Five Essentials for a Great Girls Getaway

Here's a truth we don't acknowledge enough: women need other women.

Women need women who get them, who laugh with them, who listen to them, who cry with them, who encourage them in their flirting, who share embarrassing stories, and who accept them as they are. But because we live these isolated, lonely, often competitive lives, the modern woman has to take extra steps to get the connection she needs. That's right. The modern woman needs girls getaways.

What makes a girls getaway unforgettable? These five things.

1. A comfortable place to stay.

For our first girls' getaway, we chose Las Vegas because a) it was centrally located, since the four of us were coming from Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and California and b) it had inexpensive flights and c) it had a lot of accommodations to choose from.

We stayed at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, which is the perfect place to stay if you plan on doing nothing. (Four tired moms with only 48 hours away from their families? We basically wanted to do nothing.) The only problems we had with it was the asparagus pee smell in the bathroom (they offered to give us a different room and sent a nice-looking handyman to brighten our day--did I mention I'm single?--so we would definitely recommend it!)

It's a beautiful and luxurious hotel and definitely had a resort feel. It smells so good once you get away from the casino, parking is free, and the outdoor pool was lovely.

2. Good food.

It can never be said that we skimped on the food during our getaway. With a recommendation to try the buffet at the Aria, we dished out $40 each and feasted like queens on exotic dishes from all over the world that were as flavorful as they were unique. (Prices vary depending on day and time.) Being a natural cheapskate, I declared that we would stay until we had eaten four meals' worth of food. And we did. We stayed almost three hours, and ate so much we literally didn't eat anything else that weekend (except for the Baskin Robbins that night. And the chocolates in our room. And the protein shakes in the fridge. And the watermelon sour gummies. But that was it. No other food.)

And let me tell you, the entertainment value of sitting at a buffet in Vegas for that long and seeing that many different people was worth the money.

3. Relaxation.

We had one day to do it all, and we all agreed that the most important part of the vacation was a massage. We called around and found four openings at the same time at A Touch of Las Vegas Spa (50-minute massage for $85), and I got stretched like Gumby. It felt fantastic!

After our four-hundred-thousand calorie lunch, we relaxed in our room and practiced our foot-reading skills on each other.

What about after dark? Well, we went to Vegas on a budget, so we didn’t hit any shows or the strip. But we did grab some Baskin Robbins ice cream at the resort and take it with us to the outdoor hot tub, which we had all to ourselves. Tip: if the night security guard shows up wearing a black ski mask and walks as quietly as a serial killer, do not scream bloody murder, but just thank him for the towels and try to remember what embarrassing stories you were sharing while he stood there. (Hint: It involved accidentally throwing a tampon at a group of teenage boys.)

4. The right combination of women.

We're still pinching ourselves that we lucked out so well on our group dynamics. We had two introverts and two extroverts; two who liked to get up early to exercise and two who liked to sleep in. We had four really good listeners and four really good compromisers, and that made for a lot of harmony and a lot of fun. We shared similar values about how we wanted to spend our time and money.

5) Great memories.

When you check out, and you’re waiting for the elevator, make sure you wrap all the fun up in a neat package and throw a tampon at your friend while the elevator door opens, full of people. She’ll juggle it and it will fall to the floor and she’ll try to kick it out of the way while the shocked guests on the elevator react with gasps and chuckles. You’ll end on a belly laugh that will sustain you for the rest of the day, and hopefully many days to come. Make sure you stay in touch with your getaway girls so that you can relive your bonding and relaxing experiences together, and plan your next getaway as soon as possible! We all need something to look forward to and even if it's just a weekend away, time with other women can lift your spirits and remind you of who you really are.