Getaways for Single Girls

by Sherry Amatenstein

You've heard the expression: "You'll never meet the man of your dreams when you're looking for him." And if you're tired of futile first dates and barhopping, maybe some time off from the scene is in order. We're talking about a real vacation, far from the pressure of endless routines and the responsibilities of daily life ‑- not to mention the pressure of meeting a man. "On vacation, if all goes well, you fulfill fantasies and get to be the person you would like to be at all times," says Tina Tessina, PhD, a psychotherapist and author of The Ten Smartest Decisions a Woman Can Make after Forty. "It's an opportunity to be pampered or to be challenged, depending on whether you like cruises or cross-county hikes. Either way, it takes you away from your daily stressors." So call your friends, start planning and get ready for the girls-only getaway of a lifetime ‑- no boys allowed. (Of course, inadvertently meeting someone special while you're there will not be frowned upon.)

City Spas Are Like Lay's Potato Chips

Once you try one, you just have to have more and more. They offer a chance to be far away from your cell, email, PDA, TV and all other technological tools that keep you hooked into the world 24-7 (including the men, or lack thereof, in your current social circle) ‑- while still living it up with all the modern amenities. Plus, it would be hard not to bond with your girlfriends (or with other spa-goers if you're traveling on your own) when you're all blissed out from fabulous body treatments.

For the true urban oasis experience, head to Spa Mandalay at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Their 30,000-square-foot facility has a wide selection of luxurious treatments, such as an Ayurvedic treatment that they justifiably call Nirvana. If you're alert enough to work out afterward, a turn at the state-of-the-art fitness center will justify a post-cardio pig-out at Mix restaurant. Created by world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse and located on the hotel's 64th floor, Mix offers both food and a view of the Vegas strip that are unsurpassed.

Another option is Berkeley's Claremont Resort & Spa, a hilltop resort in the San Francisco Bay Area. (It's also a mere hour from wine country.) Once you're tucked into this world-class sanctuary, enjoying innovative treatments such as their Mayan Temple Journey, a combination herbal bath, invigorating scrub and avocado stone massage, you'll forget about all your dating woes.

Rustic Resort Retreats

Want a distraction-free zone? Consider Mii Amo, a destination resort set in one of the most spectacular natural settings on earth, Sedona, Arizona. They'll customize a program for you aimed at helping you balance your life ‑- not a bad souvenir after a few days in paradise.

Canyon Ranch Health Resorts, located in Tucson, Arizona, and in the Berkshires in Lenox, Massachusetts, also promote the concept of learning to adopt a healthy, serene mind-set. The gorgeous scenery, unrivaled spa treatments, nutritious gourmet cuisine and vast assortment of classes, workshops and athletic activity options will help you forget about your dating dilemmas and leave you physically and emotionally replenished.

The Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah, is, as they say, "not your mother's spa." Because men make up 35 percent of the clientele (many other spas are purely chick magnets), it's a great place to meet guys. Yes, we realize that is not the purpose of this getaway ‑- but we figure while you're hiking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, biking or even taking an overnight wilderness trip, a little harmless flirting wouldn't break any rules.

No Boys Allowed (We're Serious This Time)

"Getting away with close girlfriends provides a guaranteed good time," says Tessina. "You're comfortable in each other's presence, and you can share 'girl talk' about the life issues that matter to you." Golden Door in Escondido, California, was created by a woman, primarily for women. During the summer, every one of its 39 guests is female, and each week has a new focus, ranging from "Mindful Runner" and "Women's Preventive Health" to "Expressive Arts" and "Yoga & Journaling." This, plus in-room massages, personal trainers and manis and pedis ensure plenty of time to bond with your best gal pals. And during the month of August, Golden Door's sister spa, Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, reserves its facilities, staff, casitas and programs exclusively for ladies. Fitness instructors and speakers emphasize topics of interest specific to women. Meditation and other "inner journeys" are also on the menu.

Alternatively, the Emerson Inn in New York's tranquil Catskill Mountains offers girls-only slumber parties, in which you and your friends are put up in a two-story suite or connecting rooms while you're wined, dined and spa-ed to your hearts' content. And don't pass up the opportunity to live like ladies who lunch: Enjoy the inn's daily English-style afternoon tea, complete with scones and finger sandwiches.

That is, unless your cup of tea is actually a little more spiritual, in which case you should check out the annual Women's Yoga and Journaling Vacation (a women-only "soul journey through the deepest canyon in North America") offered by River Soul Journeys . Their rafting trips combine journaling, yoga, meditation and time to be one with nature. Trips are customized to your white-water skill level. And the best part? There's no cell phone service on the river.

Dudette Ranches

Here's a bit of trivia: Bandera, Texas, is the cowboy capital of the world. That's not the only reason to giddyup on down to a dude ranch, but it's a good start. There are many ranches in the Texas Hill Country area, including Pipe Creek Ranch Lodge, which frequently rents out the whole place for long weekends to groups of female friends looking to reconnect in a private, rustic setting. Of course, it's also an easy trip to San Antonio and only three miles to Bandera. Nearby Rancho Cortez offers horseback riding, hiking, workouts with a personal trainer, water aerobics, hayrides and nightly campfires. And on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, everyone heads to the saloons to two-step and mingle with local cowboys (yee haw).

Naturally Texas isn't the only dude ranch state. The Lodge & Beach Village at Molokai Ranch, a fourth generation Hawaiian farm, regularly hosts single women who have their sights set on adventure. Here you can watch a paniolo roundup (paniolo is Hawaiian for cowboy) and horseback ride through the ranch's 5,000 acres of amazing volcanic terrain, white sand beach and mountain vistas. You can also go mountain biking, try ocean kayaking amid black-tip reef sharks and green sea turtles, play a few rounds of golf and go hiking. At the end of the day, treats await you ‑- like Molokai sweet potatoes and, of course, spa treatments. Accommodations come in two speeds: rustic and pampered.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Don't feel ready for bathing suit weather? Try a different dose of adventure at Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the world's largest marine sanctuary. The Glacier Bay Lodge, a country inn with 56 rooms nestled among Sitka spruce trees, is the only accommodation in the park. It offers boat and kayak tours as well as camping supplies. Sea kayaking allows you to paddle among humpback whales, orcas, otters and harbor seals and graze shorelines populated by bears, moose, bald eagles and more. Oh, yeah, and for what it's worth, Alaska has a three to one ratio of men to women. Not that it matters, since your trip is girls-only and all ‑- but still...