Best Supporting Resorts of the Big Screen

by  Donna Heiderstadt | Mar 4, 2010
St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
St. Regis Bora Bora Resort / Photo courtesy of the property

In honor of Oscar week, we rounded up 10 resort properties that were ready for their close-ups when Hollywood came calling. All starred as the setting for some of the most entertaining movies of the past decade. Many are ideal for a romantic rendezvous, so all you film-buff couples who want to recreate a favorite scene, simply check the properties below to find the one that best fits your idea of sexy.  

The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
This five-star oasis on the South Pacific’s most magical isle was the fictitious “Eden” in 2009’s "Couples Retreat," starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis. Some creative license was taken (there are no separate couples and singles sections—and no loin-clothed yoga instructor!), but the luxe overwater bungalows and sublime lagoon views are 100 percent real. Note: The resort is temporarily closed after being damaged by Cyclone Oli and will reopen on June 14, 2010. Take advantage of their "Pay for 2, Stay for 3" special, bookable by May 7 for travel after the resort reopens.

Caesars Palace
Las Vegas’ classic paean to bacchanalia was the haunt of bachelor-party amnesiacs Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha and Ed Helms as they juggled a baby, a tiger and lots of other troubles in the Golden Globe-winning 2009 megahit “The Hangover.” You won’t gamble on romance if you book a spacious room in the modern Forum Tower and lounge around the fountain-strewn Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis (from $190).

Hilton St. Louis Airport and Hilton Miami Airport
If you miss your connection and need a place to overnight with your honey, take a cue from 10-Million-Mile flyer Ryan Bingham (aka George Clooney) and steam things up at either of these two hotels, both featured in 2009’s Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air" (from $79 and $169).

Turtle Bay Resort
Unlike pathetic, just-dumped Jason Segal in 2008’s hilarious "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," couples who head to this lush Hawaiian resort set on almost five miles of beachfront on Oahu’s secluded North Shore can enjoy luaus, surf lessons and massages without running into their TV-star exes and their new rock-star main squeeze (from $195).

Esperanza
This stunning property in Los Cabos, Mexico, was the best thing about the 2007 remake of "The Heartbreak Kid," starring Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman and Michelle Monaghan. Watch it to wish you were sunning by the spectacular pool, dining cliff-side by candlelight, or relaxing together in the casitas’ private plunge pools—and for laughs, rent the 1972 filmed-in-Miami original starring Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd and Jeannie Berlin (from $475).

One&Only Ocean Club
Hit the gym and you and your special someone can stroll from the waves with ripped-torso confidence just like Daniel Craig did in his first turn as James Bond in 2006’s "Casino Royale," which was shot partly on location at this posh Paradise Island, Bahamas, resort with its silken sand, sophisticated Caribbean-colonial suites and romantic garden cloister (from $795).

The Inn at Perry Cabin
Have your back-stories straight when you check into this romantic colonial mansion on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn conned their way into the beds (and hearts) of unsuspecting bridesmaids Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher in the 2005 megahit "Wedding Crashers" (from $195).

The Days Inn Buellton—Solvang
Okay, so this one’s a stretch, but aficionados of 2004’s Oscar-winning "Sideways" will appreciate the authenticity of a stay at the budget California wine country motel where mopey oenophile Paul Giamatti and oversexed oaf Thomas Haden Church endure a side-splitting bachelor-buddy getaway. At least the nice guy gets the girl at the end (from $59). 

The Park Hyatt Tokyo
Fans of sad-sack Bill Murray’s Oscar-nominated performance in 2003’s "Lost In Translation" can relive his and Scarlett Johansson’s dark-comedy boredom at this sleek Tokyo skyscraper with its panoramic New York Lounge and serene lap pool (from $540).  
 
PS: Stay tuned in 2011 I just found out that “The Tourist,” currently filming in Venice with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, will shoot scenes at Villa F, the new private residence property that will open mid-year as part of the Bauer Hotels collection.

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