Top Five Celebrity-Owned Resorts

By Sara Liss

Resorts Expert, about.com

1. Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat[post_ads_2]

Gold Coast, Australia

Hugh Jackman

Opened in 2006, Gwinganna (meaning "lookout") shares its name with the region itself, named by the local aboriginal people. The retreat offers visitors the opportunity to embrace health and wellness with fitness classes, a fully equipped gym with trainers, 2 infinity-edge pools, a yoga deck, holistic counseling and nutritionists.

Sixteen accommodations (from villas to houses) showcase a rustic yet modern feel (complimentary iPods are available), along with commanding views of the Pacific Ocean and Tallebudgera Valley. All meals are certified organic (many ingredients come from the retreat's own garden) and the spa is a haven. Book the "Australian Spirit of Sound" treatment, which features live percussion instruments and advanced massage techniques to soothe clients through the powers of vibration and rhythm.

2. Sundance Resort[post_ads_2]

Park City, Utah
Robert Redford
Only 40 minutes from Park City, UT, where the annual Sundance Film Festival is held, Sundance Resort is located at the base of Mount Timpanogos. Here, it's all about entertainment in an outdoor setting, with plays, concerts and film screenings held at the Eccles Outdoor Amphitheater, along with area attractions such as hiking, skiing, white-water rafting and mountain biking.

The resort includes 92 rustic guest rooms built from local materials like stone, cedar, fir and pine. Accommodations are nestled in clusters around the resort, but should you prefer more privacy (as many celebrity guests do), Sundance Resort also offers mountain homes tucked in the mountainside, with private butlers and chefs at your disposal.

3. Costa d'Este Beach Resort and Spa[post_ads_2]

Vero Beach, Florida
Gloria and Emilio Estefan
Opened in 2008, the resort in Vero Beach (about 100 miles from Orlando and 135 miles north of Miami) is a perfect getaway from these more high-traffic Florida hot spots. Here, it's all about relaxation.

The Wave Kitchen & Bar showcases Cuban-fusion, Continental and Peruvian cuisine, while the resort’s pool and beachfront are helmed by splash stylists (pool concierge) who ensure top-notch service. The spa has a "secret" entrance for high-profile guests, and all rooms are designed to look and feel like modern yacht staterooms. 

4. Blancaneaux Resort[post_ads_2]

Cayo District, Belize
Francis Ford Coppola
When the iconic film director visited Belize in the 1980s, he fell so hard for the country that he opened several hotels. Blancaneaux Resort, his most famous, is set deep within lush, dense jungles, alongside steep ravines, crashing waterfalls and fast-flowing rivers. The 20-room, eco-friendly resort is a favorite for families and honeymooners who want to be completely removed from civilization.

Cabanas and villas are set far apart from each other, an outdoor spa and hot pool are heated solely by hydro-electricity and a 2-acre organic garden supplies produce for meals -- all presented in the most upscale way. After all, the property was good enough for Coppola, who held his private family retreats here until making the resort a public hotel in 1993.

5. Goldeneye[post_ads_2]

St. Mary, Jamaica
Ian Fleming
Hidden in plain sight on the island’s northern coast, GoldenEye has long been a mainstay of Caribbean casual chic. These days, this former estate of Fleming's has expanded dramatically with the addition of a series of accommodations unfurling between a placid lagoon and the Caribbean Sea, as well as restaurants and a spa. The property’s three original villas (also refurbished) still sit like smaller siblings around Fleming’s three-bedroom house on the lusher side of the resort.