Girl Getaway Trips Growing in Popularity

With the rise in popularity of mancations and babymoons, it was just a matter of time before luxury hotels realized that girls just want to have some fun, too. As more and more hotels are incorporating spas into their property, they are also realizing that combining spa treatments with other amenities can be a big draw for weekends away with girlfriends. This rise in offerings are also expanding the choices, from city adventures to relaxing at the beach.

Below are a few of our favorite Girl Getaway packages:

Spa for Two at Miramonte Resort and Spa – Indian Wells, CA
$279/night

Escape to the Miramonte Resort & Spa, a desert resort located in beautiful Indian Wells, California boasting luxurious accommodations in an idyllic setting. Italian fountains and warm hospitality greet you at one of the most well-appointed spa resorts in California, while fine-crafted stonework and gently curved arches evoke images of a Mediterranean villa. This special Spa for Two offer includes one night in a Superior room and two 60-minute spa treatments per night, per room.

The Well Spa provides guests with the opportunity to spend the whole day relaxing and being pampered. Spa for Two guests are welcome to use all of the spa’s amenities — including an adults-only swimming pool and whirlpool, saunas, steam rooms, and a meditation room — and to participate in all fitness and wellness classes. Visit Miramonte Resort and Spa for availability.

Girlfriend Getaway at Hotel Orrington – Chicago
$279/night

Chauffeurs, Champagne and Shopping. Enjoy champagne and strawberries in a chauffeured Towncar to Old Orchard for some shopping. Dine in style with a decadent $75 food-and-beverage credit good at The Globe Cafe & Bar, Narra Restaurant with famed Chicago Chef Jacky Pluton or the Indigo Lounge. Spend the night in the lap of luxury, enjoy a day out shopping with the girls and a stylish night with dinner and drinks. Call (877) 589-7688 and request offer code WO-25482.

Celebration of Women at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort – Santa Fe, New Mexico

From $335/night

Package includes two nights accommodations, one 50-minute Dancing Wind Massage or a 50-minute Morning Mist Facial per person, bottle of champagne upon arrival, four complimentary tapas from the Staab House, parking and resort activity fee, free museum pass to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, a 10% discount in the museum shop and the Georgia O’Keeffe Cafe, a complimentary coffee table book from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and a Georgia O’Keeffe biography presented in your room upon arrival. Call (877) 589-7688 and request offer code WC-10444 .

Unlimited Spa at CordeValle, a Rosewood Resort – San Martin in Northern California

From $1,150/night

Unlimited Spa package includes two nights for two in a Villa Suite, daily breakfast, unlimited 60-minute spa treatments for the duration of your stay (begins with check-in at 3pm and ends with check-out at 12 noon), wine tasting at Clos LaChance, and a special welcome amenity. Visit CordeValle for availability.

Shopper’s Package at Fairmont Olympic Hotel – Seattle

rom $529/night

Shopping in Seattle is easier when you can stay overnight downtown! You’ll enjoy The Fairmont Olympic’s close proximity to Seattle’s finest shops, restaurants and entertainment attractions. Package includes overnight accommodations in a luxurious Executive Suite, complimentary valet parking, $150 gift card to Nordstrom, town car service to and from Nordstrom or Pacific Place shopping center, two complimentary beverages in The Terrace Lounge. Call (877) 589-7688 and request offer WC-09515.

The New York Palace – New York City
From $640/night
Make a shopping trip to NYC extra special with the Towers Shop Package. Only steps from the City’s world-class shopping, The New York Palace is the perfect place to rejuvenate after a fun day of shopping. The Towers Shop Package includes, Towers deluxe accommodations, full American breakfast for two in Istana or room service, $100 Saks Fifth Avenue Gift Card, complimentary overnight parking. Call (877) 589-7688 and request offer WC-08495.

To find more Girlfriend Getaway packages on Perfect Escapes, visit the site and enter keywords “Girlfriend Getaway” or “Shopping Package” in the Search box.

Top 10 Luxury Hotels Near National Parks

One the great treasures of the United States is the chance to explore the vast array of National Parks that stretch from coast to coast. The summer road trip is a staple in American family history, with mom and dad piling all the kids into the station wagon or minivan or RV and heading out on the open road. These days, it’s kind of nice sometimes to mix the rustic with the luxurious. In a country that covers 3,718,711 square miles, it helps to have a bit of direction as to where to visit and where to stay.

In this two part story, we’re going to list our favorite luxury hotels that border the 10 most popular National Parks in the United States.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Ridge upon ridge of endless forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.

Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa

The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa is one of the American South’s oldest and most famous grand resorts. Built in 1913 overlooking the Asheville, NC, skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the inn is a favorite year round destination for both leisure and business guests. Its splendid views, old-world charm, amenities, and a long tradition of exceptional service and hospitality make it a place to savor as one of the most enduring and original resorts of America.

Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River.

Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas

It is a place where the neon of the Strip is just a soft glow on the horizon at twilight. Where the mountains serve as a sweeping backdrop to Mediterranean-inspired villas, abundant foliage and majestic waters. At the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, the world is your very own as you indulge your senses in our spa, perfect your serve on our tennis courts or enjoy a few rounds of golf on exceptional championship courses. A secluded garden of natural beauty awaits you at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas.

Yosemite National Park, Calif.

Not just a great valley but a shrine to human foresight, strength of granite, power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

Chateau du Sureau

Chateau du Sureau is a fairy tale Inn that has received some of the highest ratings granted a hotel. Since its opening in 1991, this magical destination has earned both the Mobil Five-Star and American Automobile Association’s Five-Diamond awards as well as membership in the prestigious Relais & Chateaux organization. Located just miles away from Yosemite National Park, Chateau du Sureau is a romantic haven wherein the classic traditions of old Europe live today.

Olympic National Park, Washington

Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rainforest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.

Willows Lodge, Woodinville, Washington

Rural and rustic in ambience, Willows Lodge is the latest entry into greater Seattle’s collection of luxury lodging facilities. This 86-room, northwest-style lodge is situated in Woodinville on five exquisitely landscaped acres that border the Sammamish River in the heart of Woodinville wine country.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming-Montana-Idaho

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America’s first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world’s most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Triple Creek Ranch, Darby Montana

Triple Creek Ranch is a small, intimate resort designed for adults. Situated on 600 acres among the towering pines on the side of Trapper Peak, the highest mountain in Western Montana, this unforgettable retreat offers the merging of unmatched natural beauty with the height of comfort and personal service. From the beautiful, welcoming main lodge, a world-class restaurant and paramount wine cellar, to the deluxe private guest cabins nestled in the trees throughout the property, it’s the attention to the smallest details that make the Triple Creek Ranch experience so memorable. And it is a perfect jumping off place to explore Yellowstone.

Tomorrow we’ll add our 5 favorite luxury hotels in the second half of the 10 most popular American National Parks. Have fun in nature this summer!

Time Magazine on Luxury Hotel Offers – Hotels Upping the Ante

Just caught this article in Time Magazine, talking about the amenities that luxury hotels are offering their clientele. This is exactly what we have been doing here at Perfect Escapes, gathering and negotiating as many of these offers as we can so you can take advantage of all that the hotels are offering.

Here is an excerpt of the posting by Laura Koss-Feder at Time Magazine:

“Not so long ago, the best one could hope for in extraordinary hotel service was an unusually fluffy imported duvet, express dry cleaning and perhaps even fulfillment of a random late-night food craving. But as discerning travelers spend more extravagantly, they have become increasingly demanding. Luxury hotels are responding with all kinds of new, over-the-top amenities–from decadent sundaes dished up in guests’ rooms to poolside tanning butlers or canine room service.”

“Luxury hotels are playing the service card to attract specific groups of travelers such as families, expectant moms and pet owners. At the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, guests can buy the new Kids in the City package for $520 a night and, among other things, enjoy a visit in their room from the Ice Cream Man, who arrives with all the fixings to make any concoction they desire.”

See more luxury hotel offers in Chicago

“The trend has been moving toward more marketing to smaller and smaller niches who can afford to indulge their wants and needs,” notes Doug Shifflet, president and CEO of D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd., a McLean, Va., consumer-research firm that specializes in travel.

“At the Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., expectant parents can purchase the “Bundle of Joy” Babymoon package, which includes a 24-hour Cravings Chef service, a couple’s massage and breakfast in bed. The hotel even created a new position in April called the director of fun–one of the few in the entire lodging industry. With a background in the cruise business, Joshua Riffe has a mission to oversee the creation of leisure activities and programs. Part of his job begins up to two weeks before a guest arrives, with a phone call to inquire about any special reservations or amenities and inform the individual of local events that will be taking place during his or her stay.”

See more luxury hotel offers in Scottsdale

“Want to live the life of a celebrity? At the Hotel Sax Chicago, guests can buy the Celebrity Rider package and receive the same VIP treatment their favorite entertainers get in their contract riders when they travel for a performance. J. Lo’s white-flower obsession? Madonna’s need for workout equipment in her room? The hotel will research whatever the requested celebrity is entitled to and provide those extras to travelers, says Mark van Hartesvelt, president of Gemstone Resorts International, based in Park City, Utah, which owns the property. The cost per stay could be in the thousands, depending on the celebrity-rider request–and who you want to be that day.”

Visit Perfect Escapes to see hundreds of offers at over 2200 luxury hotels in more than 100 countries.

The Next Ritz-Carlton – Sounds like It Will Be in Arizona

Always trying to stay on top of the news and it sounds like Ritz-Carlton and its development company is expanding its Arizona presence. They currently have a hotel in Phoenix but the new one will be in the Scottsdale-Paradise Valley region.

“Ritz-Carlton and its development group have acquired a $100-million, 123-acre site and proposes to develop a $1.5-billion master-planned, mixed-use project with a Ritz-Carlton hotel as the centerpiece. The site, straddling Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, is one of the last large undeveloped parcels in the region. The development will be the first Ritz-Carlton mixed-use project of its kind, combining a 225-room resort hotel, a residential development with villas, luxury homes and one-acre estate lots as well as a mixed-use component along Scottsdale Road. The land is located on the west side of Scottsdale Road between Lincoln Drive and Indian Bend Road. According to a Paradise Valley land-use plan for the project, most of the development site, about 105 acres, is in Paradise Valley, with the remaining 18 acres in Scottsdale.”

Here’s the location on Google Maps – best guess is it’s that big brown patch: