With the ups and downs of the real estate market, it can be difficult to gauge where exactly most luxury vacation home owners are setting up shop. There are always the usual suspects in Malibu and Miami but with traffic, weather, smog, earthquakes, crime and other factors continually a threat, we are finding that more and more newcomers are making the top ten list of luxury vacation home cities in America, proving that most home owners are seeking out the areas most prone to serenity and privacy with minimal distractions and areas where you get the most for your money and at their price range who could blame them.

1. Sea Island, GA

Launched amid much fanfare in 1928, the Cloister Hotel on this coastal island survived the Great Depression and then spawned a vibrant resort community. The Great Recession, however, proved to be too much. After loading up on debt for an ambitious expansion, Sea Island Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection last summer and was rescued by a group of big investors, including Oaktree Capital, Starwood Capital, Avenue Capital and billionaire Philip Anschutz.

Sea Island is now ready to reclaim its old splendor and then some. It’s as beautiful as ever, surrounded by tranquil salt marshes and sweeping views of the ocean. The architecture includes some of Addison Mizner’s finest Mediterranean-style designs. As a homeowner, you gain access to the resort’s 65,000-square-foot spa, two championship golf courses, several fine yachts, acclaimed shooting school and five miles of private beaches.

You wouldn’t know any of that from the prices. They plunged by a third last year, even as the broader luxe housing market rebounded. But sales volume has picked up lately and prices are apt to follow.

Located midway between Jacksonville and Savannah, Sea Island already is something of a power alley. Residents include Don Keough, former president of Coca-Cola; software billionaire Tom Siebel and former Senator Sam Nunn. Former Treasury Secretary and Goldman Sachs chief Henry Paulson owns most of nearby Little St. Simons Island.

Median Home Price: $2.3 million

2. Maui, Hawaii

Median Home Price: $1.5 million

3. Hamptons, N.Y.

The famed beaches, fine houses and exclusive restaurants of the Hamptons are all the more enjoyable if you can spring for a helicopter to get there. The flight from Wall Street is just 40 minutes, high above the epic traffic jams.

Median Home Price: $1.5 million

4. Aspen, CO.

If you’ve got $5 million or more, it’s nearly impossible to find a bad place to live in Aspen, where Victoria and David Beckham, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, and many other such couples come to relax. Among the most exclusive digs are the 162 homes on Red Mountain, many of them ranch-size estates in a mosaic of uber-private subdevelopments.

Median Home Price: $9.5 million

 5.) Orlando, FL

Quickly making a name for themselves as the quintessential golf and vacation home communities in Central Florida, neighborhoods like Disney’s Golden Oak and the oppulent Isleworth community have helped to keep Orlando at the top of this list.

With average home prices starting at just 1 Million in both communities, you certainly get more for your dollar in Central Florida and with the dramatic reduction in hurricanes over years past, Florida is leading the charts in travel destinations. With prime shopping, golf, and perfect weather for most of the year there is little argument that Orlando is a jet-setter go to destination according to Barrons.com who recently reported an increase in air travel to the Sunshine State.  Luxury real estate agent, Melissa A. Scire of Charles Rutenberg Realty assists travelers who come over to the Florida area from destinations worldwide in finding and or building their perfect vacation home. Scire puts home prices in both Isleworth and Disney Golden Oaks communities at the  million dollar price point with the median home for luxury lakefront properties averaging at about 1.5 million.  The Disney Golden Oak community  appeared to be a huge risk for most people watching the newest real estate development open at a time when the market appeared to be taking a hit.  Scire sat down with Go Magazine and had this to say: “I’m confident Golden Oak will be a big success,” she says. “If anyone can pull off a miracle in this turbulent market, it is the House of Mouse. Disney rarely goes big without a lot of research and development to back it.” So far it seems she is correct in her intel with Disney selling well into their second and third phases. Fore more information please call or email her for for a private showing or listing appointment. You may also find more information here.

6. Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Median Home Price: $1.34 million

7. Deer Valley, Utah

 It couldn’t be easier to fly into this world-class ski haven. Abundant nonstop flights to Salt Lake City, which is less than an hour’s drive away, give the area a clear edge over other Rocky Mountain snow spots. Park City is the main commercial attraction, but the place to go for your hideaway is the gated community of Tuhaye. Built by Canadian-based Talisker, which developed much of Deer Valley and now owns the local Waldorf-Astoria hotel and Canyons ski resort, Tuhaye offers top-notch golf, great dining and the opportunity to custom-build the house of your dreams. Tuhaye prices:

Median Home Price: $1.3 million

8. Lake Tahoe, CA

Median Home Price: $1.9 million

9. Kiawah Island, S.C.

Median  Home Price: $1.2 million

10. Palm Beach, FL

Palm Beach is part of the Iron Triangle of America’s high society: People live in New York, winter in Palm Beach and summer in the Hamptons. This pedigreed place — the Kennedys and the Vanderbilts had oceanfront homes here for decades — got its groove back in 2010, as residents recovered from the Bernie Madoff scandal and the ravages of the credit crisis.

Median Home Price: $2.6 million