New Lists
The Top Ten Celebrity Honeymoon Escapes
Jeryl Brunner
Post-Nuptial Destinations of the A-List
As screen legend Greta Garbo famously put it, “I want to be left alone.” Most celebrities would concur — especially when they're on their honeymoon. “The number one thing celebrities look for are secluded and private places, out of the reach of the paparazzi,” said noted wedding planner Mindy Weiss, who has organized nuptials for luminaries like Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani and Adam Sandler. “Often this is the first vacation they have had in a long time and they typically choose a location where they can just veg.”
Hence the popularity of the spectacularly beautiful Bora Bora, where most of the hotels are on their own private island, miles away from prying eyes. “The American GIs who were stationed here started spreading the word that Bora Bora was paradise on earth, and that really stuck,” explains Eléonore Petin, sales and marketing manager for Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, where Christina Applegate and Johnathon Schaech honeymooned.
“When Hotel Bora Bora opened in 1961, they had the first overwater bungalows in the world, and that set a benchmark for the romantic type of accommodation.”...
| # | Location | Hotel | |
| 1. | Fiji | The Wakaya Club | Imagine 2,200 acres of paradise shared by just 11 couples. The Wakaya Club was an idyllic private island hideaway for Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, who married and honeymooned at the resort. Couples are encouraged to venture to one of several private beaches, where no one is allowed within two miles (a champagne and lobster lunch will be waiting). While you’re welcome to idle in your extra-wide hammock, there are tons of activities. Four chefs (including a pastry chef) and 12 employees for each guest mean you’ll be pampered, but not pestered. No wonder Celine Dion wept when she left. For more information: www.wakaya.com |
| 2. | Fiji | Turtle Island | Located on a 500-acre private island, honeymooners including Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, and “The Bachelorette” stars Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter visited Turtle Island for a week of pure pampering. Guests are granted a “bure” mama who acts as a personal cultural director, activities director, food & beverage server and overall island companion. Couples stay in 1,200-square-foot thatched roof bures (or cottages) with 21-foot-high vaulted ceilings dotted along the Blue Lagoon. For more information: www.turtlefiji.com |
| 3. | Turks and Caicos | Parrot Cay | There are no cars on Parrot Cay, only golf carts. And since this island in the Turks and Caicos can only be reached by boat, it’s truly removed from reality. A magnet for celebrities, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner honeymooned at the resort, and so did Jerry Seinfeld and wife Jessica. With its whitewashed interiors and teak furnishings, the rooms feature four-poster beds, terra-cotta floors and gigantic bathrooms. The vibe is sleek yet low-key. Couples can rent the COMO Shambhala Spa Cottage for a half or full day and enjoy meals and massage together in their own private oasis. For more information: www.parrotcay.com |
| 4. | Lana’i, Hawaii | The Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, the Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay | Formed from an extinct volcano, 140-square-mile Lana’i, off the western coast of Maui, provides honeymooners with a peaceful and pristine respite. The Four Seasons Resort Lana`i, the Lodge at Koele is similar to a Hawaiian country estate in the mountains. Cozy rooms have fireplaces, hand-carved beds, oil paintings by local artists, and unique artifacts from around the world. And the Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele Bay is an oceanfront manse, decorated with Mediterranean, Asian and Pacific touches, set high above the white sand beach of Hulopo’e Bay amid red lava cliffs. The island lured Bill Gates who rented the entire Manele Bay and married his sweetheart, Melinda, at the Challenge at Manele golf course. For more information: www.fourseasons.com/lanai |
| 5. | Paradise Island, Bahamas | One & Only Ocean Club | Stretched alongside one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular beaches, the One & Only Ocean Club offers honeymooners luxury in a tropical colonial setting. The magnificent elaborate gardens, replete with hibiscus and bougainvillea, were inspired by Versailles. Butlers are available around the clock to cater to your every whim. Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries are delivered to your room every afternoon. “It was everything we wanted,” Cindy Crawford once said of One & Only Ocean Club. She married Rande Gerber there in an intimate barefoot ceremony on the beach. For more information: www.oneandonlyresorts.com |
| 6. | Barbados | Sandy Lane | With its pristine stretch of beach and dramatic 47,000-square-foot white-coral stone spa, Sandy Lane is known for its elegant flair (guests are picked up at the airport in a Bentley). Originally built in 1961 and completely renovated in 2001, the place has a much pedigreed past. Mick Jagger, Greta Garbo, Queen Elizabeth and various other celebs have all visited. And in October 2004, Tiger Woods married Elin Nordegen there. The reception was (of course) on the golf course.For more information: www.sandylane.com |
| 7. | Istanbul | Çıragan Palace Kempinski | After their 1996 wedding, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette headed to Istanbul and stayed at the Çıragan Palace Kempinski, home to the Ottoman Sultans in the 19th century. The hotel mixes the architectural grandeur of a palace with the modern luxuries of a deluxe hotel and is located in the center of the city on the shores of the Bosphorus, complete with royal gardens and panoramic views. Esconced in the hotel’s Presidential suite, the couple enjoyed relaxing by the hotel’s pool. For more information: www.ciragan-palace.com |
| 8. | Montecito | San Ysidro Ranch | In the ’30s, actor Ronald Colman and former sentor Alvin Carl Weingand transformed this Montecito gem into a secluded Hollywood hideaway, attracting all kinds of celebs. Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were married on the grounds, and John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned there. Reportedly, so did Julia Roberts and Danny Moder, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. Nestled on 500 acres between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, 40 cottage-style suites and bungalows meander along tree-lined paths littered with exotic flowers. Stay at the newly renovated Kennedy Cottage, where the couple honeymooned in 1953. For more information: www.sanysidroranch.com |
| 9. | Bora Bora | Bora Bora Nui Resort | Ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, the 120 bungalows here all have ocean views, bathtubs carved from Italian marble, Indonesian mahogany canopy beds, and several glass panels on the floor so you can see the coral and fish swimming below. Guests check in at the floating lobby while singers and musicians serenade them. Idle on your deck in comfy chaise lounges or snorkel right off your dock. “The best thing was jumping off the balcony of our room into the water,” Christina Applegate once said (she honeymooned at the resort with Johnathon Schaech). Head up the hill to the Mandara Spa for a Balinese massage, and experience 360-degree views of the famous Otemanu Peak. For more information: www.boraboranui.com |
| 10. | Bora Bora | The St. Regis Resort | Each of the 100 villas at the St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora cost $1 million to construct and offer outdoor showers, furnishings from Indonesia, 42” plasma TVs, Pratesi linens, Bose DVD and CD players and Acqua di Parma bath products. The first in Bora Bora to offer overwater villas with their own swimming pools, this resort also has a 13,000-square-foot spa, offering Tahitian, Balinese, French and Pacific Rim treatments. The resort provided Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman with the perfect honeymoon respite, as Kidman could often be found playing tennis on the resort’s court. For more information: www.stregis.com/borabara |
[source: http://www.forbestraveler.com/celebrity/celebrity-honeymoon-escapes-story.html ]
Not watching this list (get updates on this list).
(all people watching this list)
).
Categories for this list
Groups this list is in
None.
Comments