The Getaway Girl® in the News
Fourth of July Getaways - Daytime TV Show  Looking for a festive place to celebrate the Fourth of July? The Getaway Girl® shares her top picks on the Daytime TV Show. To watch, click here.
Father's Day Getaways - Daytime TV Show  Tired of giving dad the same neck tie or golf widget for Father's Day? How about giving him an unforgettable getaway this year? From fishing to motorcycles to golf, The Getaway Girl® shares her top picks for dad. To view, click here.
Heartland Living Magazine 
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Girls Getaway to Cancun
Jennifer Lickenfelt, Grand Prize Winner of the Girls Getaway Guide's 12 Days til Christmas, submitted this photo of her fabulous Girls Getaway to Cancun. She writes:"Neither my sister nor I ever visited an All Inclusive (AI) Resort and were very impressed and happy at the level of attention and wonderful service we received. The bartender knew our drink order and we never had to ask for another...one just magically appeared in front of us! We loved the ease of not having to worry about carrying cash around the resort and feeling that everything was taken care of without having sticker shock! The pool and beach areas were kept clean and always saw the staff cleaning the public areas both inside and out. I would definitely consider an AI as a vacation destination in the future!"
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Win Free Stuff Winners Announced
Who doesn't love to WIN FREE STUFF? Especially when it is fabulous travel prizes that you can enjoy during your next getaway. The Win Free Stuff spring cycle is over. To see if you won the fabulous prizes below, visit Girls Getaway Guide.
Follow in the footsteps of Carrie & Co. as you visit locations from the popular TV show and movies to see where they shop, drink and dine at more than 40 locations in New York City. Value: $96
Be the star in your own personalized romance novel! Any couple can play the starring roles in these novels - as hero or heroine - how cool is that? Value: $126.95
Costa Rican Adventure Excursion
Desafio Adventure Company is Costa Rica's leading adventure company specializing in unique, high-quality adventure & nature activities throughout Costa Rica. Value: $180
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Greetings!
Sometimes you need to really getaway to relax, re-focus and re-invigorate your life. That's why The Getaway Girl® is organizing an exclusive "Leave Your Baggage at Home®" Girls Getaway Sept. 27-30 (see photo for location hint) with limited space available, so save the date and stay tuned for more information.
Drop us an email at Info@GirlsGetawayGuide.net if you want the details emailed to you directly. |
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Girls Getaway to Venice
Home to 60,000 Italians, Venice is visited by more than 20 million people a year. Although it is a popular romantic destination for couples and honeymooners, it can be very expensive and crowded at times, so be sure to plan your trip here carefully. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.
Upon arrival via train, I was amazed to see this city that functions with no vehicles. People only get around by foot or boat here. Therefore, you will see Police Boats, Ambulance Boats, Taxi Boats and Mass Transit Boats, along with private boats and the ever-popular gondolas. Everything in this water-based city is beautiful, from the architecture to the museums to the shops where you can buy handcrafted lace, paper and glass.
From the train station, we walked towards the ghetto (the original ghetto, from which all others take their name) that came into existence in 1516 when the Senate passed a law confining the city's Jews to this one small area between the hours of sunset and sunrise. The Jews eventually received full citizenship rights in the mid-19th century and the area is still home to a small Jewish population, evidenced by the kosher restaurants. A great place to explore and shop.
After checking into our Hotel Villa Rosa, located in  the Ghetto, we purchased our 24-hour mass transit pass and boarded boat #1 that took us through the Grand Canal to our stop at Piazza San Marco. This impressive piazza is anchored by the Basilica di San Marco that was built in the 11th century. Although the multi-domed, multi-arched exterior is lovely to gaze at (note the four bronze horses standing on the upper terrace that have become a significant symbol of the city), we were blown away by the opulent interior. The entire ceiling (and other major parts of the inside) are adorned with real gold leaf, as well as marble, glass, and 1.5 square miles of mosaics. It was free to enter the Basilica, and was worth 2 Euro/person to see the awe-inspiring Byzantine gold and gem encrusted altarpiece (located  just behind the altar). Words cannot express how magnificent this piece is...we spent a good 20 minutes gazing at it before exiting the building. The Piazza is outlined with the Campanile (Bell Tower) and many divine cafes, trattorias and shops selling everything from glass to jewelry. Definitely a place to hang out, but a tad pricey. We found a charming cafe and enjoyed some vino while we took in the piazza.
After our vino, we explored the rest of the San Marco area that features tons of shops, restaurants and even chain stores like Guess, H&M and Addidas. After some shopping, we stopped for more vino and a few nibbles. We even found a place that sold wine by the bottle, and the store clerk was kind enough to uncork the bottle and give us four plastic glasses to we could enjoy wine during our boat ride home for the night.
The next day Donna and Katie explored that Collezione Peggy Guggenheim. This unfinished 18th century palace was purchased by the wealthy American heiress and art connoisseur Peggy Guggenheim in 1949 to  display her huge art collection. They say she invested $30,000 in her collection that is now worth more than $20 million. It is now renowned as one of the world's foremost modern art collections featuring works by Picasso, Pollack and Dali. Guggenheim herself lived here until her death in 1979. Her grave, as well as those of her many dogs, is in the sculpture gardens.
After the Guggenheim, we enjoyed an afternoon of  shopping. Some of the most popular items here are Venice Carnival masks and Murano glass. After being abolished by Napoleon in the early 1800s, Venice Carnival was revived in 1980 and attracts party-goers from throughout Europe. Elaborate  costumes are the dominant feature of the festival that lasts 10 days before Shrove Tuesday with a masked procession through the streets and masked balls are held throughout the city. The world-famous Murano glass has been produced on a cluster of islands that make up Murano (just off of Venice) since 1291. Today you can still see craftspeople at work in their factories, blowing and twisting the glass into ornate objects from jewelry to platters. But you don't have to travel to the islands to purchase it...it is everywhere in Venice.
Another popular item in Venice are the gondolas.  There's nothing more romantic in Venice than taking a gondola ride through the small, charming canals. And riding a gondola is like riding a piece of history. The boats have been in existence for at least a thousand years and there are ancient laws ensuring that each gondola is hand-made to specifications - size, shape, materials and color. We were ready to do a gondola ride after shopping, but the weather wasn't cooperative and we could not partake. There's always next time!
Known for its seafood, the Venice culinary scene Once thought below average) seems to be improving all of the time. Like the rest of Venice, meals can be quite pricey here, so we asked locals for recommendations and found establishments off the beaten path. One of our favorite places was at our neighborhood corner Quanto Basta....Italy's version of grab and go food. Katie and I loved the late night fried chicken sandwich so much that we ate it again for lunch the next day.
As we said ciao to Venice, we took one last look at the "City of Water" that the New York Times described as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man." We all agree!
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Thanks for reading, and we hope you are having a wonderful summer. Safe travels!
Sincerely, Casey Wohl, The Getaway Girl®,
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