Please give me suggestions for a gift to myself for May. A trip, an experience. I am quite a girly-girl so nothing too athletic.I have a week I can use to do something new, see something new. Any ideas?

Any tour Abercrombie & Kent offers.

sallyjane3 - please tell us where you've been before, and where you are now, so we can suggest something new.
Also telling us some likes and dislikes would help as well.

I have driven through southern Ireland, spent Christmas 2003 in Rome, just got back from Venice, have toured London and been to about half of our wonderful states.(Love NY, DC, LA, San Francisco, Denver.) I love nature, am pretty good at photography but could use pointers,love to be pampered but don't need high-end luxury. Would love a spiritual retreat or drawing classes on site somewhere, a spa that's unpretentious...I would like a mix of Doing and Just Being.

My favorite adventurous trip so far...ICELAND! Especially wonderful for photographers!
kay in Michigan

Consider Miraval Spa for a spiritual as well as pampered experience in a gorgeous place.

Sallyjane,

Do you mean to tell me you haven't been to Paris?

Oh, you said Doing and Just Being. I thought you meant Eating and Just Drinking. I've never been to a spa or a retreat, but Paris is wonderful...

I would head to the Sundance Resort in Utah where, in addition to being pampered, you can enroll in workshops at the Art Shack. It's one of our favorite places to go and just be, relax, and enjoy nature. For more information check out...

http://www.sundanceresort.com/art_center.htm

I just had another thought. San Miguel de Allende has a small hotel named La Puertacita . When I stayed there they offered art lessons or language classes. I opted for language classes, but you might enjoy the art classes. SMA is a beautiful small town which is easily explored on foot (or very cheap cabs). The hotel is very pretty and has gorgeous gardens.

Almost forgot--Happy Birthday!

Hawaii has a great mix of activities and plain old relaxation. You can snorkel and kayak and hike in the rainforest, and it's easy to find places like that which are uncrowded. There are some magical places on the Big Island, which has a mysterious quality to me, sprinkled with hidden natural gems. Hana in Maui is a quiet, zen-like retreat. The north shore of Kauai is unbelievably beautiful and you could rent a little house right on the beach for some real quiet time.

There are a lot of fancy spas in Hawaii, but I also know you can find independent practitioners of massage and other healing arts. I too enjoy a mix of "doing and just being" and have found that Hawaii is excellent for this. It offers both indulgence and quiet nature, right at your fingertips, and you can lose yourself in either.

Here are my three trip reports:

Big Island: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34542623

Kauai:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34508517

Maui:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34436140

Three island comparison: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34552277

love
roxy