FEATURE TRAVEL
Girl Time
Combining travel and time to connect is a wonderful way of reaffirming important friendships.
A R T I C L E J ill E lli s
friends– who all live in
Joan Wagner-Hobb and five of her
t their first girls’ weekend
Kitchener-Waterloo– recently spen
enjoying dinner at the Little
getaway in Bayfield. Here they are
ner-Hobb, Jeanette Feeney,
Inn. (Clockwise from left: Joan Wag
hoeffler and Marilyn
Lynda Detzler, Judy Moser, Mary Hen
Strauss)
With theatre, shopping, great restaurants and interesting activities,
Stratford could just be the perfect place for a girls’ weekend getaway.
A
s little girls, our friends are so
important to us that we spend hours
together, then more hours on the phone with
each other, talking about…boys and boys and
clothes and boys.
But life goes on, and those boys turn into
boyfriends and husbands. Then we have little
boys and girls of our own and time for friends
is scarce. Chatting quickly with a girlfriend
over lunch or work mates during a coffee
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The six life-long friends
break is about all the time we have for friends.
When the kids are a bit older and need less
of our time, and our relationships get to the
comfortable stage where we don’t need to
spend every waking moment together, time
for friends is again available.
Finding ‘girl time’ is vital, says Joan WagnerHobb, of Kitchener. She and five friends –
buddies since they were in first grade – recently
spent their first girls’ weekend away in Bayfield.
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met in grade one.
All six are turning 60 this year and felt that
getting away for the weekend was the best
way to celebrate. “We would never have been
able to do this when we were younger and had
more family responsibilities, nor would we
have been able to afford it.”
Girlfriend getaways are becoming a popular
way to spend quality time together. Some turn
it into an opportunity to see part of the world.
For instance, if you’ve always dreamed of being
a southern belle Nancy Hansen, of Cruise
Holidays, has the getaway for you. She’s putting
together a women-only trip to Charleston,
North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia for
eight days. It will take in plantations, shopping
and southern hospitality, including the tasty
cuisine of the Deep South.
“I’ve noticed that widows, divorcees or
women who have husbands that just don’t
about tea infusions for healthy living, or delve
into a candy-making experience at Chocolate
Barr’s. Each of these packages includes the
culinary experience, dinner for two (with a
$100 gift certificate to be used at your choice
of Stratford restaurant) and accommodation
for one night,” she enthuses.
Of course, Stratford is home to its famous
Festival Theatre and the season stretches to
Shopping and chocolate – what a perfect combination to enjoy while away on a girl’s weekend
getaway in Stratford.
want to travel to the same places want to
travel with other women,” Hansen explains.
She estimates the cost of this “Gone With The
Wind” trip will be about $2,000.
A girls’ getaway may take you to far-away
locales or destinations closer to home.
Wagner-Hobb and her group chose Bayfield
because it was only an hour or so from home
(not too far in case of family emergencies) and
because it has excellent dining, shopping and
accommodations. Other close-to-home spots
to consider are Stratford and the Elmhurst Inn
in Ingersoll. Both have attractions especially
appealing for this type of escape.
Cathy Rehberg, marketing manager for
Tourism Stratford, suggests making a stop
at Tea Leaves Tea Tasting Bar and let tea
sommelier Karen Hartwick lead you through
a tasting extraordinaire or following the
‘chocolate trail’ through the city of Stratford.
“What fun it would be to book your B&B,
cook a menu inspired by your favourite
Canadian chef at Stewart House Inn, or learn
the end of October, so combine a getaway
with time for a play.
Likewise, the Elmhurst Inn offers packages
that especially appeal to women, like the
Pajama Party Package. This package includes a
room for four, buffet breakfasts, in-room manis
or pedis, two bottles of wine and a cheese
platter, along with four mini pizzas delivered to
your room. For $146 per person, this is a great
way to escape to an elegant country manorlike inn, be pampered with your besties, truly
relax and laugh the night away.
If you want to venture a bit further,
Michigan has tons of attractions. There are
golf courses galore for golfing girlfriends,
as well as shopping excursions or a trip to
Christmas town.
Lori Amo, director of tourism for Bay City,
Midland and Saginaw, says that groups of
women annually seek the deals offered at
Birch Run Premium Outlets. “Many come in
November during what we call ‘deer widows’
weekend.’ Deer hunting season starts on
November 15 and we say that the men go
north to bag a buck, while the women go to
Birch Run to save a buck,” she chuckles.
From November 16 to 18, the 145 stores of
Birch Run offer specials of 24 to 65 percent
off, with each store offering its own featured
specials and prizes.
Amo also suggests combining this with a
stay in Saginaw, Michigan. “In Saginaw, the
Ramada Inn and Suites has a great deal. A
two-room suite, for six women, at $180. That’s
just $30 each and you get tickets for drinks
in lounge, a welcome basket, free transport
to mall and free dinners between 6:00 and
8:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday if you stay
overnight at this hotel.”
But if you long to escape to somewhere
warm and tropical where you and your
friends can lie in the sun and have cool
tropical drinks brought to you poolside,
maybe a trip further afield is in order.
The El Dorado Royale in the Mayan
Riviera offers ‘Destination Wellness’
vacation packages for three or six days that
are “fitness-focused getaways that create a
holistic wellness environment and transform
guests’ vacations into rejuvenating and
healthy experiences,” according to resort
literature.
A special wellness concierge designs a
program just for you and you can choose
from 15 different exercise and wellness
classes, including zumba, yoga and beach
boot camp.
This resort features an amazing spa. How
great would it be for you and the girls to all
be receiving simultaneous massages on the
beach?
The three-day package is $500, while the
six-day package is $1,000 per person for
some serious girl-time relaxing. This includes
transportation, stay at the resort, food and all
beverages (including alcohol).
As Wagner-Hobb says, “It’s the best way to
feel really connected. We ate, drank, shopped
and laughed until tears ran down our cheeks.
We are already planning to do it again!”
For more information:
http://london.cruiseholidays.com/
http://welcometostratford.com/
http://www.elmhurstinn.com/
http://www.visitgreatlakesbay.org/
http://www.eldoradosparesorts.com/hotels/
el_dorado_royale/
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