5 Tips for the Ultimate Girls Getaway

To say I was looking forward to a girl’s getaway for my 40th birthday would be an understatement. I was COUNTING DOWN for so long for a trip with my girlfriends and now that it’s come and gone, I feel grateful beyond words for the memories we made. I can honestly say, getting away with just your girlfriends is so good for the soul.

Most of my girlfriends and I have been friends for YEARS since we were little back in the good ‘ol Peace River days and now that we all have families it gets harder and harder to get that one on one time with the ladies. So, to celebrate my 40th I threw it out there to everyone in a massive group text that I REALLY wanted to escape with all of them to Hawaii, and specifically, I wanted to stay at The Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui. Needless to say, it didn’t take a lot of convincing and before I knew it, I was drawing up our itinerary and making plans!

If you have been following me for a while you’ll know that the Fairmont Kea Lani is one of my favourite places to stay. In fact, we try to make it a habit to take at least one family trip there per year. We consider it our little slice of heaven here on earth! I was beyond excited to finally be able to bring some of my close friends here for a relaxing week away from reality.

I’m sure MANY of you ladies out there are in need of a trip just like this one. So, today, I’m going to share my 5 tips for the ULTIMATE  girls getaway with you but first, check out the video below and see what we got up to during my 40th birthday celebration in MAUI!!

1. Set a budget that works for everyone

Before you book your ultimate girl’s trip, make sure to lay out a budget that includes travel, accommodation, food, drinks, activities, etc. While I was super lucky to have been able to partner with the Fairmont Kea Lani to a degree, there were still expenses we had to cover. I made sure to lay everything out and break it down per person to find a budget that worked with everyone.

You probably also want to determine what areas your group prefers to splurge in … if you want to stay together in a villa (hey, you only turn 40 once!) then you have to factor that in. Since we had 9 girls on the trip we decided to stay in two villas because we wanted to have as much quality time together as possible and let’s be honest, we HATE it when we are apart! LOL!

In my opinion, the villas are such a great route to go when you’re travelling with a group for a few reasons. You all get to stay together (depending on the size of your group!), you have a full-size kitchen so you can prep your own meals, you have a BBQ (more on THAT later!), you have your own private pool (helloooo poolside tanning!), and you are steps away from the beach!

Psssttttt, the Fairmont Kea Lani ALSO invites you to enjoy benefits exclusively available to my fans and followers. For a limited time, receive access to a special offer at Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, Hawai’i’s only all-suite and villa luxury resort on the coveted Wailea coast. This package includes 20% off Daily Rate, complimentary one-category suite upgrade (up to Signature Ocean View) and a bottle of bubbly welcome amenity (Lokelani Sparkling Rose), poolside Cabana, two pineapple beverages (served in your poolside cabana)! Use code: PJIL. Check out ALL of the details here!

2. Plan your meals

The day before we flew out, I sat down with two of my girlfriends and we made a list of groceries we wanted to have on hand for easy breakfast, lunches, and a few dinners together. We also made sure to list what we wanted for drinks including wine, Bailey’s (for our morning coffee!) and all of the ingredients for the perfect mimosa! I found a local company who purchased (and delivered!!) all of our groceries to us which made it SUCH a breeze.

Also, make sure to plan for your meals out! Not only does the Fairmont Kea Lani have incredible restaurants such as the Kea Lani Restaurant (where you can find my FAVE Tofu Scramble!) and KO (this is where we ate our last dinner together before departing back home!). PLUS … if you’re looking for an extra special treat, you can book a Chef to come to your villa and cook you a barbequed meal. We booked this one evening and it was such an incredible experience. We had so many delicious vegetarian options and they even grilled us some cauliflower steaks!

3. Knock off some items on your bucket list

Make sure to plan and schedule your activities ahead of time and lay them all out so everyone is in the loop with the agenda. We made sure to book a table at the Old Lahaina Luau (as some of the girls have never been to a Luau before!), we went snorkeling together (which turned into whale watching!), indulged in Mai Tai’s at Monkeypod, and cruised down the waterslide at the Fairmont Kea Lani more times than we can count! LOL!

Pro Tip: The waterslide at the Fairmont Kea Lani is PERFECT for that Instagram worthy shot! 😉

4. Schedule in some pool and beach time

I know that some of you probably read my last tip and thought that it seems crazy to book your entire trip itinerary but don’t worry, I don’t fill it up and I ALWAYS make sure we have dedicated pool days AND beach days! LOL!

These are the days when we have nothing else to do but relax in the sun, sip on some poolside drinks, and soak up each other’s company! I would 100% recommend booking a cabana for a day at the Fairmont Kea Lani. It’s so nice to have a dedicated area for the WHOLE day complete with loungers, towels, a cooler filled with chilled water, fruit juices, and sodas (this gets topped up throughout the day!) and fresh snacks to nibble on! It’s also nice to have a mix of sun and shade because chances are not the WHOLE group will want to be in the sun all day long.

Ps. Don’t forget to upgrade your poolside drink to a Pineapple Drink! Not only is it delicious (and massive! LOL!) but it also makes for the best prop in any poolside or beach photos!

5. Don’t forget to snap those photos

Make sure to take lots of photos when you’re away on your girl’s trip because these are going to be the images you look back on YEARS from now and it’ll remind you of what a special time you had with an incredible group of people. Trust me when I say, the more photos, the better!

What would YOU be the most excited about if you were to escape for a getaway with your girl’s??

xo

Jilly

Thank you Fairmont Kea Lani for sponsoring this post. All comments and opinions are my own.