It’s a long haul between end-of-year holidays and summer sojourning, but that’s not the only reason celebs clamor for late-winter/early-spring vacays. Getting through awards season is the cinematic equivalent of running a triathalon (all those gowns to deal with! the 24/7 parties!), and by the time the last Oscar envelope is ripped open (quite an event this year) and the final flute of champagne is downed at Vanity Fair’s Oscar bash, all thoughts turn to the sands or the slopes for a major dose of R&R. So where do celebs go for spring breaks? Some like to turn up at a new resort every couple of months, so past flight patterns may not be indicative of where the gilded set will land this year. In 2016 one spring-breaking A-lister, Gwyneth Paltrow, took her kids to Peru—while others turned up at popular destinations like Hawaii (Jessica Alba) and the Bahamas (Jennifer Lawrence). Wherever they go, you know they’re traveling in high style (posh, secluded resort; private villa; or yacht). Here we check in at celeb favorite locales to help you plan your own A-list holiday.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Mustique: How can you go wrong with an island that lures Mick Jagger, Bill Gates, Prince William and Duchess Kate? The action here is in the private villas, so, in keeping with the royal vibe, you might want to look into renting the home designed by renowned set designer Oliver Messel for Princess Margaret (the queen’s late sister): Les Jolies Eaux ($34,000 per week during March;, located on a private peninsula in the southern part of Mustique.
Turks & Caicos: The big question is, when will Brad Pitt be back? Seems like the über-star, last seen in Allied, headed here over Thanksgiving weekend, sans Angelina, of course. Pitt, who is reportedly developing a luxury resort in Croatia, holed up in a very private villa at the posh Aman retreat on the T&C island of Providenciales. This is the type of place that’s so secluded you might not even know who your fellow guests are, which no doubt is the way stars like Pitt like it. Turks & Caicos are beloved by other celebs, too—they tend to tie the knot here, particularly on Parrot Cay (Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck; Bruce Willis and Emma Heming; among others), or buy homes as Keith Richards and Donna Karan have done. The Bahamas: Jennifer Lawrence and Cindy Crawford turned up at these conveniently located (to Miami and New York) islands for their spring breaks last year. The paps went crazy photographing Lawrence diving off a yacht for conch, a Bahamian sea snail used in many local dishes. Crawford, along with hubby Rande Gerber and daughters Kaia and Presley, pitched up at Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club, where Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have also vacationed. This sun-kissed escape is a private club community on Great Guana Cay in the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas.
Hawaii: These islands are a favorite stomping ground for West Coast celebs. Jessica Alba spent some quality family time with husband Cash Warren and children Honor and Haven in Maui for their March break, sharing moments from the blissful beach getaway on Snapchat. A few months later, Alba was also spot- ted at the new Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina on Oahu, where Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn filmed Mother and Daughter. Los Cabos: In the past Reese Witherspoon and Maria Sharapova have chosen Cabo San Lucas, a resort area with plenty of luxury villas and hotels, for their March fun in the sun. A celeb favorite, where Jennifer Aniston has stayed, is The One & Only Palmilla, at the tip of the Baja peninsula. Here you’ll find oceanfront rooms overlooking the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez, and a new secluded villa perched high on the resort’s grounds, offering “absolute privacy” with four bedrooms and a butler’s suite.
SOME LIKE IT COLD
Switzerland
Klosters: Long a favorite of Euro aristos, this charming village has drawn British, Danish, and Swedish royals for years—and even Greta Garbo in her day. (Although Prince William and Duchess Kate have decamped to Courchevel for ski breaks, they schussed Klosters slopes during their dating days.) When royal highnesses aren’t
opting for private villas, they head to the Hotel Walserhof, a chalet-style hotel with two-bedroom suites and rooms decorated in modern Alpine style. Verbier: The resort, known for its superb off-piste trails, drew Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and their families last winter and early spring. For aristos not opting for private villas, The Chalet D’Adrien, a Relais & Chateaux property, is a popular choice with an outdoor pool, knockout Alpine views, and easy access to the slopes. Zermatt: This lovely car-free village at the foot of the Matterhorn attracted Brangelina in happier days. It’s also where Nicole Kidman, Sting and many members of the Agnelli clan have skied. Because of the altitude, the season is long and snow isassured (in certain areas all year-round). For lodging, big names either rent a posh chalet or head to a five-star property like the Mont Cervin Palace in the heart of the village, with a glam indoor-outdoor pool. Pippa Middleton gave a shout-out to The Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, a celebrity favorite where Kidman has stayed, when she penned a ski resort guide for Vanity Fair.
France
Megeve -While Courchevel 1850 draws A-listers of global renown (see our report in the December/January issue of Haute Living New York, or online), Megeve, in southwestern France, has plenty of glitter too. In the early 20th century, a Rothschild (Baroness Noémie) helped put Megeve on the map for rich Europeans, and an international roster of swells from Norwegian royals to Tom Cruise have been coming ever since. A favorite stop is the stylish Les Fermes de Marie, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
Austria
LechZurs am Arlberg. Last February, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands vacationed here with their daughters; the Monaco royals like to visit too (Prince Albert of Monaco reportedly has a chalet in the region). There are plenty of posh lodging options to choose from: the late Princess Diana stayed at the Hotel Arlberg; the Gasthof Post has attracted two generations of Dutch queens and the late King Hussein of Jordan. The intimate, five-star Thurnhers Alpenhof, in the town of Zurs and offering only 14 luxury rooms and 24 suites, is also a celeb favorite.
