With over-the-top resorts, year-round sunshine, killer shopping, picturesque beaches, and the world’s tallest building, Dubai quickly became the celebrity destination of choice.
Not only were the Beckhams and Jolie-Pitts falling all over themselves to jet-set to the Persian Gulf, many were even investing in real estate there.
Well, until the government went public with their $80 million worth of financial woes.
Now that Dubai is donezo, where will the celebrities go to hide away from the unwashed masses? Morocco.

Just this past weekend, a bunch of A-listers jetted to Marrakesh to celebrate the opening of a Chopard boutique at the La Mamounia Hotel. Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Salma Hayek, Miranda Kerr and Juliette Binoche were just a few of the guests in attendance. Could this signify a renaissance of the ’60s bohemian hot spot? [Celebitchy]

Here are some “now” destinations where celebrities will be heading in 2010.

Croatia: The civil war is long over and celebs are rediscovering what tourists knew in the 1980s. Croatia — on the Adriatic arm of the Mediterranean — rivals other European seaside areas with beaches, sailing, and superb cuisine that’s attracted superstars like Steven Spielberg, Andre Agassi, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, and Sharon Stone.

Turks and Caicos: Funny name, amazing islands. Since the opening of a handful of luxury resorts in the ’90s, this British West Indies 40-island archipelago has been working hard to make tourists forget about its shady past as a drug-smuggling hotbed. The exquisite beaches have called to Donna Karan, Barbra Streisand and Britney Spears.

South Africa: With the World Cup in Cape Town fast approaching, tourists are running to score a vacation here. Just ask Oprah, Beyonce, and Kim Kardashian.
Bora Bora: One of the 118 islands that make up French Polynesia, Bora Bora is making celebs skip Tahiti because of its coral gardens and lavish spas. “Couples Retreat” was filmed there if you need a visual. Janet Jackson, Pierce Brosnan, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz can’t all be wrong.

Kenya:
Perfect weather, top-of-the-line accommodations, and scarcity of local media make this African country the perfect place to hide out. Bill Gates, Naomi Campbell, Serena and Venus Williams, and Oprah have all slipped under the radar here.
Whistler, British Columbia: Sure, we know celebs are oot and aboot every winter in Aspen, but this year folks like Sandra Bullock and Harrison Ford may be taking their expensive skis and snowboards to Whistler, BC. Oh yeah … and the 2010 Winter Olympics will be there as well.

The Frisky

On the northern Musandam Peninsula of the Sultanate of Oman, Sixth Senses Hideaway resort provides an enchanting atmosphere of Omani style and eloquence mixed with the area’s natural beauties. Nestled in a fishing village between the Hajar Mountains and 1.6 kilometers of white sandy beaches, modern luxuries await the most particular traveler.

The Resort

Musandam is the Wild West of Oman. Cut off from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates, Musandam has a live and let live spirit unusual for this part of the world. Perhaps it has to do with the distance and physical disconnection from the main part of the country, perhaps with the geography of sharp mountains that have traditionally made land travel difficult. The unique character of Musandam will please visitors seeking a taste of an Arabia that is being lost elsewhere in the Gulf region. One advantage for travellers thinking of coming to Zighy Bay is the dispensing of the need for an Omani visa, which makes spur of the moment visits for visitors to neighbouring UAE an easy option.

Accommodations

At Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, the luxury of space is primary. All the accommodation is bigger than expected, from the studios to The Reserve, a private compound popular for corporate and family retreats. The two-storey pool villas are extremely spacious and private, though the many features unique to the property (thatched pool wall that opens to the other side, both Western- and Eastern-style poolside relax areas, an outdoor shower in a second private area) do not confine, but rather bring the outside world into your own private world.

‘Casual luxury’ is one of those risky phrases that can conjure images of rattan furniture and plant-print wallpaper, but when it’s done right, it can be splendid. Six Senses does casual luxury right, removing the artifice of the silly-serious aspects of modern life (which designer purse goes with which designer gown?) and gets guests back to a basic focus: you. The name of the place is not just a gimmick; emphasis is given over to stimulating the senses, all six of them, and reminding visitors that all is not lost in the contemporary urban existences in which most of us live.

Dining

Take that all-important sense, taste. Sometimes these isolated places are a little lacking when it comes to food, and we forgive that because of the logistical difficulty of brining in the produce necessary for fine cuisine. Such exoneration is not necessary at Zighy Bay; the fare is spectacularly tasty and diverse, with a choice of Indian, modern, beachside barbecue, or Arabian cuisines that will leave you wishing you had a bigger stomach. Breakfast buffets are a world apart from the scrums experienced at other hotels; with exotic juices and traditional Arabian food prepared to order and served by staff who themselves look good enough to eat, don’t be surprised if you find yourself lingering around for one last mouthful of pomegranate juice. The aromas alone are very satisfying.

As for hearing, there are choices of suave chillout music or the waves breaking on the shore. Whatever you do, don’t watch television even though the satellite options are many. Seeing the beauty of the isolated location is wonderfully restorative, and this being a Six Senses spa, the touch of the massage therapists will bring another level of physical awareness to your own tired body. As for the sixth sense, that one is up to you.

Adventure

The adventure that starts at Zighy Bay and allows you to experience the reviving culture of Oman and the buzz of the United Arab Emirates including the traditional and modern adventures that both countries have to offer. Unique adventure experiences from a creative list of the best of the best we can offer. Combining creative tours to suit both the active guest and the guest who prefers to sit back and relax , take in the scenery and culture that these two countries have to offer.

L.I.F.E. service style is attentive, personalized and caring with the hosts being extremely passionate about the safety, knowledge, experience and gourmet offerings.

All of our experiences are designed tastefully and artfully using basic luxury elements that create a complete equilibrium between the natural bounty and man made beauty; providing a rustic but elegant feel and a memory of a L.I.F.E. time.

Choose to snorkel, dive, or relax fishing. Even paraglide, boat, or bask in the sun along the beach. The opportunities to indulge in luxury vary as greatly as does one’s preferences. Perhaps best of all is the Sixth Sense’s Spa. The “Sensory Journey” offers an amazing rejuvenating signature massage. If you have a sense for the finer things in life, the Hideaway in Oman certainly can satisfy your appetite.

Spa

The Six Senses Spa is a holistic oasis nestled into the Zighy Bay mountainside which provides nine treatment rooms, a juice bar and two Arabian Hammams inspired by centuries of tradition. The spa’s wide-ranging menu of regional and Six Senses signature treatments focuses on holistic and pampering therapies using only natural products. Treatments are administered by skilled international therapists and specialist practitioners who combine Eastern and Western techniques with modern day lifestyle programmes to balance the senses.