Girlfriend Getaways

Bowling Green, Ky.: Are there any trips especially planned for a mother and two daughters (adults)? We try to do an annual trip together and want to continue to do this for years. My daughters are 22 and 29 and we are making great memories. It is difficult to find accommodations and rates for three. We also we try to do something special on the Saturday night. We usually go for about three nights. Thursday-Sunday (June 26-29th). This year we are doing Dallas—any suggestions?

Thanks,
Dana

GG Editors: Hi, Dana. What a fun mother-daughter tradition you've established. It sounds like the three of you want to share a room, which gives you a few options. You could book a room with two beds, request a cot or a sleep sofa, or go for a suite. (If someone is stuck with a less desirable sleeping arrangement like a cot, you could always treat that person to a massage.) It's unusual for a hotel to charge a fee to have a third adult in one room, but if you're booking a hotel package, be sure to inquire about the triple occupancy rate, as most package rates are based on double occupancy. Sometimes the triple-occupancy rates are cheaper.

In Dallas, the recently renovated Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa might be a good fit. A quick search for online reservations on June 26 yielded a rate of $219 per night for a studio suite, which has king-size beds and a sitting area with a sleep sofa. It's in the posh Uptown neighborhood near the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. You can get more hotel and trip ideas at the Dallas CVB's website, whose calendar includes event listings for June 26-29. There's also a downloadable coupon book for Allen Premium Outlets here.

And if you have time, I recommend swinging by laid-back Fort Worth during your visit. Its Sundance Square is a fun, walkable area with lots of great places to hang out, including restaurant and bar 8.0, which has live music on its patio. The Bass Performance Hall is just a few blocks away—check the event lineup here. You and your daughters might get a kick out of Fort Worth's National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. You can find out more about Dallas's neighbor and rival by reading 25 Reasons We Love Fort Worth. Enjoy! —Kate Appleton

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Randolph, Vt.: I want to take my 18-year-old daughter, who'd rather hang with her friends than her mother, to Europe to expose her to the joy of international travel. Her principal interest is shopping, while I am a walker. I'd like suggestions of places to go for a week or so where we can do both, and maybe sneak some culture in on the side.

GG Editors: All the major cities in Europe have great shopping, but it's hard to top Paris. Lucky for you, it also happens to be one of the best walking cities in the world (last time I was there I covered pretty much the entire city and only took the Metro once). Everyone associates the Champs Elysées with shopping, and it's true that the boulevard is lined with stores, but there are several other great shopping pockets throughout the city. The 8eme arrondissement, on the right bank, is home to scores of high-end stores (Chanel, Dior, Dolce & Gabana—that kind of thing). They're well out of the price range of most mere mortals, but still fun to poke your head into.

Fortunately, there are plenty of shops that cater to a younger, hipper, less-filthy-rich crowd, too. On the right bank, the rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, around the Bastille and the Marais, has lots of great boutiques. On the left bank, check out the shops on the Rue St. Placide, in the 6eme arrondissement, and the Rue St. Dominique, in the 7eme.

I've always thought Paris's department stores—particularly the Gallerie Lafayette and Printemps—have a lot more character than their counterparts in the States.

Covering these areas will take you past historical landmarks, a few museums (the Picasso museum in the Marais is one of my all-time favorites), and, at some point, across the Seine. You'll get in all the walking you could want, and your daughter will soak up culture whether she intends to or not! —Beth Collins

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GG Editors: Unfortunately, that's all the time we have to take for questions today. We regret that there were a few we weren't able to answer. Be sure to check back on Tuesday, July 29, when we answer your Girlfriend Getaways questions again.