Orient-Express Hotels Offer Girl Getaways

Whether it’s timed to honor a special birthday, a chance for over- worked women to recharge their batteries, the last hurrah before the Bride says “I do”, or the multi-generational getaway for the women in the family, the Girls Getaway Weekend is a growing trend and a collection of Orient-Express properties is laying out the welcome mat to groups of women who seek the perfect blend of relaxation, indulgence and shared experiences.

Divot Divas, Keswick Hall, Keswick (Charlottesville) Virginia
Designed for the female golf enthusiast or beginner, Keswick Hall’s Divot Divas package combines an interest in golf with a sporting way to bond with the girls. The package includes two-nights luxury accommodations at the award winning hotel, two one-hour golf lessons, two rounds of golf and two spa treatments for each person (one each day). The package also includes Keswick Hall’s signature “Goga” class. This 60-minute class based on the principles of yoga emphasizes twist and core strength poses as well as meditative relaxation, which help improve flexibility, distance and focus. Divot Diva packages are available for groups of two or more. Prices per person are $1,790 double occupancy ($895 each person sharing a room) or $1,350 for single occupancy. Package is available till November 22, 2006, based on availability. Ranked as one of the best hotels by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, Keswick Hall has an Eden-like setting of both formal and informal gardens on Keswick Estate. With 600 acres of lush Virginia countryside, the 48-room Keswick Hall features a country club, private 18-hole Arnold Palmer designed golf course, three pools, a full service spa complete with fitness center, a tennis center, two restaurants and a bar and wine tasting room. The Divot Divas package may be further customized by adding a number of optional activities, including: private guided tours of local vineyards, historic sites or antique shops, hot air ballooning, fly fishing lessons or a sommelier led wine dinner. For more information visit www.keswick.com or call 1-800-274-5391.

The Ladies Ultimate Getaway Package, Charleston Place, Charleston, SC
Lux accommodations, sublime spa services and round-the-clock nibbles and toddies make Charleston Place a mecca for women on the verge! Ensconced in the gracious Club Level, guests will enjoy a private concierge, complimentary all-day beverage service, continental breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails, hors d’ouevres, desserts and after-dinner cordials. Indeed, one may never wish to leave the club floor, but guests will find it worth the trip to our spa where they will be treated to head-to-toe treatments including a European facial, a spa pedicure, a manicure, a Swedish massage and a body scrub. Spa lunch is included, as well as a complimentary personal fitness appraisal by one of the hotel’s licensed trainers. Back at the room(s), the girls will enjoy curling up with the goodies laid out upon arrival: a stack of current women’s magazines and a collection of sample products from the Spa. Finally, a three-course dinner waits in the Charleston Grill, the most acclaimed Mobil four-star restaurant in South Carolina. To further delight one’s senses, The Ladies Ultimate Getaway Package is only $2,148 (double occupancy or $1074 per person) which includes two nights’ accommodation, plus meals, amenities and spa treatments as listed above. Charleston Place has been recognized as one of the “Top Hotels” in the country by Travel + Leisure magazine and has been selected as one of the best hotels in North America consecutively for the last nine years by Condé Nast Traveler readers. For reservations or information call 800-611-5545 or www.charlestonplacehotel.com.

Om and Ahhh Getaway, Maroma Resort and Spa, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Imagine a 6-day yoga and meditation retreat at a celebrity playground and you have Maroma’s Yoga Retreat. Based on overall wellness, this 5-night package includes luxury accommodation, personal wellness consultation and journal, a daily progressive yoga class (combination of Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Iyengar), a daily meditation session, a spa treatment each afternoon, one healthy gourmet cooking class, a welcome and a farewell reception and dinner, a trip to the Maya ruins of Coba and a snorkelling excursion. Maroma Resort and Spa is located on the Riviera Maya, on one of the most beautiful stretches of white sand beach in the world. This 65-room boutique hotel and spa was built based on Sacred Maya geometry, which ensures positive energy flow. Its Kinan Spa provides a sanctuary not only for spa treatments but also for meditation and yoga with a rooftop yoga pavilion that captures tropical breezes, and 360-degree views of ocean and jungle vistas. The retreat schedule begins with morning meditation, followed by Yoga and then a spa breakfast. Afternoons will provide an offering of a variety of excursions, beach time, and a daily customized spa treatment with evening meditation and/or yoga theory sessions prior to dinner. Prices start at $3,100 per person, single occupancy (excluding tax and gratuity). Double occupancy rates start at $4,625. Minimum of four people and a maximum of 10. Maroma Resort and Spa is consistently hailed by discerning publications such as The New York Times, Town & Country, Vogue, Gourmet and Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report. The resort’s beach has also been singled out by the Travel Channel for “Best Beach in the World”. More information is available at www.maromahotel.com or call 1-866-454-9351.

Unleash the Domestic Goddess Within, Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, MD
Return to a simpler time, when our grandmothers “put up” canned fruits and vegetables and worked miracles from their kitchen gardens. Whether one lives life solo, or works as a mini-van nomad, transporting kids and spouses hither and yon, there’s something satisfying about taking a moment to reconnect to the domestic goddess within. The Inn at Perry Cabin is offering just such an opportunity with its special Domestic Goddess package that provides a learning experience that would even make Martha Stewart proud. The two-night stay includes: a wine, fruit and cheese tasting with the hotel’s sommelier who will share tips on wine pairings and entertaining made easy; a morning cooking class with the executive chef Mark Salter that is tailored to the ladies interests e.g. learn how to preserve gourmet jams and jellies, bake the perfect pastries, or prepare one of the signature dishes from the hotel’s award winning Sherwood’s Landing restaurant; an afternoon class with Inn’s master gardener on kitchen gardening or creating signature botanicals oils, salt and sugar scrubs; and a farewell dinner with a specially prepared tasting menu. The package, which also includes daily breakfast, provides free time to explore the boutiques and antique shops of St. Michaels on foot or via the Inn’s complementary bicycles. Prices start at $930 per person single occupancy including the two nights accommodation, guided wine tasting, cooking class, gardening workshop, one dinner, one lunch and two breakfasts per person (Rates for double occupancy start at $1280 or $640 per person). Package available to groups of six or more. The Inn at Perry Cabin’s award winning history includes: Condé Nast Travelers’s “Gold List – The World’s Best Places To Stay, Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence,” Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report “Top 20 U.S. Hideaways” For information or reservations call 800-722-2949 or www.perrycabin.com.

Shop to the Last Drop, La Samanna, St. Martin, French West Indies
Once the playground of Jackie O, La Samanna remains an oh-so-chic resort that is a true haven for discriminating travelers. And now, thanks to Les Dames de Leisure, women traveling together enjoy paradise within paradise: world-class, duty free shopping in Marigot, the assistance of a personal driver to transport them in the resort’s luxury car, and two miraculous head-to-toe services at the famed Elyseé Spa. The package includes a special, two-bedroom suite which includes spacious living room, two large bedrooms with king beds (each with ensuite bath), terrace or balcony and fully equipped kitchen. The day-long shopping spree includes special discounts in some of the most exclusive stores, and the services of our personal shopping expert. Upon check-out, guests will receive VIP treatment as the concierge arranges to have guests escorted to the private airport lounge, far from the maddening crowds of immigration and customs. Les Dames de Leisure is priced at just $2,450, per night for four people staying in a two bedroom suite, minimum stay of four nights. For information or reservations, call 1-800-854-2252 or www.lasamanna.com.

Gauguin’s Girls, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia (Tahiti)
Considered to provide some of the most pristine snorkelling and diving in the world, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa is a water lover’s nirvana and a girlfriend getaway of a lifetime. The package includes 5-nights of accommodation in an over water bungalow, one scuba diving lesson, a de-jetlag spa treatment at the resorts treetop Marù Spa, Volcano tour, and an excursion to a pearl farm to acquire the quintessential Bora Bora keepsake of a black pearl (cost of pearl not included). Optional activities include shark feeding, a swim with the stingrays, or a Polynesian dance class. Packages for two or more start at Euro 3957 double occupancy. Located on Motu Toopua, a small island in the middle of the tri-colored blue water Lagoon, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa is often described as the place that dreams are made of. The property has been recognized as one of the best in Condé Nast’s “Gold List”, Travel + Leisure and named as Robb Report’s “Number one Top Exotic Spot in the World.” For reservations call 1-800-860-4095 or visit www.boraboralagoon.com

All packages are valid until December 31, 2006 and require a minimum of two people unless otherwise stated. Packages are based on availability and do not include tax.

SOURCE Orient-Express Hotels