This year Eddie Murphy took Melanie Brown (or Scarey Spice) and her daughter Phoenix Chi on vacation with his five children, to Hawaii at Murphy's favorite $10,700-a-night luxury suite at Maui's Four Seasons Hotel.


During the weeklong trip, the party of eight bonded while lounging poolside in private cabanas and dining out together at the island's branch of Spago.


Brown even took the entire clan by herself to the beach one afternoon to go body surfing and boogie boarding. Says one onlooker

"There was a lot of togetherness between the families."

Murphy and Brown have kept their relationship quiet, but it's no secret that they like each other. At a Fourth of July BBQ Murphy hosted at his Beverly Hills home, the pair

"were very loving and cute together,"

says a source.


The British singer is spending more time at her L.A. house to be close to the actor. Murphy – who is earning early Oscar buzz for his turn in Dreamgirls – already has his family on board, with big brother Charlie saying

"Eddie seems very happy with her, and that's what's important to me. He's in a good place. If she does that for him, then that's great."