10 Vacation Hot Spots Fit For Super Bowl Champs
It's times like these, in the dead of winter, that a tropical vacation sounds like the perfect cure for the winter blues. And with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, plenty of football players will be packing up for their days in the sun, whether it's to celebrate triumphant victory or heal their wounds from a heart-wrenching loss — think the Denver Broncos losing to the Ravens by three points in double-overtime earlier this season.
View Slides: 10 Vacations Fit for Super Bowl Champs
You may think from the iconic 1987 advertisement that all post-Super Bowl vacationing professional football players are Mickey-bound ("I'm going to Disneyland!"), and the truth is Disney is a frequented spot. "Earlier in the off-season, like February-March... I try to go to Disney World first with my son," Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones recently noted to The Baltimore Sun. But these days, many players choose much more secluded hot spots for their getaways. And these guys aren't spending their dough on any old all-inclusive retreat or giant smoked turkey legs at the Magic Kingdom, they're shelling out salary-cap-busting bucks to stay at high-end private retreats.
In years past we've taken a look at where some of sports' favorite stars go to get away from it all. Keeping in mind that just as they know what it takes to score a touchdown or win a Grand Slam, athletes know where to go to get away from it all in style when the season is over, we've compiled a list of the top places that players on this year's Super Bowl bound teams have gone (and may be returning to) to kick back, unwind, and indulge in some much-needed time off and heavenly meals. From Costa Rica to California and beyond, we've got the skinny on how these NFL players choose to indulge and where they like to do it.
So when you're planning your next trip, keep in mind some of your athletic icons' favorite destinations, because you might be sipping a margarita right next to them if you plan accordingly. But it might cost you. With some rooms on our list going for upward of $800 a night, you might have to start saving your pennies, or hope that you finally win that office pool you've been betting on for the past few years.