Luke Evans and Taika Waititi attend the LuisaViaRoma for UNICEF Winter Gala at Emeraude on Thursday.
Craig Barritt/Getty Images for LuisaViaRoma
As 2022 drew to a close, some stars and Hollywood executives leaned into the luxury of staying home for the holidays, while many others ventured further afield to celebrate. Among the hot spots were perennial getaway favorites Aspen, Cabo, Maui and St. Barts along with destinations from Fiji and Taiwan to Dubai and Madagascar. Here are highlights of the Hollywood crowd’s globe-trotting merrymaking.
Home in L.A.
Topping haute L.A. holiday parties was Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s soirée, complete with a gingerbread rendering of their Bel-Air residence, where Kim Kardashian, Jane Fonda, Billie Eilish and Vanessa Hudgens mingled. North West joined Sia to sing “Santa’s Coming for Us” at the Kardashian-Jenner Christmas Eve bash in Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s home in Calabasas, with Machine Gun Kelly, Addison Rae, Charli D’Amelio and Kathy Hilton among guests and red Christmas trees as decor. Over at Martin Sheen’s abode, Emilio Estevez piped in on FaceTime to join guests including Charlie Sheen and Kathy Griffin singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard served Christmas dinner to Melanie Griffith, RuPaul and jewelry designer Loree Rodkin at his West Hollywood home. Vida creator Tanya Saracho celebrated the season in L.A. with guests including playwright Antoinette Nwandu, writers Raul Martin Romero and Isaac Gomez and actors Jackson Davis, Adrian Gonzalez and Anna LaMadrid (This Fool).
Aspen
In Aspen, Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, Bella and Gigi Hadid and Rebel Wilson with girlfriend Ramona Agruma hit the ski slopes in style. Ludacris and wife Eudoxie Bridges toasted their eighth anniversary in the Hollywood-loved Colorado resort town, where Kyle Richards, Mariah Carey and boyfriend Bryan Tanaka and Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were spotted holiday shopping. Kate Hudson and fiancé Danny Fujikawa, Wilson and pro snowboarder Shaun White were celebrity guests at the Aspen World Snow Polo Championships at the St. Regis, featuring Argentine player Nacho Figueras.
Deer Valley
UTA’s Matt Rice and Marissa Devins, Will & Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick Terry Crews and Elizabeth Banks and husband Max Handelman opted for an alpine escape at Deer Valley ski resort in Park City, Utah.
Hawaii
A family tradition for more than two decades, the Obamas landed in Oahu to holiday at their new oceanfront mansion and daughters Malia and Sasha got in the giving spirit, helping to distribute blankets and food to homeless residents. Escaping to Maui were fashion stylist Jason Bolden and his interior designer husband Adair Curtis with son Arrow. They vacationed with Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade (who played tennis and made a late-night run to Chick-fil-A) with daughter Kaavia in tow, and Obsidianworks’ Chad Easterling.
Elsewhere in the U.S.
Also stateside, new DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn trekked home to St. Louis to visit mom and nosh on the city’s famous toasted ravioli, while Mindy Kaling and her kids snuggled up to sheep at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm near her hometown in Massachusetts.
To celebrate her mom’s birthday, Bronx native Kerry Washington encouraged donations to the Bronx Children’s Museum and also hit the New York Botanical Garden, saying, “My family and I never miss the train show.” Aubrey Plaza was at the Rockwood Park & Museum in her hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to read from her new children’s book, The Return of the Christmas Witch. “There’s no place like home. Merry Witchmas!” she wrote on Instagram. Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo visited his home state of Oklahoma, along with Cherokee filmmaker Brit Hensel, where he posted a sunset picture of Keystone Lake. Crooked Media’s Jon Favreau and family tucked into the Parker Palm Springs while exploring Cali’s desert canyons. Cheyenne Jackson and husband Jason Landau were also in the desert, vacationing in Joshua Tree. In Orlando, the clans of Neil Patrick Harris and Mariska Hargitay hit Disney World together. Ana de Armas spent the holiday in Woodstock with her boyfriend, Tinder executive Paul Boukadakis, and his family. Julia Garner and her husband, Mark Foster of Foster the People, were skiing in Lake Tahoe along with the band’s keyboardist Isom Innis and his wife, actress Carlson Young.
Mexico
Cabo San Lucas attracted a power crowd. In the mix were UTA’s Jay Sures and Dan Erlij, FX’s Nick Grad, Nina Dobrev and Shaun White and Walt Disney Television’s Sharon Klein, who vacationed on Mexico’s southern Baja beaches alongside Eric Dane, ex-wife Rebecca Gayheart and daughters Billie and Georgia.
On the Yucatán Peninsula, Busy Phillips, with daughter Cricket, stayed in a rental house and explored the Coba Mayan temple ruins; the star also posted the results of her crafting, a mushroom-shaped menorah made with a Sculpd pottery kit.
The Caribbean
St. Barts, as ever, was filled with stars and power players. Yachts owned by David Geffen, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Ovitz, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and LVMH’s Bernard Arnault were anchored off the Caribbean island. Also on the scene were Amy Schumer with husband Chris Fischer, as were Ethan Hawke with wife Ryan Shawhughes and his children, Stranger Things star Maya and Levon, who bodysurfed on Boxing Day. Diddy kicked back with five of his kids on a luxe yacht and shopped for jewelry at Chopard, while filming what was speculated to be a new reality TV show.
More glitterati descended on St. Barts for shopping site LuisaViaRoma’s UNICEF Winter Gala. Guests including Taika Waititi and Rita Ora, Mary J. Blige, Naomi Watts, Luke Evans, Billy Crudup and CODA producer Philippe Rousselet enjoyed the evening which included performances by Drake and Lenny Kravtiz. The evening raised more than $3 million for UNICEF. “Incredible night. Huge amounts of money raised for this great cause,” wrote Evans on his Instagram.
A Caribbean Christmas was likewise in the cards for Sofia Vergara and husband Joe Manganiello, who hosted Latin World Entertainment CEO Luis Balaguer at their vacation home, Casa Chipi Chipi, which is reportedly reachable only by seaplane.
Barbados was the destination of choice for Gwyneth Paltrow and daughter Apple, Mark Wahlberg and wife Rhea Durham and Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher. … Laverne Cox touched down on the beach in Anguilla. …. Zola director Janicza Bravo checked in to the Palm Heights boutique hotel in Grand Cayman. John Amos was in Jamaica with his son to celebrate his 83rd birthday.
In the Bahamas at the Atlantis in Paradise Island and Staniel Cay Yacht Club, fashion stylist Tara Swennen and her daughter Jordan swam with sharks, sea lions and pigs, a nod to their favorite pet. “Another highlight was snorkeling one of Pablo Escobar’s sunken drug planes and the Thunderball Grotto from the James Bond film,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. … Atlanta’s LaKeith Stanfield and his girlfriend, model Kasmere Trice, also unwound in the Bahamas. “Wow i never smile like this,” wrote Stanfield on his Instagram. “Loving this winter vacation. A time to reflect and set new goals and intentions for the new year. We are planning to strip it back to basics next year. Less jewelry, less flash, less phone, less material.”
The Middle East
Shakira and her two sons enjoyed a Dubai desert getaway; the singer posed with a falcon on her arm. “In the desert this Christmas, searching for serenity,” she wrote on Instagram.
Also in the Middle East was Mayim Bialik, who traveled to Israel and visited the historic city of Tzfat. “I’ve wanted to visit the mystical city of Tzfat for decades, learning first of its role in college, as I studied the origins and history of the Kabbalah,” she told THR. “Tzfat is a powerful city with rich history, tremendous spiritual significance and, while it’s known for Tzfat cheese, this vegan prefers its incredible falafel!”
Mayim Bialik exploring Tzfat, Israel
Courtesy of subject
Asia and Pacific Islands
Interscope digital marketing manager Allison Hsu brought beau Simu Liu to her homeland of Taiwan after the couple attended Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s holiday party in L.A. earlier in December.
Ronny Chieng posted a photo of his mom in front of a pile of fruit in his home town of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, writing, “Cancel me so I can stay in Malaysia and eat durian with my mom.” He also checked out a night market in Johor Jaya and met up with his Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. co-star Peyton Elizabeth Lee in Singapore. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom visited Tokyo. David Nevins and his family jetted to Korea. Taraji P. Henson relaxed by meditating in Bali. Producer and former ambassador James Costos was in Jaipur, India with his partner, interior designer Michael S. Smith, helping raise funds and awareness for Help in Suffering which cares for street animals in the city. In the South Pacific, Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky jetted to what she calls “their favorite island,” Tavarua in Fiji, where their kids fished from a boat.
Australia
Elvis director Baz Luhrmann was back in Australia with his wife, producer and production and costume designer Catherine Martin, who posted pics of the fanciful decorations she created for the holidays. Day Shift star Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who will next appear in Ahsoka, went home to New South Wales. “Swam with an eel in a freeeeeezing creek. Saw a Golden Orb spider the size of a plate. Met a brush turkey who tried to steal our breakfast. Met a few forest spirits. Ate mangoes in the bath. Woke up to laughing kookaburras. Remembered my reasons. Happy holidays from home,” she wrote on her Instagram.
Africa
Director and cinematographer Rachel Morrison visited Morocco, as did King Richard’s Demi Singleton (with a stop in Luxor, Egypt). CAA’s Rachel Rusch booked a safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Martha Stewart explored Madagascar, including the small island of Miavana. “On a several kilometer jungle walk on the mainland island of Madagascar we encountered golden lemurs, a boa constrictor, some chameleons, colorful flying insects and some crown lemurs,” she posted on her Instagram.
Demi Singleton in Egypt
Courtesy of subject
Europe
Jeff Goldblum and wife Emilie spent the holidays with family in Florence. Wanda Sykes and wife Alex enjoyed Paris, as did Patton Oswalt and wife Meredith Salenger Tessa Thompson posted that she enjoyed “Xmas by the sea,” posting a photo of the beach in Armação de Pêra, Portugal. Taron Egerton cooked braised red cabbage for family back in his English hometown of Aberystwyth, Wales. Harriet and The Equalizer producer Debra Martin Chase was in England, where she posted that she enjoyed a Christmas Eve cocktail party at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, took a “gorgeous, peaceful walk on Boxing Day along the Grantham Canals in Lincolnshire,” and watched the King’s televised Christmas speech. Kate Beckinsale posted pics of a days-long, madcap house party at the new Castle Elvira boutique hotel in Puglia.
Central and South America
Netflix film head Scott Stuber visited Rincón de la Vieja volcano, Diamante Eco Adventure Park and Zapotal Beach in Costa Rica with wife Molly Sims and their kids. “This might be the best place on earth! We went in caves, snorkeled, swam, beached, and atv’d … I mean, this is PARADISE,” she posted on her Instagram.
A group that included Ronan Farrow, Natasha Lyonne and Freeform president Tara Duncan also appeared to be vacationing in Costa Rica. Farrow posted pics of the three riding horses on the beach and a photo from La Lora Amarilla nightclub, captioning it “Beyhive, local chapter.”
Bros star Luke Macfarlane went mountain trekking in Argentina in the Andes. “Mt. Aconcagua (22,800’). Arriving at Plaza de Mulas (Base Camp). A trip this high requires patience with weather and the effects of thin air,” he wrote on his Instagram. Colman Domingo traveled to Easter Island “on a bucket list trip” and Santiago, Chile. “Have fallen madly in love with Rapa Nui. The people. The people. Just two weeks ago when some plans changed, we decided to change everything. Go on an adventure,” he posted.