US WEEKLY, September, 2002
Let’s face it: The stars didn’t spend their summer like the rest of us. From idyllic isles to killah villas, Us checks out the luxury resorts where the A-list checks in
By Anna David
1) Wakaya Island, Fiji WHAT IT IS: A five-mile-long island owned by FIJI Water CEO David Gilmour WHO STAYS THERE: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman reportedly had the island booked for a two-week-stay in July 2001 long before Tom split. So Nic supposedly went anyway and met up with fellow down under guy Russell Crowe. Then Tom arrived with Penelope Cruz. Got that? COST: The whole island goes from $23,000 a night; cottages start at $1,800. BEST PERK: A staff member will drive you to any of the beaches and leave you there with lobster and champagne – and a walkie-talkie so you can call when you’re done.
2) Two Bunch Palms, Desert Hot Springs, California WHAT IT IS: The place where Tim Robbins and Great Scacchi soaked their sins away in 1992′s The Player WHO STAYS THERE: Robin Williams, Debra Messing, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell COST: $175 to $675 per night, excluding treatments BEST PERK: The watsu – a therapist performs massage, reflexology and acupressure while you’re submerged in a warm mineral-water pool.
3) Necker Island, British Virgin Island WHAT IT IS: Virgin CEO Richard Branson’s 74-acre island WHO STAYS THERE: Steven Spielberg and Michael J. Fox COST: $20,000 a day for 1 to 14 guests; $26,000 a day for 15 to 20 BEST PERK: A staff of 42 tends to guests’ every need.
4) Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas WHAT IT IS: A 657-unit playpen for young Hollywood WHO STARS THERE: Ashton Kutcher, Edward Burns, Tara Reid and Luke Wilson COST: From $79 (for a regular room, midweek off-season) to $1,500 (for a 1,400-square-foot peak-season suite) CELEB HAUNT: The Peacock Lounge, a gaming area
5) La Valencia Hotel, La Jolla, California WHAT IT IS: A 117-room landmark whose halls have been traipsed by Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin WHO STAYS THERE: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Oprah Winfrey COST: Villas range from $590 to $3,500 per night; regular rooms start at $295. FUN FACT: Local boy Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam used to be a security guard at the hotel.
6) Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas WHAT IT IS: A 60-unit, 1,000-acre island that’s home to 175 species of birds WHO STAYS THERE: Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and Janet Jackson COST: From $380 (a garden-view room in summer) to $3,680 (a three-bedroom villa during peak season) per night SLEEP WITH BRUCE WILLIS: He’s building his own nine-bedroom complex to rent out.
7) Goldeneye, Oracabessa, Jamaica WHAT IT IS: The estate where Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond novels WHO STAYS THERE: Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore (of course) ASK FOR: The Ian Fleming house or one of the four villas, complete with outdoor hot tubs COST: $11,500 for the house and the villas (sleeps about 22 people total).
8) Pink Sands, Harbour Island, Bahamas WHAT IT IS: A 25-unit resort on a three-mile beach owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell WHO STAYS THERE: Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins COST: $525 (off-season) for a cottage with a private patio to $2,100 for the Bimini, a villa with an ocean view BLEACHED-OUT BLISS: The resort’s 18 acres are considered to have the most beautiful pink-sand beach in the Bahamas.
9) Cotton House, Mustique WHAT IT IS: A sugar mill turned 20-room luxury resort on this tiny island where Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger and David Bowie have luxe escapes WHO’S BEEN THERE: Keanu Reeves, Tyra Banks COST: From $410 for a cottage in summer to $1,300 for the Coutinot Oceanfront Suite in peak season DON’T MISS: Funky Basil’s Bar; Tom Hanks and Paul Newman have been spotted.
10) St-Tropez: The New Hamptons? When Hamptons fixture P. Diddy jumped ship for St-Tropez last summer, he sparked a trend. “He’s taking the Hamptons scene international,” said his rep, Nathalie Moar. St-Tropez, a village in the South of France, first rose to fame in then-21-year-old Brigitte Bardot’s 1956 film, And God Created Woman. By the ’60s, Georgio Armani, Catherine Deneuve and Pablo Picasso were booking regular trips. But by the ’80s, the fickle jet set had moved on. Well, the buzz is back. Besides P. Diddy, Ivana and Ivanka Trump, Naomi Campbell, Donatella Versace, Jerry Hall, Jenna Bush and Kate Moss all turned up on this summer’s hottest shore.
