Gossip from Girlfriends' Getaway Weekend!

By Jennifer Marcus

> When Cyndi Lauper first belted out “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” in 1983, women all over the world embraced the song as their anthem. And even though the song is nearly 30 years old and debuted before I was born, it was just as much an anthem for women attending the third annual Ocean Drive Magazine Girlfriend’s Getaway Weekend at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel held April 20-22.

Women from across the United States rounded up their girlfriends and headed to South Beach to lie in the sun, shop private boutiques, learn about this season’s hottest trends, and be pampered from head to toe. One group from South Jersey came to kick off their 50th birthday year, a wife stationed in Saudi Arabia with her family came to enjoy a weekend back in the states with her friends, and a few moms came down to escape their “husband and kids.”

The marble-donned grand lobby at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel is always impressive and the 790 luxury guest rooms including 52 suites all featuring city, bay, or ocean views makes this hotel one of the most comfortable on the strip and a nice departure from the Miami glitz. There’s always a hustle and bustle of businessmen, families, and couples heading to and from and the blend of art deco heritage with the South Beach flavor always gets me excited for my stay.

One of the most exciting perks of being a part of Girlfriend’s Getaway is the SWAG bag received upon arrival. This goodie bag is filled with samples and gifts from today’s most popular brands. This year, top favorites were gold and black dangle earrings from Trina Turk, delicate lace thongs from Cosabella, and Essie nail polish. The bag also included the book, Born to Be Brad, written by the star of the Bravo television hit, “It’s a Brad, Brad World” and celebrity stylist, Brad Goreski, who was also the guest speaker for the weekend.

After my girlfriend and I poured out our SWAG bags on our beds, like children on Halloween, it was time to kickoff the weekend at the welcome happy hour sponsored by Voli Light, the world’s first low-calorie vodka infused with electrolytes and natural flavors. The leading ladies of the weekend mingled with one another, snacked on hors d’oeuvres from Executive Chef Frederic Delaire, and danced to music by
DJ Mark Leventhal while sipping on Skinny Pink Lemonade’s and Lime Lyte cocktails.
The hotel is located just blocks from Lincoln Road, the heart of South Beach and Miami’s version of 5th Avenue or Rodeo Drive. From cafés to ice cream shops to shopping, this street has it all. And it was also home to SET Nightclub, where we found ourselves dancing and enjoying our free cover and drinks in this spicy club with a nod to old Hollywood
glamour.

For those who made it home to get enough shut eye, it was an early wake up call to stretch with lululemon athletica, a yoga and run-inspired company featuring luxury athletic wear. Women were taken on an educational journey introducing us to the practice of yoga. Women stretched into their downward dog positions, found comfort in child’s pose, and worked towards their full monkey (more commonly known as a split).

Next up was an Aeroga class focusing on high energy, high intensity, body sculpting poses engaging women in an innovative, powerful and rhythmically enhanced workout session.

After a good workout, it was time to indulge in the exquisite breakfast buffet in Preston’s Brasserie restaurant, one of the six restaurants on property. We were excited to have a day out in the sun along with shopping and beautifying, but with the 100 percent chance-of-rain forecast, it seemed like Girlfriend’s Weekend would be a bust. But the amazing staff at the Loews was well prepared and set up shop, literally, in the former establishment of Emeril’s Restaurant on property, which was the perfect space for shopping, sipping, and pampering. Pop up boutiques were all set up for us ladies to shop and stroll.
Some of the brands were Zeki Swimwear, Green Monkey Yoga, Citrine by the Stones, Trina Turk, SEE Eyewear, Sabastian James, C&C California and lululemon athletica. Women were able to get make overs at the MAC Cosmetics counter and facials from Elemis Spa.
After we shopped a bit, my girlfriend and I were off to the Keratin hair booth where we learned about a new styling product called The Wand.
Think curling iron but without the clamp and a Michael Jackson glove to protect your hand while curling.

“After my girlfriend and I poured out our SWAG bags on our beds, like children on Halloween, it was time to kickoff the weekend.”

Sounds intense but allows for a more natural and tousled curl. We finished off our star treatment at the GBS table where I got to choose from the hottest nail polish colors of the season from the Essie line.

A mini fashion show was held midday hosted by Ocean Drive Magazine Editor-in-Chief Suzy Buckley and fashion guru Goreski. They discussed the do’s and don’ts with this seasons trends. For you ladies who missed out on the event, here’s a bite. Whiteout’s are in, so wear white…and a lot of it. You can’t go wrong with a black and gold combination either. Goreski claims it’s the “sexiest combination of color. Very Coco Chanel.” Pastels and neons are in so pick your palette and embrace it. Maxis are still in from last season so you can get a few more wears out of that dress or skirt. And finally, prints on denim are happening. So rock the snake print jean.

Happy hour featured Bacardi pre-mixed drinks including Piña Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri and Mojito flavors. Some ladies continued their night at Mokai Nightclub which is a hotspot amongst the locals. I decided to check out a pop-up bar called the Broken Shaker located in the Indian Creek Hotel and to my excitement, this low key bar had impressive mixologists creating behind the bar and board games at every table. But a late night wouldn’t keep us from the FlyBarre Workout early the next morning, which included small and intense interval exercises to contemporary and inspiring music creating long, lean, and strong muscles.

The weekend wrapped up with a book signing and a chat with Mr. Goreski. The fabulous fashion stylist to the stars shared his journey from an introverted young boy to the sidekick of fashion guru Rachel Zoe on her reality TV show. He now stars in his own TV hit, “It’s a Brad, Brad World” on Bravo and spends most his days on the road promoting his Born to Be Brad book. A must-read.

A fun and flirty weekend with the girls is exactly what the doctor ordered. Sometimes you just have to sit back and relax with some of your closest pals and just enjoy being a girl. We all just want to have fun, right? Girlfriend’s Getaway Weekend is the perfect blend of relaxation, pampering, and shopping… a woman’s triple threat. So take note and plan ahead because next year, you won’t want to miss this event.<