Travel to wine country, where you can stay at a luxury resort such as the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa (fairmont.com), which offer exceptional accommodations, a first-class spa, and food and dine packages with additional wine-tasting activities on site. The resort's Food and Wine package includes two-night accommodations, a food and wine pairing in the resort's wine cave with chef Sante Sommelier, a seven-course dinner with wine pairings in Sante's Restaurant and tasting passes to a local winery, such as Ledson Winery (ledsonwinery.com), specializing in merlot and pinot noir. The resort also offers daily wine tastings each afternoon from 4:30 to 5:30 and wine education programs every Friday night from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Big 3 Wine Bar, learning about the grapes and traditions of wine making, along with tastings from wineries.
For a weekend of outdoor fun on the beach, travel by ferry to Catalina Island. The Catalina Beach House (catalinabeachhousehotel.com) offers a variety of rooms, ranging from small basic rooms with one queen bed and a stand-up shower to suites with kitchenettes, two-person Jacuzzis and private patio. The hotel offers a weekend adventurer package, including two-night accommodations and a choice of a scuba excursion, zip lining or a motor tour of the island. As of April 2011, this package costs $699. For quieter activities, Avalon Rentals rents out kayaks starting at $15 an hour. The island also has plenty of choices for cuisine from Italian at Antonio's Pizzeria (catalinahotspots.com) to wood-broiled fish at Armstrong Fish Market (armstrongseafood.com).
Book at a weekend getaway at the Mandarin Oriental ( mandarinoriental.com) if you and your girlfriends crave a few days of getting pampered, as the resort specializes in Eastern culture spa treatments. Try the four-hour Rejuvenating Full Day Ritual, which begins with a full-body scrub and massaging with aromatherapy oils. The spa will personalize the holistic facial to your skin's needs, leaving it clean and glowing and applying just a touch of its signature mineral makeup. All full-day spa clients also have access to the fitness center, heated swimming pool, and get a complimentary lunch. Consider booking the Capital comfort package, which features rooms, a 20 percent discount at the spa and $50 food credit that can be used at Empress Lounge, an Asian Bar featuring signature cocktails and live music. As of April 2011, this package begins at $295 a night with a minimum of two nights.
For an adventure, hike into the Grand Canyon and camp overnight. Grand Canyon Hikes (grandcanyonhikes.com) includes all the equipment needed for its hikes, including sleeping bags, mattresses, food, stoves and cookware. The guides are medically trained for wilderness hiking and will lead you through the hikes and set up all the equipment and meals. The hike options include the Bright Angel Campground (a three-day hike to the bottom of the canyon along the Colorado River), Rim to Rim (a five-day trek from the south rim to the north) New Hance Loop (a five-day wilderness adventure for extremists), Indian Gardens (an easy two-day hike to the bottom) and Havasupai, which takes you to the largest waterfalls in the area.
