FROM RICHARD GERE’S COZY HUDSON VALLEY HIDEAWAY TO CLINT EASTWOOD’S HISTORIC CALIFORNIA RANCH, THESE CELEBRITY-OWNED RESORTS ARE STEEPED IN STAR POWER

BY AMANDA McCOY

GWINGANNA LIFESTYLE RETREAT

Australia / Hugh Jackman

This exclusive wellness retreat along Australia’s Gold Coast bills itself as a cocoon from external distractions and stress, attracting legions of high-profile celebrities and C-suiters intent on unplugging and rejuicing their mental and physical batteries. The X-Men star spent his first stint on the property in the early aughts, becoming so enamored with the program and jaw-dropping panorama (Gwinganna has a prime seat on a plateau in an obscure region of the Tallebudgera Valley) that he bought a hefty stake in the resort. He’s frequently spotted on site, donning a name tag along with the rest of the guests and staff.

This is a true wellness-focused resort: assailants like cigarettes, alcohol, unhealthy food, and caffeine are strictly forbidden. The resort offers specialty retreats all year long, and guests are encouraged to arrive solo so they can reserve all their energy and mental space for theirs truly. Genres run the gamut, from yoga and meditation to cooking, cognition, and women’s health. Retreat leaders here boast credentials for days; think nutritional biochemists, world-famous cardiologists, acclaimed wellness chefs, celebrity performance coaches, and more. The Conscious Living offering, for example, takes its students on a four-day journey through art therapy, mountain bathing, Nia dance, and sound healing, all guided by the “Modern Munk,” Manish Mallas.

Villas are plush and modern, spanning multiple types like the split-level Billabong, framed with entire walls of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the valley’s dense vegetation, and the Meditation Villa, finished with a sun-soaked reflecting deck for yoga and deep inner work. Additional room-specific offerings include infrared saunas, massage chairs, and outdoor bathtubs. gwinganna.com

THE GREENWICH HOTEL

Tribeca, New York Robert DeNiro

Haute yet homey, classic but unpretentiously chic, this boutique hideaway in Tribeca is all class, a passion project of one of Hollywood’s most iconic faces. DeNiro teamed with superstar New York real estate developers Ira Druker and Richard Born to debut the Greenwich Hotel in 2008, a stalwart in the actor’s ever-growing hospitality profile (DeNiro, of course, is also a significant partner in the Nobu empire, which spans 56 restaurants along with 36 hotels globally).

Hidden treasures are tucked within every corner and floor of the 88-room hotel, from the leafy central courtyard to the Japanese-inspired Shibui Spa under the roof of a reconstructed 250-year-old bamboo farmhouse. Upon approach, guests are treated to a slice of old-colonial New York; the facade is crafted from Pennsylvanian brick topped with bronze medallions. A tapestry of Carrera marble, Moroccan tiles, mahogany, terra cotta, and upcycled woods flow throughout the interiors, evoking a majestic country estate that was somehow plucked from a leafy hillside and planted in the heart of the pulsing city. Rooms are plush and charming, finished with dark tiled bathrooms, upholstered leather sofas, deep soaking tubs, and floor-to-ceiling curtains that open to the dizzying urban landscape. Suites up the ante with fireplaces, dedicated sitting/reflecting areas, and built-in wet bars, while magnificent penthouses add towering double-height great rooms, marble bathrooms, full kitchens, saunas, and steamrooms.

DeNiro is, after all, a foodie, and the on-site taverna is sublime, serving chef Andrew Carmellini’s renditions of urban Italian delicacies like sheep’s milk ricotta, spaghetti with anchovy butter, and his grandmother’s ravioli. There’s also the jewel-toned Drawing Room, adjacent to the open-air courtyard, the perfect spot for sipping creative cocktails alongside chic globetrotters and trendy Manhattanites. thegreenwichhotel.com

THE BEDFORD POST INN

Hudson Valley, New York Richard Gere

Cozy, countryside charm is the main course at this Bedford boutique, cradled by a grove of native maples and oaks in the heart of Westchester County in New York’s Hudson Valley. Born as a stagecoach stop between Manhattan and Boston in the mid 18th century, the inn transitioned into a private residence in the late 19th century, serving as a peaceful homestead for generations. In 2007, Hollywood heavyweight Richard Gere and his business partner, Russell Hernandez, purchased the property, moved by its historical significance and classic colonial appeal. Their vision was to restore the house to its former post as an overnight hideaway, a tranquil escape where meals run long, notifications are silenced, and stresses seem to melt away in the rustling leaves. They implemented a several-year renovation initiative, and today Bedford Post Inn features eight cozy rooms, two farm-to-table restaurants, and a wellness sanctuary.

The experience begins on a tree-lined country road in the inn’s private BMW, which scoops up guests from the nearby Metro station.

Overnighters are then escorted to their rooms, each an exquisite blend of old and new. Wood burning fireplaces, 18th century beams, and clawfoot bathtubs harken back to the past, while heated marble floors, dual-head showers, Bang & Olufsen speakers, and high-thread Frette linens bring you into modern day. In the morning, feast on warm croissants and Sunday pancakes topped with hazelnut maple praline in the converted Barn, but be sure to save your appetite for dinner in the Tavern, the inn’s signature bistro helmed by famed NYC chef Sam Mason. Fare spans American classics like olive oil poached tilefish and juicy pork chops, plus an extensive raw bar. There’s also a variety of wellness experiences to reconnect with the earth and source, including Japanese forest bathing, reiki, and sound healing. bedfordpostinn.com

MISSION RANCH HOTEL

Carmel, California Clint Eastwood

In the storybook village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, this historic property rests on 22 waterfront acres with sweeping views of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (considered one of the richest marine habitats in California) and the raging Pacific. Here, roots run deep; the ranch once served as one of California’s earliest dairies in the mid-19th century, supplying the county with cheese and butter, then as a potato farm for the Sierra gold miners. During WWII, the property became an officer’s club for the Army and Navy, famed for its rollicking bar scene that stretched into the wee hours of the morning. In the 1980s, the landmark ranch was slated for redevelopment as a condominium, an anticlimactic capitalist ending for such a storied estate – that is, until the five-time Academy Award winner and Carmel’s newly elected mayor, Clint Eastwood, got involved. Eastwood first fell in love with the property as a 21-year-old Army recruit in the 1950s, and three decades later, he bought the ranch, setting out on a full-scale restoration and renovation project to pay tribute to the ranch’s vast and fascinating history.

The scene at Mission Ranch is dripping in bucolic beauty: goats and sheep graze in the lush grassland, and the swaying branches of old-growth cypress and eucalyptus trees cradle the property’s ten structures. There are 31 total rooms (including two standalone cottages), many finished with gas fireplaces, private patios, and whirlpool tubs. In the distance, thundering waves break against the cragged coastline, framing the peaceful pasture with thrilling juxtaposition. One of the best places on the peninsula to enjoy a California sunset is from the wraparound porch of the Bunkhouse Cottage.

The Restaurant at Mission Ranch serves classic Americana signatures in the indoor dining room or the expansive terrace overlooking the Santa Lucia Mountains. Be sure to nab a table at golden hour to watch the sky melt into a stew of pink, orange, and amber as you feast on almond-coated baked goat cheese, roasted rack of lamb, or bacon-wrapped pork chops blanketed in a chipotle-infused maple syrup glaze. missionranchcarmel.com