Celebrity beach resorts

Luxe
Los Cabos, Mexico
Los Cabos was a Hollywood hit in the '50s, when stars like Lucille Ball and John Wayne popped in by private plane for the year-round sunshine. Now just a two-hour flight from L.A., it's a red-hot sunshine destination for superstars like the Cox-Arquettes and Jones-Douglases, who rent private villas in the area. Many celebs choose to be pampered in one of three luxury resorts overlooking the Sea of Cortez, with their five-star cuisine, private beaches and pool butlers.

Using a token from her Oscar-party goodie bag, press-shy Gwyneth Paltrow honeymooned at Esperanza (www.esperanzaresort.com) with her husband, Coldplay front man Chris Martin, staying in a ground-floor villa with private plunge pool, whirlpool spa and personal butler service. John Travolta celebrated his 50th birthday at the One&Only Palmilla (www.oneandonlypalmilla.com) with 280 of his closest pals (including wife Kelly Preston, Oprah Winfrey, Meg Ryan and Barbra Streisand). And, while filming Troy in the area, Brad Pitt was spotted enjoying a drink at the luxurious Las Ventanas al Paraíso's (www.lasventanas.com) open-air Tequila & Ceviche Bar, waiting for Jennifer Aniston to finish up at The Spa (which offers everything from a Crystal Light Healing Massage to Raindrop Therapy).

Romantic
Turtle Island, Fiji
With its pristine sugar-white beaches, crystal-clear water and 14 private thatched cottages, couples-only Turtle Island (www.turtlefiji.com) is a popular destination for monied just-marrieds. The Bachelorette's Trista and Ryan and Newlyweds' Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey found much-needed seclusion at this eco-resort (the setting for Brooke Shields' desert-island coming-of-age movie Blue Lagoon). This may be why Britney Spears and Kevin Federline chartered a private jet to spend their 10-day honeymoon there away from prying lenses. Welcomed with fragrant leis and tropical drinks, the couple settled into the laid-back pace of the island, enjoying quiet beach strolls and romantic gourmet dinners. Britney tried a lomi-lomi foot massage and, in Turtle Island tradition, the couple inscribed paving stones to commemorate their visit. (Britney signed hers “BF.”) The only sour note came after the trip, when Britney attacked US Weekly magazine for publishing unauthorized pictures of her and Kevin on the beach taken by staff for the couple's souvenir scrapbook. “Coming from a celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter, it's unlikely the issue here is privacy” was the magazine's statement.

Serene
Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos
When Julia Roberts broke up with Benjamin Bratt, she chose Parrot Cay (www.parrotcay.como.bz) -- a former pirate's haven just three hours from New York -- as her getaway. A hit with Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Eva Herzigova and Liam Neeson, this private Caribbean island is owned by wealthy Singaporean hotelier and fashion-industry magnate Christina Ong. The 56 rooms and beachfront villas are the ultimate in castaway chic. (Think unpolished wood floors, white cushions and linens, mosquito netting and modern-colonial furniture.) Its popular holistic Shambhala spa offers reiki, acupuncture and herb-infused Ayurvedic therapies, along with yoga, pilates, Tai Chi and pranayama classes. No wonder yoga devotee Donna Karan built her very own beachfront villa on the island.

Photography courtesy of Las Ventanas al Paraiso

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