Thou Swell!

SwellWomen Hawaiian Islands Surf and Yoga vacations offer the perfect marriage of surfing and yoga on Ka’anapali, one of the most beautiful of all Hawaiian beaches on the idyllic island of Maui. These carefully-designed week-long vacations were created by a woman named Me-Shell Barnas, a former professional snowboarder. SwellWomen is gathering increasing numbers of women participants as well as lots of media attention.

Yoga classes, professionally taught, help you to center and stretch, and professional surfers will teach the skills and confidence to ride (gentle) ocean swells.

Six-night /seven-day vacations in lovely beachside cottages include three healthy delicious meals a day, a massage, daily surf and yoga lessons, equipment and some excursions. Greet the sun anew and hang ten with Swell Women. Call (800) 399-MAUI and click on: SwellWomen.

 

 

 

Bardot-ville

Búzios, the little finger of Brazil that juts into the Atlantic, hit the headlines when Brigitte Bardot arrived there in the 1960’s. Two and a half hours from Rio by car, or a 1-hour flight, Búzios has been a resort magnet since then for hip Brazilians and even hipper Europeans …so… Americans, listen up! . Dune buggies, good food (dinners begin at 10, 11 p.m.), great drinks, fishing villages, sambas, surfers and sugar beaches, and … TAH TAH …amazingly low prices.

Best bed: check out the 33-room simple, stylish and charming Casas Brancas, complete with restaurant and spa. For info and good hotel pix: La Datco Tours.

Chopper Chicks

Renowned heli-skiing operator, Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), follows up on recent success with two heli skiing trips for women with a cool concept, “Chicks in the Chopper” – sensational spring skiing for women only.

Although no prior heli-skiing experience is necessary, these trips are geared for strong, intermediate and advanced women skiers who would enjoy supportive and fun group skiing on Western Canada’s wildly beautiful, untouched mountainscapes.

Swoooosh
: A typical day: morning stretch or yoga class – breakfast –heli-lifts for group downhill powder runs with two CMH’s experts – back to the lodge – lunch – soothing massage – hot tub soak – blazing fire – exceptional food and wine – lively conversation …then well-deserved zzzzzz’s.

For current prices and dates, ski to: Canadian Mountain Holidays or call. 800-661-0252.

 

Afghanistan Anyone?

Hey, we’re not that intrepid.

Instead of actually traveling there – yet – listen to this: Arzu is the name of a women’s collective created by Connie K. Duckworth recently retired from a stellar career at Goldman Sachs. She has gathered the talents of over 700 Afghani women who live in eight remote villages and weave beautiful tribal rugs the old fashioned way and she has made certain that these women are being paid proper wages used to support many needs especially local schooling and health care. The First Lady, Laura Bush, is a customer and a fan!

The Arzu magic carpets are priced from $900 to about $16,000 and every lovely thread is a lifeline. For details and photos, please click on www.arzurugs.org. Or phone: (312) 321-8663.