Vacation Smack Down! Brady vs. Manning: Who Travels Best?

Feb. 2, 2012

Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning will face off on Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI, but before they do, ABCNews.com pits them against each other in a pre-Super Bowl vacation smackdown. Each one has traveled to exotic and exclusive locales over the years -- Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, the Deep South.

No matter who you deem the winner, it's obvious where the winner of Super Bowl 2012 will take his next vacation: Disney World, of course. (O.K., full disclosure: Disney is the parent company not only to Disney World but to ABC News. Call us step siblings.)

Take a look at the next few pages and decide which of the QBs wins when it comes to travel.

El Dorado Golf and Beach Club

Brady in Los Cabos

When photos surfaced last May of Tom Brady bombing down a water slide at an unnamed Mexican resort, celeb-watchers, sports fanatics and hotel enthusiasts alike racked their brains to figure out where Brady was having all this fun. The experts at HotelChatter.com revealed it as the El Dorado Golf and Beach Club, not a resort at all, but rather a private residence club. Currently, the least expensive casita for sale is a two-bed, two-bath residence priced at $2.6 million.

PHOTO: The one and only pamilla day bed is shown.

One&Only Pamilla

Manning in Cabo

Eli Manning chose Los Cabos as the locale for his destination wedding, taking the love for this popular Mexican resort town even further than his Super Bowl rival. Manning wed Abby McGrew in 2008 at the One&Only Pamilla, a super-luxe resort routinely named among Mexico's best. Located on the tip of the Baja Peninsula, it's reported that the wedding guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers on the beach before the cliffside dinner.

PHOTO: Super-couple Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady let their hair down at Rio de Janeiro's world famous Carnival and caught many by surprise when they started to kiss in a very unusual public display of affection.

Splash News

Brady in Rio

Sure, Tom Brady is attractive. But have you seen his supermodel wife? Gisele hails from Brazil, so when she headed to her native country last March to dance the samba on a float at a parade during Rio Carnival, Brady was right by her side. No word on where they stayed during their vacation, but there's plenty of evidence of them dancing, sipping cocktails and looking beautiful. Because, you know, that's what people do in Rio.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Manning in Antigua

Travel & Leisure reports that Jumby Bay, Antigua, is a winter getaway for several celebrities, including Eli Manning. Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort is set on a 300-acre private island two miles off the coast of Antigua and is accessible only by boat. With just 40 rooms and suites, visitors can expect attentive service. The all-inclusive plan – which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; beverages, cocktails and house wine by the glass; and afternoon tea service – means travelers can leave their wallets in the hotel safe until check-out.

The Setai South Beach

Brady in South Beach

Something about Tom and Gisele hanging in South Beach seems so natural. Stars often head to South Beach to be seen, but when they want privacy they count on the Setai, a luxury hotel complete with a residential wing perfect for celebs, according to VisitFlorida.com. Celebrity or not, guests who book the Penthouse Terrace (pictured) are treated to a private pool and gorgeous views.

PHOTO: The Lyceum is the oldest building on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Manning in Mississippi

It's a vacation activity regular people can relate to: spending time off with family and friends. ESPN.com reported back in October that Eli Manning was spending the bye week in Mississippi, "presumably catching up with some buddies from Ole Miss." The University of Mississippi (pictured) is in Oxford, and its University Museums are among the city's top attractions. Other noteworthy spots, according to the Oxford Convention & Visitors Bureau, are Rowan Oak, once the home of William Faulkner, and the Historic Downtown Square, location of the South's oldest department store.