Friend Therapy Holidays
Over the last six years, four of my dear friends and I have been so fortunate to have the support of our families to have this relaxing break experience. We’ve been on a spa weekend at Sandbanks, a shopping trip to London, and mini breaks to Majorca, Kos, Corfu and Portugal.
It can sometimes be tricky choosing a destination. Seemingly so many boxes to tick, short travel duration, cost, weather, hotel facilities, preferred meal plan to name but a few. With a little give and take, a bit of chat and a glass or two of wine, we usually come to a happy agreement and book it there and then!
Thankfully we all agree the main agenda for a girly holiday is to spend time relaxing with great travel companions. In my opinion a successful girl’s holiday needs, sunshine, a good pool, beaches, a selection of places to eat and drink, and maybe an excursion or two (my friends will moan at me for that one!)
A Guide to the Perfect Girls holiday
We’re pampered, manicured, pedicured, coiffed, the bags are packed, children are handed over, it’s time to go. We treat ourselves to valet parking, before heading to an airport restaurant or lounge for a welcomed glass of champagne (or whatever the favourite tipple is). Let the holiday begin.
On arrival, we rendezvous with our pre-booked private transfer to be whisked away without delay to our chosen hotel. Sun cream at the ready, swimming pool here we come! A complete relaxation with a good book, and a glass of something never too far away.
The flow of the next few days usually turns out to be quite organic. We agree a leisurely breakfast time to meet, and then head to pool or beach to sunbathe, read, swim and sometimes a competition of Lilo Olympics. On occasions it has been known for me to participate in a little light aqua-aerobics, but I have learnt to only do this if accompanied by one of my friends for fear of being paired again with a hairy man of a much older generation!
During these carefree days we typically enjoy lots of swimming, laughing, reading, chatting and putting the world to right. If I’m lucky I can sometimes pull someone away to do an excursion boat trip, or even just a walk to explore the area. As late as possible in the day we head to our rooms allowing time to change for the evening. Typically, dinner is our entertainment we all agree on this. Sometimes hotel entertainment is ok, or we’ll head to the local nightlife.
The day to return home, not unexpectedly, is a sad day. But during the coming days, weeks, months I know I can draw upon my memories of a fantastic relaxing break with my great friends.
My favourite destination to date, for our girly holidays must be Corfu, which we have visited twice. We enjoy it so much we have booked again for June 2019. Corfu is one of the greenest islands partly due to the rainfall they receive September through to June but mostly due to the slender Cypress trees, thousands of olive trees that carpet the land and an abundance of fresh produce grown on the island, including tomatoes, kumquats, herbs and lemons. It benefits from being one of the sleepier of the Greek islands as long as you stay away from the more touristy towns.
The coastline is quite stunning, long sweeping bays, small secluded coves accessible by narrow tracks or by boat, quaint little fishing villages and harbours.
I thoroughly recommend a girly holiday, whether it’s a shopping trip, beach or city break, long or short haul it’s all great fun. Contact me if I can help you organise your Friend Therapy trip.