Michael Douglas and his Hawaiian Oscar Gift Bag

Filed in archive on February 24, 2007

A couple of months ago, I stayed at the Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina. The resort is located on the quiet western shore and about a 25-minute drive - depending on traffic -- from touristy Honolulu and Waikiki Beach. My suite was larger than most Manhattan apartments; it had so many doors, I actually walked into the closet when I thought I was entering the sitting room. The suite came with two lanais: one showcasing the breathtaking Pacific and the other overlooking Ihilani's two-story award-winning spa. The spa in and of itself is good reason to come here. If you go, try the therapeutic lomi lomi massage, which is a unique Hawaiian massage derived from Polynesian settlers.

I met with someone over lunch at the hotel's Naupaka, an open and airy restaurant with a view of the pool. My lunch partner and resident of Honolulu had the inside scoop on celebrities who have stayed at Ihilani. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones enjoyed an Oscar gift bag freebie at the hotel which included a six night stint in the enormous presidential suite along with a surf butler. Other celebrities such as John Travolta and adam sandler have stayed at Ihilani as well. But about the Oscar gift bags. It must be nice to make millions starring in a movie, wear couture gowns with Graff diamonds (on loan, of course) and then to top it off, receive a fabulous vacation for free.

I did a little research and discovered that celebrities who accept gift bags are subject to paying tax. The IRS considers the gifts taxable income. In 2006, gift bags ran the gamut from a $7,000 Victoria's Secret underwear set to a coupon for Lasik surgery. Apparently, the combined value of the gift bags is $100,000. The cheapest one starts at $500.00.

Check out this British article which refers to Ihilani Resort toward the bottom.