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You Go, Girls! All-Women Vacations Rejuvenate the Sisterhood

Posted on: Monday, 30 May 2005, 18:00 CDT

Girls just wanna have fun, as the song goes. And what girls wanna, girls are gonna get as the travel industry caters to a new kind of vacationer: the all-gal getaway.

From chocolate in rooms and massages at the spa to packages such as the PMS Special (pralines, martinis and shopping), hotels and resorts are putting together special all-gal packages heavy on spa treatments and "retail therapy," said Joanne Panineau, a spokeswoman for Fairmont Hotels.

Gal groups may be bachelorette parties, mother-daughter-sister bonding fests or girlfriends going ya-ya on the road.

For example, Terri Panico of Dedham is among a group of women - married and single - who have taken trips together for the past six years. They've gone to Las Vegas, Sedona, Ariz., and South Carolina, and just returned from Florida.

"Women just like to go away and travel and have a good time and sometimes the guy is just not into it," Panico said.

Sure, the gals also travel with their significant others, but there's nothing like an all-gal gab by the pool, followed by shopping or a great dinner.

Without men, "it's more relaxing. Women have more interests in common - they like to hang out a lot and talk and drink and - most importantly - laugh," Panico said.

Reasons for the increase in all-women travel include more women delaying marriage and more working women with independent incomes, said Emily Goldfischer, vice president of public relations for Loews Hotels. "Guys have always had the golf vacation; now women are catching up."

But gals "seem to be more about pampering and rejuvenating and getting away from the stress of daily life," she said.

For example, Tobey Eugenio of Middleboro and five fellow graduates of Emmanuel College decided to treat themselves by staying at a luxury hotel in Boston rather than the dorms during a recent reunion. Leaving behind husbands and kids, they got down to some serious bonding - and pampering. "You feel like you're a queen or a princess," she said.

Dianne Gianotti of Middleton, who just spent a "total- relaxation" week with girlfriends at the Fairmont Scottsdale (Ariz.) Princess, often travels with her boyfriend, but "his idea of vacation is sleeping in bed all day," she said. "He would never appreciate a spa."

"I definitely need a girls trip every year."

Sample gal getaways:

- "French Connection Divas" at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal focuses on French-style pampering with studio-room accommodations, buffet breakfast, a bottle of Moet champagne, a French manicure and a shopping guide with discounts. At Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the "Gals Get a Taste of Castlelife" getaway includes a "Toast to Friendship" special, unlimited movie rentals, a fine dinner and breakfast. 800-441-1414, www.fairmont.com

- The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" package at Southwest Florida's Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa lets the ladies enjoy three swimming pools, two tennis courts and restaurants; ladies even get credit and coupons for shopping. 888-309-2912, www.pinkshell.com

- The "Almost Desperate Housewives Package" at Boston's Hotel Commonwealth has champagne and chocolate on arrival followed by massages, therapeutic head wraps and aromatherapy. 617-933-5000, www.hotelcommonwealth.com

- "Best Friends Escape" at The Sagamore resort in the Adirondack Mountains (upstate New York) offers a massage, facial, pedicure, manicure and lunch for two with a two-night stay. 800-358-3585, www.thesagamore.com

- The "Girl's Getaway Package" at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz., has spa treatments, a "Girlfriend Goodie Basket" with fashion and beauty magazines, champagne, Evian bottled water, Godiva chocolate and a chick flick. The "Bikini Boot Camp" at the Loews House of Blues hotel in Chicago offers bikini waxing, pedicures and personal shopping excursions. 800-23-LOEWS, www.loewshotels.com

Caption: THELMA AND EASE: Arizona's Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel, left, and above, offers girl-getaway packages with amenities including spa treatments.

Source: Boston Herald

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