Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Bar-hopping in a fake veil? We don't think so. Instead, round up the girls for a getaway weekend of shopping, pampering, or buffing-up.

• By Sara Cardace
• Published 2004

For Shopaholics
DREAM TRIP: LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
Even the cattiest group of girls can agree on blue skies, palm trees, and overflowing shopping bags from Fred Segal. Your best bet is to skip Rodeo Drive—you can always find Armani, Gucci, and Valentino right here on Madison Avenue—and instead check out Robertson Boulevard’s trendy offerings (Madison, Lisa Kline, and Agnès B.) as well as local hipster favorites like Sirens & Sailors (great for reconstructed finds) and Scout (an accessories jackpot). When your feet protest (or your credit cards max out), stop at Chaya Brasserie for the famous rib-eye before returning to Beverly Hills’s swankest hotel, Raffles L’Ermitage (800-800-2113; from $418). After dark, show off your new ensembles at Ashton Kutcher’s hip new trattoria, Dolce, or the white-hot White Lotus.

CLOSER TO HOME: CENTRAL VALLEY, N.Y.
Girls on a budget need not deny their spending impulse altogether. Just an hour outside the city, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets offers excellent deals on Chanel, Dior, Tod’s, TSE, Gucci, Fendi . . . Check into the nearby Thayer Hotel (800-247-5047; from $159), whose staff can direct you to local vineyards for wine tastings or arrange a massage in your room. Don’t miss the Sunday champagne brunch.

For Partyers
DREAM TRIP: MIAMI, FLA.
Grab your hot pants and head to South Beach, where the still-chic Delano (800-555-5001; from $415) offers up celebrity spotting and notoriously cute cabana boys. To get things started, throw on your skimpies and slink into hot spots like Pearl, Mynt, and Wish, which offers some of the most innovative cuisine in town, despite its navel-gazing vibe.

CLOSER TO HOME: NEW YORK CITY
For a let-it-all-hang-out weekend in the city, book a few rooms at the mod Mercer (212-966-6060; from $395), and hit the downstairs lounge or the bar at the adjacent Mercer Kitchen to kick off a big night out. Consider eating early (to prevent an empty-stomach disaster) at a nearby restaurant like Blue Ribbon Sushi or the Harrison before moving on to a fabulosi hangout such as the Canal Room, PM, or Luahn. Later, migrate to Chelsea to dance at Suede or the newly opened model magnet Marquee.

For Pamper Queens
DREAM TRIP: SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.
At the superluxe Bacara Resort & Spa (805-968-0100; from $495), pampering comes in the form of Brown Sugar Body Polishes and Ultimate Body Blitzes (exfoliation, body mask, massage, and lotion rubdown). If you can peel yourselves off the spa cots, charter a yacht for an afternoon sail or just melt into the sand on the resort’s pristine beach. Once the sun goes down, get dolled up and feast on the California-French fare at Miro, or keep your waistline in mind and get something light at the Spa Cafe. Wake up, rinse, repeat.

CLOSER TO HOME: MONTAUK, N.Y.
Spend a weekend at Gurney’s Inn (631-668-2345; from $310), the Hamptons’ plushest spa, where luxurious massages, wraps, facials, and the like are combined with Thalasso treatments (hydrotherapy with nutrient-rich seawater) to ensure that you’re at your most refreshed. Afterward, relax in airy, oceanfront guest rooms and indulge in sumptuous seafood at the Italian-inspired Sea Grille.

For Buff Bridesmaids
DREAM TRIP: ILHA GRANDE, BRAZIL
For a kick-butt girls’ weekend, make the trek to Ilha Grande, where Body & Soul Adventures (866-341-3180; from $2,500 a week, all-inclusive) will whip you into shape with a rotation of sea kayaking, rain-forest trekking, and power yoga. Cushy beachfront accommodations and personalized (Atkins-friendly) menus with exotic dishes like mashed mandioquinha and Brazilian fruit salad balance out the gruel. Just call it tough love—and remind your bridesmaids how hot they’ll look in the wedding photos.

CLOSER TO HOME: TURNWOOD, N.Y.
For something less boot-camp-ish, check out Anusara Yoga (212-873-9285; from $450 for three days), at Dai Bosatsu Zendo in the Catskills. In between vegetarian meals, spend time practicing yoga, meditating, swimming, and hiking. Stay at the sedate monastery or the adjacent guest house, and bask in the healthiness of it all.