flirting with adventure
Girlfriend getaways to Hawaii can be built to fit any requirement. Clients can play it loose or have an itinerary set up for them. Tour operators offering women-only opportunities in Hawaii tend to keep the activities open to allow plenty of time to de-stress. A Broad Adventure, for instance, has a Maui Memories tour that runs six days and leans toward gentle outdoor fun. This concept includes viewing the sunrise at the top of Haleakala, having tea and a gourmet lunch at the lavender farm, short hikes, meditation and yoga classes, snorkel lessons, sailing around Lahaina, and a day of oceanside pampering in Hana. The next tour runs Aug. 13-18 and costs $3,150 pp as an all-inclusive vacation with air from L.A., upscale lodging, and all guides and activities. The Maui-based company can accommodate customized trips and itineraries that might include kayak/snorkel trips, helicopter tours, horseback riding, Haleakala day hikes, hidden beach exploration, wine tasting, camping, cooking and women’s nutrition and, of course, spa treatments. Lodging options run from rustic to luxury, according to taste.
Woman Tours, based in Rochester, NY, has a more active adventure trip that involves biking the Big Island. The 8-day trip goes from inn to inn at a leisurely pace, although participants are given a 6-week get-in-shape program to prepare for the trip. All meals, lodging and guidance is included and clients can bring their own bikes or rent one for $170 for the week. Tours go out with 10 to18 women and the average age is 57. The next trip happens Jan. 30 to Feb. 6, 2010. The cost is $2,690 pp dbl ($900 sgl supplement), not including air to Kona.
Sedona, AZ-based Canyon Calling Adventures for Women has two week-long departures scheduled so far for a kitchen-sink approach to adventure on the islands. The focus for this package is on Kauai and Hawaii. On Kauai, clients will zipline over canyons, kayak to waterfalls, snorkel with sea turtles, hike the legendary Na Pali coastline and drive to inspiring overlooks on the dry side of the island at Waimea Canyon. On the Big Island, the group kayaks in Kealakekua Bay (hopefully accompanied by resident dolphins), explores lava tubes and hikes the Kilauea Iki crater, still steaming and roiling after erupting 40 years ago. Dates are Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2009 and Jan. 23-29, 2010. The cost is $2,495 (includes meals, lodging, transport and activities, and inter-island airfare) with a sgl supplement of $350.
working up a sweat
The Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island has a Hula Girl Getaway package meant for four good friends. Good through Dec. 20, the package includes accommodations in two deluxe oceanview guestrooms for one price, plus four Fun & Sun Activity Passes granting access to surf lessons and surfboards, kayaking, tennis clinics among other activities, daily oceanfront hula lessons, hula hands massages for all and full breakfast daily. The total rate is $3,076 plus tax for all four women per night.
