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What a view!

ISCHIA, ITALY
Hilary Swank practices her postcard-perfect smile on vacation with boyfriend John Campisi. It wasn't all couple time; they also caught up with pal Sheryl Crow and her son Wyatt.

ROMANTIC RENDEZVOUS

• HOT SPOTS
Spain's Baleares Islands, where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones own a vacation home; Portofino, where Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton went yachting; and Nice, where Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis recently sailed from Corsica.

• ACTIVITIES
Hitting the flea markets or taking a thermal mud bath at the Grand Hotel Terme di Augusto, where Hilary Swank stayed on the island of Ischia off the coast of Italy.

• MUST-HAVE
A beach towel for two.

MENORCA, SPAIN

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas celebrate St. John's Day with the locals near their vacation home in Spain.

PORTOFINO, ITALY
Talk about romance! Michael Bolton serenaded fiancée Nicollette Sheridan aboard a private yacht.

PANTERLLERIA, SICILY
Sharon Stone soaks up the sun and the affections of her companion Lawrence Austin.

ST. TROPEZ, FRANCE
Jay-Z kicks back with girlfriend Beyoncé at sea on the Lady Lola.

Say "Formaggio!"

ROME, ITALY
Uma Thurman and son Roan, 5, and daughter Maya, 9, take a breather at the city's famed Spanish Steps.

SARDINIA, ITALY

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes take off on a jet ski for two after 15-month-old Suri (inset) learned she's no water baby during a dip with Dad.

THE GARDEN ISLAND, KAUAI

Jennifer Garner holds her balance while paddle surfing with pal Matt Damon's stepdaughter Alexa, 9.

FAMILY FUN

• HOT SPOTS
Italy for some history (St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum in Rome were on the itinerary for Uma Thurman and her kids) and Hawaii for sun and surf: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner took baby Violet for a family vacation with pal Matt Damon's brood.

• ACTIVITIES
Watersports on Kauai introducing a little one to the sea, as Katie Holmes did with Suri in the Côte d'Azure, and noshing guilt-free on local cuisine. (It is a vacation!)

• HANDY EDUCATIONAL PHRASE
Non portare i tuoi Crocs nel Mare. (Italian for "Don't wear your Crocs in the sea.")

"It was a nice vacation," Matt Damon (below) told PEOPLE of his three-week family getaway with wife Luciana and pals Garner and Affleck.

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y.
Matthew Broderick hits the waves with son James Wilkie, 4, who rocked a cool pair of green shades.

SINGLES SCENES

• HOT SPOTS
It's all about the Mediterranean. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen went yachting in St. Tropez—as did Owen Wilson—and Mariah Carey cruised around Salerno and Capri.

• ACTIVITIES
Bikini shopping at Capri's designer stores in the Piazzetta, hitting the bar scene at St. Tropez's Nikki Beach and Club 55, where Ludacris hangs out.

• HANDY PHRASE
C'est un bateau de 30 mètres dans ton slip, ou es-tu juste content de me voir? ("Is that a 100-ft. yacht in your slip, or are you just happy to see me?")

• MUST-HAVE
A teeny two-piece.

ST. TROPEZ, FRANCE
Bikini after baby! Geri Halliwell shows off a bod still built for the beach.

ST. TROPEZ, FRANCE
Owen Wilson heats up at the bow of a pal's yacht before taking a leap into the Mediterranean.

Wish you were here!

SALERNO, ITALY

Girls' day out: Between poses Mariah Carey and a friend went jet-skiing off designer Roberto Cavalli's yacht.

OTHER HOT SPOTS
From "Umbrella" to "Beautiful Girls," these Caribbean music stars gave us summer's biggest songs. Here they share a local's guide to their native islands

Atlantic Ocean
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Caribbean Sea
Barbados

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Kat DeLuna ("Whine Up")

• EAT OUT: Adrian Tropical in Santo Domingo for sancocho stew and mofongo (mashed plantains).

• LAZY DAY: Sun on the "untouched" Playa Bonita in Samana. "I bring my bed cover—it's comfortable!"

BARBADOS
Rihanna ("Umbrella")

• GO WEST: For the "best beaches and whitest sand" and good eats at the Cliff and Chefette.

• DON'T MISS: The sunsets. "Every part of the island has spectacular ones with vibrant colors."

JAMAICA
Sean Kingston ("Beautiful Girls")

• DIVE IN: The Dunns River Falls. "You climb up and jump off massive limestone rocks."

• CHILL OUT: With Ting, a grapefruit soda made locally. "Very refreshing."

PUERTO RICO
Daddy Yankee ("Impacto")

• HOME COOKING: Fuentes BBQ in Rio Piedras. "It's like Grandma's!"

• ALL-NIGHTER: "Towns in Culebra all have special beach summer parties. You go to sleep at 7 a.m., on the beach."

  • Contributors:
  • With Dana Kennedy/Nice.