8 Hottest Celebrity Vacation Spots Of 2016 (Slideshow)
Bahamas
Actress Reese Witherspoon snapped some lovely photos of herself enjoying the sunny skies of the Bahamas, but she wasn't the only one to opt for the 700 islands, cays, and islets of the archipelagic state for vacation. Puerto Rican fashion model Joan Smalls also stopped by on holiday earlier this year in April, and she made sure to flood her Instagram account with photos from paradise. Additionally, Modern Family star Ariel Winter made the trip to the Caribbean nation with her boyfriend, Laurent Claude Gaudette, and co-star Nolan Gould.
Click here for a list of the must-dos for your next Bahamas vacation.
California’s National Parks
We're always in favor of a trip to one of America's 59 national parks, and apparently we're not alone. As soon as the weather started to warm up, actor Mark Ruffalo whisked his family (wife, Sunrise Coigney, and kids Keen, Bella, and Odette) away from their Manhattan home for a trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California. Later in the year, America's First Family, the Obamas, picked Yosemite for a family vacation destination.
Yosemite is one of the 10 best national parks in America for a picnic. Click here to see the list.
Greece
Greece must actually be heaven, because it's full of angels! Victoria Secret models Adriana Lima and Lily Aldridge have both visited the country in 2016. Although they came on separate trips, both took snaps of themselves enjoying the refreshing coastal waters. Don't believe all the negativity coming out of Greece recently; it's still a wonderful place to visit, especially with the current favorable exchange rate for Americans ($1 will get you 0.91 euros!).
Hawaii
Hawaii is one of the top vacation destinations in the United States, so it's no surprise Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn took a trip there for some mother-daughter bonding time. Jessica Alba and Britney Spears also headed to the island with their respective families, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z brought their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, there on a family trip. While Alba and Spears spent lots of time sunbathing, the Carters were seen bicycling around the island, also finding time for a few romantic moments between the couple. In a sly reference to their supposed marital issues (which were allegedly referenced in Beyoncé's Lemonade album), Queen Bey was seen sporting a lemon crown and matching necklace. We're hoping with all this quality time that our vacationing celebs still managed to visit one or two of the eight best restaurants in Hawaii.
Thinking of vacationing in Hawaii? Here are 10 reasons to opt for an island other than Oahu.
Ibiza
Ibiza is an autonomous island community of Spain, located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the eastern city of Valencia. It's also a popular celebrity vacation spot, as actress Kate Hudson, fashion icon Diane von Fürstenberg, footballer Lionel Messi, and Victoria's Secret Angel Alessandra Ambrosio and her family have all spent time there in 2016. No surprise, considering the ample amount of beaches, nightlife, oceanfront festivals, and local merchants hawking unique goods like herbs, teas, and soaps. This secluded isle can be quite expensive, but if you look hard enough, deals on drinks, food, and accommodations can be found that will fit any budget.
Italy
Apparently 2016 is the year of Italy, as numerous celebrities have explored every corner of the country this year. Singer John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen brought their daughter, Luna, on the clan's first family vacation, which had stops in numerous Italian cities, including a stay in Tuscany. Elsewhere, singer Mariah Carey and her Australian billionaire fiancé James Packer spent time on and around the small island of Ponza in the Tyrrhenian Sea, singer Vanessa Hudgens vacationed in Positano (near Naples and Pompeii), and 23-year-old supermodel Karlie Kloss just spent this past weekend on the island of Capri. Even further off the coast, comedians Aziz Ansari and Eric Wareheim of Netflix's Master of None snuck in a vacation to Sicily earlier this year. Want a few more names? Try actor Bradley Cooper, who just recently visited Garda Lake, and actress Rashida Jones, who snapped some pics of her Forte Dei Marmi view.
Mexico
Mexico is a popular tourist (and celebrity) vacation destination year after year, and 2016 was no exception. Just take a look at the list of famous names who have taken a trip South of the Border thus far. Gwyneth Paltrow kicked it all off with a visit in January; singer Jessica Simpson, singer/dancer/actress Julianne Hough, actress Reese Witherspoon, and former couple Halle Berry and actor Oliver Martinez all visited in March; actress Krysten Ritter stopped by in May; singer Carrie Underwood and her hockey-playing husband Mike Fisher made the trip earlier this month; and Lady Gaga went just this past weekend. As if you needed any convincing, it's clearly always a good time to visit Mexico!
Click here to see our list of the 25 best restaurants in Mexico.
Turks and Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands are known as one of the best places in the Caribbean to scuba dive, and apparently also one of the best places to vacation if you're a celebrity. Model/actress Emily Ratajkowski spent her 25th birthday there earlier this summer, and singer Rihanna was vacationing in the British Overseas Territory around the same time. This collection of 40 islands and cays is only 37 miles long, and most tourists only visit the two main islands, Grand Turk and Providenciales (home of Da Conch Shack, No. 101 on our list of the 101 best restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean). Although Turks and Caicos is almost 600 miles from the United States, the currency used there is still the U.S. dollar, and the primary language is English. More than a million tourists visit annually.