Sports Illustrated 2013 Swimsuit Destinations

On Easter Island, one of the world's most remote inhabited islands, we imagine the models stood out as much as the <i>moai</i>, 887 mysterious, monumental statues created by the early Rapa Nui people.

While the desert's dunes served as a striking backdrop, the models were hardly stranded. They stayed in the luxurious Swakopmund Hotel, a converted train station with equal access to both the dunes and the ocean.

The 84,000-acre Onguma Game Reserve is home to 550 species and The Fort -- including luxury tents and open-air tree houses, all offering unparalleled views and predator protection.

After going on safari with Namab Desert Tours, the crew retreated 570 miles to the south, where the luxurious Wolwedans camp offers a night sky like you've never seen (and where SI claims Brangelina has stayed -- twice.)

We particularly envy the SI crew's 10-day shoot in south central China. While at the sprawling Shangri-La Hotel, we imagine they took full advantage of the nearby street markets' mouthwatering Guilin delicacies and the spa's 8 private treatment rooms.

SI stayed in the heart of Seville's old city at the famed Gran Melia Colon, a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway and matadors (acknowledged by a subtle bullfighting motif). The 5-star hotel's recently renovated rooms seem ideal for a siesta.

We can only imagine the looks on the (few) faces when SI cover girl Kate Upton arrived aboard Le Boreal, bikini in hand, at the "end of the world." The last leg of her lengthy journey (New York to Buenos Aires to Antarctica) was chartered by the 50-year-old exotic travel company Abercrombie & Kent.

SI says that right before they arrived in Vegas, the cast of <i>The Hangover Part III </i> was filming at Caesars Palace, where villas in the newly-opened Octavius Tower can go for $40,000 a night.

While the "viral athletes" spread was shot at Caesars Palace, the crew stayed at the plush Cosmopolitan Hotel up the Strip -- and we imagine the models let their collective hair down at its posh nightclub, Marquee.

And now for something a little more expected of a swimsuit edition: The picturesque Grand Isle Resort & Spa. Sports Illustrated knows to skip the sky-scraping hotels in Nassau in favor of Georgetown, the capital of the exotic Exuma Islands district.

There's nothing separating you from the elements at Hayman Island, a jaw-dropping resort in the heart of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where the villas are beachfront, infinity pools have unobstructed views and the canopy of trees overhead is full of exotic fauna. One photo assistant told SI, it "feels like Jurassic Park!"