Feel like a celebrity on your Caribbean vacation

By Lena Katz

Celebrities flock to the Caribbean for its beautiful beaches, sunshine, seclusion and A-list treatment … in fact, to hear US Weekly or InStyle tell it, the Hollywood elite stay and play at beautiful Caribbean beach resorts ‘round the clock, ‘round the year. (Must be nice.) While no regular person can make a Caribbean vacation a full-time job, some destinations excel at making everyone feel A-list, even if only for a week. From their gorgeous settings and stellar service, to the chance of brushing sun-screened shoulders with someone you’ve seen on  TV, I think the hot spots I’ve listed below may be your best shot at getting the celeb-class Caribbean vacation you deserve.

Barbados
What celebrity hasn’t been to Barbados? This island is famous for its British brand of posh, the great quantity of unique-to-the-island luxury lodgings, and the stunning beaches.

From the early ‘80s, when rock royalty couple Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall got cozy at Gibbs Beach, to recent times, when Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon were spotted at the Spring House, Barbados is a perennial celeb magnet. Let’s not forget, Rihanna was born there. And word is, Simon Cowell actually put down a deposit for a property in a very exclusive vacation community still in the build phase.

If you aren’t able to move in next door to Mr. American Idol, you can actually comfort yourself with the fact that a lot of the luxe Barbados hotels where other celebs have stayed do offer good deals:  Tamarind Cove Hotel, Turtle Beach Resort Barbados All Inclusive and Almond Casuarina Beach Resort All Inclusive are just a few of the beautiful Barbados properties you could choose for your Caribbean vacation.

U.S. Virgin Islands

While the U.S. Virgin Islands stay mum about their celeb visitors, lots of interesting celeb connections can be made to the islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Kelsey Grammar was born on St. Thomas (THAT explains the accent, finally!), while the original Island of Dr. Moreau was filmed in St. Croix 40-odd years ago. Ultimate power couple Brangelina spent a Caribbean vacation with their brood at Caneel Bay in St. John a few years back (pre-twins), and celebrities from Gabrielle Union to Larry Ellison have been seen at the recently opened Yacht Haven Grande mega-yacht marina in St. Thomas.

There are a slew of what I count as more realistically priced hotels to counterbalance all that uber-luxury:  Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa and Point Pleasant Resort in St. Thomas; Buccaneer and Sand Castle on the Beach in St. Croix; and the Westin St. John Resort in largely undeveloped St. John. Of course, you can always splurge and stay at the Rosewood Caneel Bay, as Brange did. At the Self Center at Caneel Bay,  you might well bump into a celeb on a yoga retreat or another sort of mind-body-spirit retreat.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad is a commerce capital of the Caribbean, while sister island Tobago offers pristine beaches, a rain forest and quaint villages. Tobago does better at the vacation villa experience, while Trinidad has most of the big-name chains and bigger events. Akon got in a spot of trouble when he played in Trini back in 2007 (you may remember the scandal around certain “dance moves” with an underage audience member), but President Obama and his entourage were ideal guests when visiting the island earlier this year for a tourism conference.

From villa properties like the Villas at Stonehaven in Tobago, to international brands like the Hilton Trinidad (where President Obama stayed), to exclusive luxury properties like Le Grand Courlan Spa Resort All Inclusive in Tobago, this island archipelago offers a range of different Caribbean vacation experiences.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Tiny, idyllic, and hard to reach, the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines appeal to all types of celebs. Social butterfly Mick Jagger is Mustique’s most famous resident, while low-key Leo goes to  Raffles Canouan Island when he wants to escape from the Hollywood Hills. At Petit St. Vincent, the property is set up so that guests don’t have to see or be seen by a single other person throughout their stay — so, although U2 is rumored to have taken their Caribbean vacation here, there’s no confirming it. Blockbuster Hollywood hit Pirates of the Caribbean was shot in the Grenadines.

There is no easy way to reach these islands, but St. Lucia is the most common transfer point, and a beautiful island in its own right. Coconut Bay Resort & Spa All Inclusive or any of the Sandals properties would be my picks for a Caribbean vacation on St. Lucia.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Caribbean vacation
• Barbados vacation
• U.S. Virgin Islands vacation
• Tobago vacation
• St. Lucia vacation
  

Lena Katz is the author of SUN: California and SIP: California, part of the Travel Temptations series published by Globe Pequot Press.

Tagged: Caribbean