Burton, George Best, Omar Sharif, and Michael Caine. American Idol judge Simon Cowell also owns a large villa in the Sierra Blanca area of the city.
Head to Central America for the next stunning celebrity destination.
Punta de Mita, Mexico
Punta de Mita is a beachfront village in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Known for its surfing, scuba diving, and fishing, Punta de Mita has a year-round tropical temperature, making it the perfect low key vacation spot for celebrities seeking privacy. Lady Gaga, Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, and Demi Moore are among some of the celebs who frequent the village. The best hotels in the area are the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, the Four Seasons Punta Mita, and the Imanta Resort. Last year, actress Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed a week-long stay at one of the beach houses at the St. Regis hotel, which is just a two-hour flight from Los Angeles. Paltrow was also spotted partying at Casa China Blanca, the resort’s private house.
In 2014, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian enjoyed their second honeymoon in the village at a five-star private retreat called the Casa Armara. The property is the only five-star private residence in Punta de Mita and is the perfect paradise getaway for celebs. Jessica Simpson followed suit by having her honeymoon at the Four Seasons Punta Mita resort. In April 2015, Eva Longoria celebrated her thirty-ninth birthday at the Garza Blanca Resort’s grand penthouse suite while staying at the Four Seasons Resort, and was spotted lying on the beach and toasting with her friends. Back in 2012, Longoria’s pal, Mario Lopez, tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Courtney Mazza in Punta Mita while staying at a residence in Ranchos.
Keep going to reveal a fantastic vacation destination among celebrities in the Mediterranean Sea.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city in the region of Dalmatia. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, the northernmost 'arm' of the Mediterranean Sea, and is one of the most popular vacation spots in the Mediterranean. In the 1990s, the city suffered from war damage after the breakup of Yugoslavia, but has since been restored.
Many celebrities travel here to enjoy the gorgeous views. Celebrities who have fallen in love with Dubrovnik include Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi, Anthony Hopkins, MC Hammer, John Malkovich, and Tom Cruise. During the 1960s, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed a romantic stay in the city while Sophie Lauren was said to be a frequent visitor of the 'glittering jewel of the Adriatic Sea.'
Despite its beauty and history, Dubrovnik is relatively inexpensive to stay in. A five-star hotel costs around 350 dollars per night, while a three-star hotel charges 130 dollars per night. Most hotels are located in or provide a short walk to the Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance churches, palaces, fountains, and monasteries of ‘Old Town.’ Massive stone walls made during the sixteenth century encircle Old Town. Despite being severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Old Town has managed to preserve its unique buildings. While in town, celebrities can enjoy one of three beaches in the city, museums, churches, and the historic city walls. Game of Thrones fans will recognize Old Town as many of the televisions show’s fictional locations.
Continue reading for an African adventure.
Seychelles, Africa
When celebrities want a vacation spot with privacy, rare wildlife, and nature reserves, they head to Seychelles. Seychelles is made up of 115 islands off East Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is known for its coral reefs, beaches, diving, and most importantly, relaxing environment. The most popular islands are the Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. Vacationers on the Mahé Island can enjoy sixty-five silver beaches and a large array of bars, cafes, restaurants, and even a casino in the capital.
The majority of the population of Seychelles lives on the Mahé Island, leaving many of the other islands uninhabited. The culture has deep roots in India, Europe, Africa, and China, but is mostly made of African and Asian traditions. A long history of marine conservation has made the reefs of Seychelles the best in the world with over one thousand species of fish. The inner islands boast a unique array of cliffs, peaks, and submerged boulders, while the outer islands are better suited for diving. The islands are home to a dozen unique birds, including the white eye and magpie-robin, two of the rarest in the world. The islands have also attracted honeymooners such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault, as well as Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. In 2014, George Clooney spent more than sixty-four thousand dollars on his honeymoon in the Seychelles islands with Amal Alamuddin, where the couple was free to celebrate in total privacy.
It's time to head northwest of Tahiti for the next celebrity vacation destination.
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Bora Bora is a small island located northwest of Tahiti in French Polynesia. The island is surrounded by breathtaking turquoise waters, hence why it is known for its stunning scuba diving. Many of the guest villas are located over the water on stilts so vacationers can enjoy every aspect of vacationing on an island. At the center of the island is Mount Otemanu, a dormant volcano. Getting to the island requires an hour-long plane ride, which is no problem for celebrities with private jets. The Kardashian family, Dennis Quaid, and Christina Applegate all chose the Bora Bora Hilton Nui as a vacation spot. The hotel features two presidential over-water suites, which are 3,230 square feet. The villas have two bedrooms, three bathrooms, two dressing rooms, and a private outdoor area for boat parking.
The Four Seasons in Bora Bora attracted Orlando Bloom and then-wife Miranda Kerr for a romantic getaway. Voted the number one top luxury resort in the South Pacific, the Four Seasons Bora Bora features stilted bungalows with outdoor porches, lounge areas with private pools, and private gardens. Guests enjoy free breakfast, a Polynesian-style spa, and an infinity pool.
In October 2015, Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. were photographed vacationing at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort. The upscale beachfront resort features thatched roofs, vaulted ceilings, and polished villas. Private pontoons, lagoon views, outdoor showers, and chic bars and restaurants were all part of Bieber’s stay, where the cost of one villa per night averages around 1,300 dollars.
