"Landmark birthdays" as we like to call them, are the perfect excuse for a fabulous Girlfriend Getaway trip.  Turning 30? 35? 40? 45?  You see where we're going here?  Ellie and her cousin Ali used Ali's 40th birthday as the catalyst for a chic jaunt to gay Paris!  Come and take a vicarious trip with them.

 

"Sunday

Flight arrived at around 730 AM. Headed directly to hotel to drop of our bags (naturally the room wasn’t ready since it was so early) and walked approximately a half mile to Arc de Triomphe where we got tickets for the 2 day hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the city. The weather was warm and beautiful (as it was through the entire week we were there) so we sat on top and right away saw many amazing sites. We got off at Notre Dame and went in to look around. It’s a massive, very impressive structure, though not particularly beautiful. We took some photos but it was a bit dark and it’s hard for amateur photographers to do justice to such a vast, impressive site. After that, we walked around the Ile St-Louis and had lunch (croque monsieur and quiche Lorraine) and drinks at a café with outdoor seating, which was great for Sunday people watching. We did a bit of shopping (souvenier shop) and Ali was able to find the Paris sweatshirt that a friend in San Diego had asked her to look for. We got back on the bus and rode around to see other sites and got off again at the Opera House which, unfortunately, was closed. We visited Le Grand Hotel and had martinis/kir royales in the beautiful bar there. We got back on the hop on/off bus and rode up the Champs-Elysees and went back to our hotel to check in. We were totally worn out but we had a little power nap and totally rallied so we walked around ¾ mile to Brasserie Lorraine (recommended by Alex, Ellie’s friend) where we sat outside and had a nice bottle of Beaujolais and Ali had the most enormous seafood platter full of beautiful fresh shellfish and Ellie had filet de boeuf. A little group of 4 Americans from LA (two young couples) sat next to us and they were cute and amusing. We walked back to the hotel and noticed this bar called James Joyce pub right across from the hotel so of course we had to go in! It was managed by a young English bartender who understood that a good snakebite does not include the scary black currant liqueur that they tried to put in at first! At the pub we met some 60’ish American guy from New Jersey who works for Pfizer and was in Paris for 2 days on business. Randomly enough, he was originally from Greeley, Colorado. We shocked ourselves by staying out til close to 1 AM, impressive since we’d had virtually no sleep for over 24 hours!

Monday

We spent 3.5 hours at the Louvre, which is amazing, but utterly overwhelming. We managed to see all the most famous pieces (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, etc.) and also visited the old French crown jewels (Louis XIV) and the recreation of Napoleon’s (Ali, is that right?) old house. We had lunch at Café Marly (thanks, Donna). We walked around the area a bit and then made our way back to the Opera House and, naturally, arrived right at the time it was closing (4 PM) so we were thwarted again. It was cocktail hour and we were pretty tired so, fortunately, as we were walking around we ran right into Harry’s Bar where we popped in for a couple of Bloody Mary’s. We went to Café de la Paix for dinner and had a very good meal and then went back to our hotel and popped into the James Joyce pub where we sat at an outside table and were accosted by a total drunk idiot patron.

Tuesday

We took the metro to the Musee d’Orsay in the morning and spent 2.5 hours. We both loved the Musee d’Orsay – the building is amazing and the collection is very much our speed. There were some very unfortunate tourists in there but it made for interesting people watching and kept us snickering. We took the RER to the Tour Eiffel and walked around the Tower and took some photos. We had a long lunch at Jules Verne, which was totally delicious and quite an experience. We walked from Eiffel Tower to Les Invalides and looked at the WWI and WWII exhibits and then visited Napoleon’s crypt (which Ali has named “la monument le petit penis”). We walked to Rue de Cler and saw all the fruit and vegetable markets and had a drink at a local bar there. We took the metro back to the hotel and had a light snack at Chez Clement, a little restaurant near our hotel.

Wednesday

All our activity had caught up with us, so we slept in a little on Wednesday. We took the metro to Montmarte to visit Sacre Coeur, which we both thought was way more interesting that Notre Dame. We walked over to Place de Tetre and walked around and looked at all the artist stalls. We had lunch at a fun restaurant called La Cremaillerie, which is right on the Square. Montmartre is a really interesting area with fun shops and nice gardens and interesting looking apartments. We followed a Fodor’s walking tour and walked to Au Lapin Agile (which, disappointingly, is apparently closed during the day) and then continued on to the Moulin Rouge which isn’t very interesting -- it might as well be a random barn looking thing with a windmill right in the middle of Times Square. We did have drinks on Boulevard Blanche (an area full of prostitutes – we always wanted to see a French whore in person!). We took the metro to Place de Concorde which is a very impressive spot and then we walked up the Champs-Elysees and had dinner at a restaurant called Café Fouquet on the Champs-Elysees which is supposed to be the hot, hip place for locals. We were there on the early side so we missed a lot of that but the food and wine was very nice.

Thursday

We took the metro to St. Germaine, an area we both loved! We kept saying that if we lived in Paris, this is the neighborhood where we’d like to live. We shopped on the main Boulevard and went to a great shop, La Fragonard, and bought some beautiful soap and perfumes (both of us) and Ellie bought some lovely salad plates. The lady there was fantastic and gave us tons of free samples of perfumes and lotions and other beauty items. We went to the Swarovski shop and Ali bought a beautiful pendant (it’s now a tradition for Ali to buy a cool piece of jewelry on all of our trips!). We walked around and visited several other fun shops. We had lunch at Les Deux Magots. Even though it’s famous, we thought the food was really average and it wouldn’t be one of our recommended restaurants to others who are visiting Paris. We made our way to the Latin Quarter where we walked around the main Square and also followed some of the Fodor’s guided walk. We walked past the Sorbonne and went to the Pantheon and saw some interesting old graves/crypts. We walked down to Montparnasse, but many things were closed that day because of Victory in Europe day. We had some drinks at the Coupole de Lila and then took the train to the Trocadero where we took some nice photos of the Tour Eiffel. We walked a bit through the residential area (very posh) and headed for a restaurant called La Fontaine de Mars, a great local place which is very un-touristy, and had a really good dinner.

Friday

We woke up early to go to Versailles on a guided tour (a van picked us up along with 6 other people). There were two Australian couples (in their 50’s probably), one of which was seriously obnoxious. Versailles is very interesting – it has beautiful gardens and the interior of the palace is totally over the top. We got back to our hotel at around 1 PM and changed clothes and headed for the Opera House which we were finally able to tour. It is possibly the most magnificent thing we saw on our visit and photos absolutely don’t do it justice. It would be amazing to actually go to an opera there. After, we went to Printemps for shopping and had a late snack at the café with the stained glass dome ceiling. We also visited Galleries Lafayette and other shops. We found a great perfumerie called Divine and Ali bought some really nice perfume. We walked to Le Madeleine and visited Fauchon and other shops in that area. We walked down Rue Royale and had cocktails at Maxims and then went on to dinner at Le Grand Colbert near Galeries Vivienne which was delicious (especially the smoked salmon on blinis) and it’s also a very fun and lively spot.

Saturday

We went to La Conciergerie and had a look at the old prison cells, including that of Marie Antoinette. We then visited Ste. Chappelle, which is absolutely breathtaking and a truly fantastic site. It’s another place where photos won’t do it justice, but we actually managed to get a few decent ones. We then headed on to Marais, Les Halles and Bastille and had lunch at Au Pied de Cochon. We walked around (partially following a Fodor’s suggested walk) and also visited Le Cochon a L’Oreille, one of the “authentic bistros” noted in the book that John gave Ali. We walked to Place de Vosges (very impressive) and sat in the square under the trees. We then tried to visit the Clown Bar, another “authentic bistro” and were very sad that when we got there, there was a sign that they’re on holiday til May 19th! We made our way back to our hotel where we rested and packed and then we went to dinner at a local spot, Chez George, and then hopped over to Tour Eiffel since we wanted to get some nighttime photos. Ali bought George a fun glowy Eiffel Tower souvenier. We got some good shots and were feeling inspired so we then went Arc de Triomphe for some nighttime shots of that. We cabbed back to the hotel and popped back into James Joyce pub for one last visit on our last night in Paris."

FABULOUS! 

 

 

Kathy Scott Rummage, creator of BridesmaidEssentials, has graciously written what we like to consider our very first Holiday Golightly Love Letter. She's fabulous, and she's sharing here:

A beautiful friendship

I’ve been brainstorming ideas for fun yet atypical bachelorette party ideas for gals who would prefer to explore a new city rather than leave their hard-earned bills in the undies of a random “exotic performer.”

I was on a web quest for find some “I do” inspiration when the wedding gods smiled on me in the form of an email from Golightly guru, Gretchen. During a spirited message volley, I learned all about HolidayGolightly.com and quickly discovered it is the treasure trove of travel information for which I’d been searching.

As I perused the site, I started wishing I could get married again (to the same great groom, of course!) just so I could go on a girlfriend getaway to a fabulous locale. I also [briefly] caught myself wishing to be in yet another wedding just so I could justify a jaunt to an unfamiliar city under the guises of being a good bridesmaid.

When I checked out the Austin Spa Getaway, I pictured us wrapped in plush robes, reclined around a crystal blue pool, sipping tea infused with some exotic fruit. The only break in our relaxing conversation would come as we took turns getting an unwinding massage. All together now: ahhhhhhhhh.

Then I noticed the word “cuisine” in two getaway options. Oooh, a trip centered around meals? That’s my kind of excursion, especially when you’ve been eating too many rice cakes and baby carrots to slim down for that lovely dress that really only looks good on the skinniest bridesmaid in the party.

Just the thought of Chicago deep dish pizzas and Chicago dogs got my juices flowing when I read about the Chicago Cuisine Getaway. Then when you add the “private party at chocolate lounge” to the package, well, I thought I couldn’t go on. Pizza and chocolate? ‘Nuff said. But then I forced myself to look ahead to the Seattle Cuisine Getaway which not only includes reservations at a sumptuous restaurant, but also features a food tour and a cooking class. If you have a bride whose culinary skills consist of pouring soy milk on cereal and ordering Chinese takeout, this could be a fun way to help her learn how to make at least one meal to share with her new husband!
But I was practically salivating after dreaming of delicacies on the cuisine getaways and I was sure I’d gained some weight just thinking about them so I clicked over to a trip that’s a bit more figure flattering: the Boulder Active Getaway. We could strap on a helmet for the mountain bike tour to pump out the frustration of wedding planning and then take in a calming yoga class to chill after we’d purged our angst outside.
When planning a big out of town bachelorette party, though, you always have to think of Vegas, baby! Of course the Vegas Getaway includes show tickets and reservations at a swanky restaurant. The only question is how much of the bride’s honeymoon budget are you going to gamble?

 

 

Let me offer you a glass of champagne. We shall now toast to the super fun time that Lola, Muffy, and I had in NYC. Did you know that there was a Biker tribute to the victims of 9/11 and that we got a free round of drinks at Bar Americain? Well, now you do!!

In addition to those joys and adventures, we also enjoyed playing numerous rounds of “that’s what she said”, saw a show, and had delicious cocktails and food. We even managed a trip to Zabar’s. Mmm...Zabar’s!

There were 2 disappointing things about Spring Awakening:

1. The guy that won the Tony for his performance in the show wasn’t there.
2. The lead was a spitter. He gets so excited when he sings and annunciates every single word so he ends up spitting everywhere. At one point, I wanted to stand up and yell, “Say it! Don’t spray it!” I controlled myself. I bet the people in the first 2 rows wish that someone had warned them that it was like sitting in the front row of a Shamu show at Sea World. There was a constant stream of mist coming out of his mouth. Yuck, yuck.

Here’s a little example of the good times we enjoyed at Bar Americain:

Lola: So my friend was dating a brother for a few months, blah, blah, blah.

Muffy: What the hell is wrong with her?

Me: What do you mean?

Muffy: I mean where was she raised? You just don’t do that.

Lola: Well, she didn’t date him for long, just for a few months.

Muffy: Seriously, that’s freaking crazy. How would it dawn on her to do something like that even for a few days!

Me: [By this point I’m thinking that Muffy is a racist] Come on now, it’s not that bad.

Muffy: It’s wrong. It’s just wrong.

Me: Wait a minute. She was dating an African American, not her brother.

Muffy: Oh. I thought you said it was her brother. [Laughter ensues and mocking begins]

Dinner took place at Tao. We all rocked out jeans and I wore the bear traps. The food was delicious, but it was a tad bit too loud. I only realized this once my ears started bleeding. Thankfully, I was able to stop the bleeding by stuffing a crisp lobster and shrimp dumpling in each ear. No one noticed. It was too dark for anyone to see anything. I’m so freaking old. 5 years ago I would have loved going to a place like that. Now, I question why they have to make it so freaking loud and dark. Thank god that I didn’t get all hammered there. I can only imagine how I would have managed to get out of there without tripping over one of the low tables in the bar. The food was excellent, I recommend going: just make sure to take a flashlight and some ear plugs.

Girlfriends Getaway on Vashon Aug 2008

 

What a great girlfriends weekend we had celebrating my dear friend Maria’s milestone birthday (which shall not be named)! She was visiting from WDC where she’s lived for the past 7 years after leaving Chicago (where we both lived when we met). Hippy dippy Vashon Island was our destination and what a perfect spot of the Puget Sound to enjoy summer in Seattle.

The mountain was out and the weather cooperated like no ones business. We relaxed, ate fabulous food, had Reiki treatments (on a commune no less), beach-combed almost everyday and even got a little color. As Maria said, she’s the only person she knows that visited Seattle and is heading back east with a tan! And, as we all know, that’s Seattle’s little secret…which we kept being reminded not to tell people throughout the weekend both on Vashon and while at Pike Place market Friday morning.

It was a low-key and easy weekend away and while I wish we could reco the house we rented, it was a tad too old school for us in spite of the views it offered AND the spiders were a tad too BIG. Ack! We can, however, definitely recommend Cafe Luna for delicious lattes and amazing Lavender Lemonade, and Ferrara Restaurant which we SO wish was located in Seattle instead of on Vashon Island. It and the getaway were both fantastic!

We would like to offer our congratulations to Jolie Bartlett, winner of the "Girlfriend Getaway" blog contest, and the proud owner of a brand new Tucker Paisley handbag. We sincerely enjoyed ALL the entries, and want to thank all you Golightly Girls who participated.

(Come back tomorrow and Friday for the also-fab Honorable Mentions from the sassy Sandy Jones-Kaminsi and the cra-zayyy Catherinette Singleton.)

Here is Jolie's Getaway:

"Whenever I thought of a girl’s getaway, I always associated it with going away with girlfriends that are fun, crazy, and adventurous. However, the word “Mom” never seemed to come to mind. After looking back on my vacation with my mom last year, I realized that my mom is fun, adventurous (and maybe a little crazy in her own way). I would plan another girl’s getaway with my mom in a second!

My mom travels very little and so for her 60th birthday I told her to choose somewhere she wanted to go and I would take her. Much to my delight, she chose San Francisco. We quickly booked our flights, hotel and a full itinerary.

Day 1 in San Francisco – so much to do – where do we start? Shopping, of course! We stayed at a hotel near Fisherman’s Wharf and were able to easily jump on a cable car to the shopping district. After a long day of shopping at so many great stores, lunch at Boudin Sourdough, and a stop at See’s candy, we headed back to Fisherman’s Wharf to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. It was a cold ferry ride, but it was definitely worth it. Alcatraz is such an interesting place and has some great views of the city. After Alcatraz, we had just enough time for dinner before we went to see the “Beach Blanket Babylon” show. The show provided many laughs and was a good end to Day 1.

Day 2 – Wine Country, here we come! Since we didn’t rent a car, we signed up for a tour bus trip to wine country. Unfortunately, the day started off cold and damp and the first stop was to Muir Woods. The redwood trees are so big and beautiful, but the weather cut our trip short. Our next stop was Napa to do some wine tasting. Of the 3 different wineries we stopped at, my favorite was the smallest where the owner came out to greet us. Mom’s not a big wine drinker so she kept pouring her glass into mine. Thanks, Mom. On the way back to the city, we stopped to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge – it was an amazing view! Finally, after a long day we took in the breathtaking views of the city by having drinks and dessert at the Top of the Mark (Intercontinental Mark Hopkins hotel in Nob Hill).

Day 3 – We’re exhausted! How do we possibly spend our last day in San Francisco? We decided it would be best to take a relaxing ferry ride to Sausalito for brunch. We had brunch at the Spinnaker on the water and then did some shopping. After the ferry ride back we stopped to watch the sea lions play. We officially ended our day with hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli. What more could a girl ask for?

This was absolutely one of the best girl getaway’s I have ever had. Thanks, Mom - Love you!"

 

*******

We truly love sharing Girlfriend Getaway stories, and will always welcome more! Let us know if you'd like to share yours: holiday@holidaygolightly.com

Shopping in Florence, Italy – Last Stop on the Girlfriend Getaway Train

After another night – and another feast -

at La Locanda,

 

it was time to head to Tuscany. After a stop at the market in Arezzo, where we failed to find antiques but bought very cheap curtains for way too much money, we found our way to Florence.

After asking for directions thirteen times, we managed to drop our rental car without ending any lives and found our lovely bed and breakfast - located in the heart of the city.

The trip ended with some shopping in Florence, Tamara had her picture taken with a postcard of the Pope,

and we got ultra touristy. I finally found a handbag – lime green with purple inside – that was fun enough and flat enough to carry home.  As all good girlfriend getaways must come to an end, Tamara dropped me at the train station to catch my flight back to Rome (which, of course, I missed). But we’re planning another one soon. Tonight! Can you say “Spa Day?!”

(Ed note:  OR Spa Getaway)

Look out, Orlando, Florida. Here we come.

Many thanks to Sonia and Tam for sharing with us, and we hope we can plan another trip for you soon! 

For those of you who are fans of "America's Next Top Model", and gasped in disbelief when you saw Tyra superimpose her own visage onto a photo of the Mona Lisa, we give you Tamara:

 

The Truffle Dance: Truffle Hunting & Truffle Cooking Class in Italy

After getting ever so slightly sloshed, we woke in the morning to a rainy day of truffle dancing. One piece of advice when it comes to travel to Italy: Do the truffle dance. It’s not cheap, but totally worth it. Apparently, truffles are the Viagra of Italy.  Or perhaps of Italian millionaires, considering that the little turd-like fungus go for anywhere from $1800 - $2400 per pound.

We met our fearless truffle hunt leaders under a bridge in Citta di Castello, Umbria a few miles from Montone. 

Not because they were trolls, mostly because they feared that based on our track record, that we might never find them. They drove us to a fenced truffle field full of oak and hazelnut trees, where we were met by our one-eyed guide and his truffle dog Asia.

The truffle hunt really is like a ritual dance. The dog dances around the field, starts digging up a truffle when she finds it, and the humans dance after her to capture the fungal gold before she masticates.  We joined Saverio of truffle house Tartufi Bianconi, along with his translator Lena, and pretended to be truffle masters, running after the dog, identifying truffles and smelling them, learning about technique, scent and flavor.

Even more interesting than the truffles, was Lena herself. A sparkling 70-something Swedish immigrant to Italy, she learned most of her English from watching movies – especially musicals – in the 30s and 40s. Fascinated and restless in her Gore Tex raincoat and rubber boots with blue eye shadow and wind blown hair, the mama of four and grandmother of more was more like a seven year old than a septuagenarian.
 
After the hunt, they Lena and Saverio took us for cappuccino and a quick walking tour of the old city in Citta de Castello,

  

 

then off we went for our Corsi de Cucina Tartufo (that, my friends, is “truffle cooking class” in Italian ;) with the talented and lovely Gabrielle of Tartufi Bianconi.  Before we set to cooking, Saverio and Gabrielle served us sparkling wine and truffled cheese with honey. They then took us on a short tour of their one-room truffle museum where we saw truffle flavored lip gloss and an enormous picture of a truffle pig.

After we’d relaxed for a bit, Gabriella, who has an intense sentimental fascination with the truffle, led us through the creation of what felt like a billion different truffle dishes. We made a bright, fresh cream of celery soup, a delicious egg flan, and homemade peasant pasta called frascatelli, polenta with truffle – and it didn’t stop there. A true adventure for the palate, by the time we left we could distinguish the flavors of white vs. black truffles and knew the ins and outs of truffle cookery. Gabriella gave us truffle cookbooks, sold us some bottles and jars of the earthy delicacy and sent us on our way. Thank god for denim with spandex. I would spend the rest of the trip in my favorite waistband-less travel pants.

Tune in tomorrow for the final chapter of the Girls Gone Fabulous. 

Girlfriend Getaway: Planned & Delivered

With help from Holiday Golightly, our travel to Italy, specifically travel to Tuscany and Umbria, took us on a grand adventure full of delicious food and unusual experiences that helped us escape from our lives and indulge in our friendship for a few days.

We landed in Rome, wandered the city for a few days, took the Rick Steve’s night walk about Rome,

 

ate in the remarkably fresh and organic Ristorante el Gabriello (think artichokes and lobster linguini) near the Spanish Steps and enjoyed the quaint, convenient Hotel Atlantico.

In an act of pure daring, we decided to rent a car...

 

and make our way through winding roads and hilly switchbacks to La Locanda del Capitano in Montone, Umbria for a culinary adventure.  

Sure, we were an hour late after getting lost on the dark, windy roads of Umbria. But the 4-starish restaurant welcomed us with an incomparable feast, yoga clothes and all. Each course of local cuisine was delivered by the chef, Giancarlo, accompanied by his captivating poetry.

However, I must admit that the best part was when a neighboring diner asked us, “Are you special people? I thought perhaps you were famous American food writers…”

Giancarlo joined us for dessert and an aperitif.  It felt like our 15 minutes of fame (of course, it was fame in a town of 1,555 people, most of whom were asleep by the time we arrived, but fame is fun all the same)...

Tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga of the Girls Gone Fabulous. 

Indulging in Travel to Italy – A Delicious Girlfriend Getaway 

 

Tamara and me – we’re as different as different can be. She’s short, I’m tall. She likes bunnies and cats; I’m totally allergic. She has an iPhone; I have a Blackberry.  She lives in Seattle, Washington in an enormous purple house in the middle of the city; I live in the suburbs of Sarasota, Florida in a ranch house that’s identical to every other house within a 50 mile radius.

Differences aside, we adore each other and are both girlfriend getaway fanatics. Not only that, but we happen to be two of the most opinionated, busy people that I know. So just imagine what it was like trying to plan travel to Italy together. Uh-huh.

We both had already given travel to Italy the college try, so were looking for a more complex and esoteric girlfriend getaway. Initially Tamara was all for scuba diving in Sardinia, but it turned out to be too complicated a trip. Then I decided that I wanted to go to a yoga retreat in the hills outside of Rome, combined with some agritourism. She didn’t want to do that out of fear that she might encounter a dead rabbit on her plate. Instead, Tamara decided that she wanted to feed a giraffe at the Rome zoo. Better not to ask. Point: We couldn’t agree on a girlfriend getaway that wouldn’t destroy our friendship...

 

Tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga of the Girls Gone Fabulous.

In 2003 my friend Bethany and I were talking about taking a girlfriend getaway, and going to France in November.  We were discussing this on a really sunny day in the summer – but then realized that France in November would be crappy and rainy, like Seattle (where we live)…

We tried to figure out a place that would be sunny & cheap – even though we’d pay more in airfare, we’d save in hotels and food, etc.

Thailand!

We booked the tickets in late September.

We knew we didn’t want to stay in Bangkok the whole time, and were going to be gone for over 2 weeks.  We specifically wanted to pick a remote place where we knew we wouldn’t be able to check our email…

Ko Phi Phi (Phi Phi Island, pronounced "pee pee")– okay, we realized we also chose places because of the funniness of their names - and Phuket, were the winners. 

We flew to Krabi, then took a ferry to Phuket, then another ferry to Phi Phi. We stayed a week in each place.

In the horrible Tsunami, we heard that the little hut we stayed in on Phi Phi was, sadly washed away.  The P P Princess – our cute little bungalow, with coconuts falling on the roof at night.  That was really sad, but we have great memories of it.

 

 

 

One of my personal goals for this trip was to be able to stand, neck-deep in water, and still look down and see my toes.

We were there on Ko Phi Phi for Thanksgiving, and had fruity drinks that were served in sand pails.  We don't need to talk about the unfortunate outcome of too many pails. 

 

 

Highlight in Phuket – staying at Le Meridian (fancy, it was a hotel that could have been anywhere, but we liked it).  There was one day when I saw a little elephant being walked around the grounds, and when I went to tell Bethany about it, she thought I was drunk or hallucinating.  Until she saw the little elephant herself.

When we went back to Bangkok we stayed at the Peninsula Hotel, which was rated the #1 hotel in the WORLD by Travel & Leisure magazine.  It was a very affordable $185/night, and we had a TV at the foot of our bathtub.

As we traveled, we found ourselves staying at progressively more expensive hotels.  We don’t recommend doing it the other way around.

The Peninsula was hard to leave, because it was so pretty, but we did venture out and around Bangkok and went to some palaces - the Gold Palace I think?  But we really got stuck at the Jim Thompson silk store, where a salesperson invited us to a sample sale.  We found ourselves at a huge convention hall filled with scarves, pillowcases, toiletries kits, etc.  We each had to buy a large duffel bag to fit all the stuff we bought at the sample sale.

Our Girlfriend Getaway motto was pretty much:  get a good tan, have a good time, throw a little culture in there.

 

 

 

Carol - Seattle, WA 

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Ed note:  we, here at Holiday Golightly, are still waiting for our gifts from that silk sample sale...

We love it when our readers share!  Tell us about your favorite (or maybe not-so-favorite?) girlfriend trip. 

Email gretta@holidaygolightly.com, and we'll make sure to do all the messy editing for you.  If you have a photo (or photos) from the trip, attach that too!