When Hollywood A-listers and top musical stars decide to tie the knot, they know that a week on the Gold Coast probably isn't going to cut the mustard when it comes to a honeymoon.

No, they usually splash an indecent amount of cash in order to stay at some of the most expensive, luxurious places in the world. But where are these horrendously high-end hotels and stunning secluded islands?

Turks and Caicos Islands

There are plenty of gorgeous — and thoroughly obscure — islands in the Caribbean Sea, but the Turks and Caicos are near the top of the list in both categories. But despite the fact that virtually no-one could place them on a map, there are some pretty darned swanky resorts on the tiny specks of land. Among them is Parrot Cay, which is a favoured celebrity hang-out. Britney and Justin went there while they were together, while Ben Affleck married Jennifer Garner at the resort. However, Parrot Cay got its most recent blitz of publicity when diminutive Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria disappeared for a honeymoon break there with her comically tall basketballer hubby Tony Parker.

St Martin

Another popular Caribbean island is the French outpost of St Martin, where the Orient Express-owned La Samanna is pretty much unanimously regarded as the classiest joint. It's set on a stunning white sand beach, among extensive gardens that make every villa feel like there aren't any neighbours for miles around. The staff are extraordinarily helpful and friendly, and all told it's the perfect place for some honeymoon pampering. And that's exactly what one of Hollywood's steadiest couples, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, thought — they headed there for some R&R after tying the knot.

The Maldives

When the stars aren't whisking their loved ones off to the Caribbean, they're heading off for a fortnight of frolics in the Indian Ocean. There are a few options out that way, but one of the most upscale is the Maldives. An archipelago of more than 1000 coral islands, it's not difficult to get one to yourself and indulge in some of the world's best diving. But Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were greedy when they went, hiring a yacht and dawdling between a few favoured reefs, resorts and restaurants. Ah, it's a hard life when you're loaded, isn't it?

Seychelles

The other upmarket island chain of choice in the Indian Ocean is the Seychelles, which is a time-honoured honeymoon destination. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have a great track record for unions that last happily ever after. One of the most high-profile honeymoons to take place in the country was that of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. They stayed on the ultra-luxurious (and intensely private) Frégate Island. It's a plush resort that hosts a maximum of 40 guests at a time, but Brad and Jen reportedly booked the whole place out so they could have it to themselves. Seems like such a waste of money now. Still, that one ended as a bed of roses compared to that of another pair of Seychelles honeymooners — Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills also got their post-ceremonial legs over there.

Fiji

Another place with an unfortunate track record for suspect longevity is Fiji. Jessica Simpson's boots walked all over Nick Lachey there, and Britney Spears did it again with Kevin Federline, but we all know what happened to those ill-fated celebrity hitches. Still, it can't really be blamed on the place they were staying at; Turtle Island is almost universally acknowledged to be one of the most romantic places in the world. It's a private island, drenched in luxury and shared by a maximum of 12 couples at any one time. It has an astonishing 14 private beaches, all of which are put to use for smoochy moonlight picnics and the sort of horseback ride where more time is spent gazing into eyes than gripping the reins.

Bora Bora

Fiji hasn't got the South Pacific romance isle market all to itself, however. Bora Bora in French Polynesia has been a long-standing celebrity favourite. The island is renowned for having one of (if not the) most stunning lagoons in the world, with the vivid blues and greens backed up by the soaring Mount Otemanu. It's the island that pioneered that byword for romantic decadence — the overwater bungalow — and everything there is almost unspeakably expensive. But Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban aren't exactly short of a few bucks, so they decided to hang the cost and stay at the St Regis resort for their first trip as a married couple.

Santa Barbara, California

While it appears to be an unwritten rule that all celebrities have to go to a tropical island for their honeymoon, there's the odd pairing that likes to buck the trend. Among them are Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who headed to the famous San Ysidro Ranch in California's wine country for their post-ring fling. Consistently rated as being among the top hotels in the world, the San Ysidro ranch has an old-school glamour that's partly accentuated by the list of greats that have stayed there. Audrey Hepburn, Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Winston Churchill and Bing Crosby have all graced the bedsheets, while the Kennedy Cottage is so named because JFK and Jackie Onassis had their honeymoon there.