When it comes to your summer holidays, why not throw on your diamonds and follow in the flight path of the rich and famous? According to London Executive Aviation (LEA), one of Europe’s largest private jet charter operators, those in the know this year are decamping to the glittering northern shores of the Mediterranean for their annual dose of sun, sea and all-round sensory satisfaction.

LEA’s list of top ten summer destinations 2013 shows that the über-wealthy are not only succumbing to the heady delights of the Côte d’Azur, the Balearic Islands and southernmost Portugal and Italy, but also dipping their pedicured toes into the eastern Adriatic and the Aegean.

Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive, LEA says: “While our flight destinations in Sardinia, southern Portugal and Mediterranean France remain perennial favourites, the Greek islands are also becoming ever more popular with summer travellers who can afford to be extremely choosy. Cosmopolitan Mykonos has managed to squeeze into our latest top ten, while the jewel-like islands of Corfu, Skiathos and Crete are hot on its heels, followed by Greek capital Athens, which also only missed this year’s list by a whisker.”

As in previous years, the French Riviera remains the most popular destination for well-heeled vacationers. Served by LEA destinations Cannes and Nice, it offers a wealth of luxurious restaurants, shops and hotels and the promise of long, warm summers spent in some of the grandest and most exclusive villas to have been built in the 19th century.

Part of the Balearic archipelago, the Spanish islands of Ibiza and Majorca remain almost as enticing a prospect, thanks to their heady combination of dazzling nightlife and rustic beauty. These are followed by the 11th century fort and city of Málaga; Faro, Portugal’s southernmost city and the gateway to the swanky golf courses and secluded pousadas of the Algarve; and, via Olbia, the exclusive white sandy beaches of Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, which attract high-net-worth holidaymakers like bees to a honeypot.

As the gateway to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, Naples has made it to number 8 on this year’s list, hotly pursued by the luxurious boutique hotels of Split, centred around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian in what is now Croatia.

LEA’s top ten summer destinations 2013 are as follows:
1. Nice, France
2. Cannes, France
3. Palma, Majorca
4. Ibiza
5. Malaga, Spain
6. Faro, Portugal
7. Olbia, Sardinia
8. Naples, Italy
9. Split, Croatia
10. Mykonos, Greece.

Source: London Executive Aviation