Name: GALentine's GETAWAY WEEKEND
Start: 2022-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-02-15T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA

Sheila Stone Tours

Email address verified

7 reviews

Feb 11 - 15, 2022

Group size: 3 - 5

GALentine's GETAWAY WEEKEND

Santa Monica, CA, USA

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Sheila Stone Tours

Email address verified

7 reviews

Feb 11 - 15, 2022

Group size: 3 - 5

Let's celebrate GALentine's Day with some fun women!

Get away from the cold and spend a long weekend in sunny Santa Monica. Our cute retro motel is just 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Have breakfast right on the beach with your toes in the sand, enjoy an elegant Valentine’s afternoon tea, and visit the end of iconic Route 66 on the Santa Monica Pier. Check out the footprints at the Chinese Theater and the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cruise down Rodeo Drive and along the iconic Sunset Strip. Visit Marilyn's grave at a tiny cemetery full of celebrities, see Van Gogh's Irises at the Getty Center, and celebrate women friends at a special GALentine's dinner with hand-made tortillas, deadly margaritas, and a huge collection of Casablanca memorabilia.

Accommodation
Your own room in a cute retro motel just two blocks from the beach.
Admissions
All group admissions
Experienced local guide
History, stories, fun!
Ground Transportation
Doesn't include to/from airport
Friday night dinner
Mexican deliciousness
Saturday Afternoon Tea
Elegant afternoon tea at a British pub
Sunday night dinner
At a local restaurant, TBA
Monday GALentines dinner
Special dinner with local women joining us.
Tuesday breakfast
On the motel's sun deck
Free Time
To explore on your own. (Saturday afternoon & evening after our tea.)
GALentine's goodie bag
Because you're worth it!

DAY 1, FRIDAY
DAY 1, FRIDAY
Arrival Day!
Depending on what time you arrive, you will be able to settle in and go for a walk along Santa Monica's Main Street. We will all meet in time for Happy Hour and a delicious Mexican dinner within walking distance of the motel.

Meal included: dinner.
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DAY 2, SATURDAY
DAY 2, SATURDAY
SANTA MONICA PIER AND AFTERNOON TEA
We start this morning with breakfast on the beach at Perry's a Santa Monica institution. After eating with our toes in the sand, we walk along the ocean to the historic Santa Monica Pier (where Route 66 ends!). Instead of lunch, we have a delicious (and elegant) afternoon tea at Ye Olde King's Head. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own.

Meal included: lunch (afternoon tea)
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DAY 3, SUNDAY
DAY 3, SUNDAY
THE GETTY CENTER AND MARILYN'S TOMB
You don't have to be an art lover to appreciate the beauty that is the Getty Center. The buildings are stunning, the gardens are gorgeous, and the art is world class. My personal favorite is Van Gogh's Irises.

After we spend a few hours appreciating the art and gardens (and enjoy a nice lunch), we will head over to a tiny nearby cemetery that holds more celebrities than any other in the world. From Marilyn Monroe to Jack Lemmon to Carl Wilson and so many more, it's a nice, quiet place to spend an hour.

That evening we enjoy a good dinner just down the street from our motel.

Meal included: dinner.
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DAY 4, MONDAY
DAY 4, MONDAY
HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!
Today we experience Hollywood - the hand & footprints of Chinese Theater, views of the famous sign, a cruise down the Sunset Strip, and lunch at Mel's Diner.

In the afternoon, we visit Hollywood Forever cemetery, take photos at the Beverly Hills sign, go down iconic Rodeo Drive, and see some stunning mansions.

That evening, we prove that Girl Power rules with a special GALentine's dinner at fantastic Casablanca, where the food is great, the tortillas are handmade, and the margaritas are deadly. The owner has one of the world's largest collections of memorabilia from the classic movie, Casablanca.

Meal included: dinner.
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DAY 5, TUESDAY
DAY 5, TUESDAY
TOUR ENDS
We have our breakfast sitting on the sun deck of the motel, then the tour ends.

But we've had a great time and made new friends!

Meal included: breakfast.
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DAY 1, FRIDAY

Arrival Day!

Depending on what time you arrive, you will be able to settle in and go for a walk along Santa Monica's Main Street. We will all meet in time for Happy Hour and a delicious Mexican dinner within walking distance of the motel.

Meal included: dinner.

Annette L.

Lynne L.

Sheila Stone Tours

7 reviews

I’m Sheila Stone and I love travel so much that I started a tour company when I was 60. (Have I mentioned that I’m also a late bloomer?) I create and lead small groups of women to interesting places in Europe & Japan. I have also created some Speed Date a City weekends here in the States. My tours give women an opportunity to meet other women travelers and local women too. We support local businesses by staying in small hotels and eating at family restaurants as much as possible so this is travel you can feel good about!

I think we all had a great time. Sheila is well-organized and communicates all we need to know about where we’re going and how we’re getting there. She’s exceptionally good at choosing restaurants. This was a garden tour, but it might very well have been called a food tour as well.

By Anne K for Glorious British Gardens, 2024 on May 27, 2024

Japan with Sheila Stone was delightful! It was full of adventure after adventure! In two weeks we saw so much and experienced Japan in the spring!! So grateful for the opportunity of a lifetime to see and experience this amazing country! I love Japan - And the women I got to share the trip with were lovely and amazing!! Thank you Sheila

By Cynthia Marie C for Japanese Gardens in Springtime on Apr 30, 2024

I had such a great day with Sheila. She organize all of our stops. Explained the origin of the food we were eating. I felt as if I was in another country. It's always wonderful to spend time with Sheila!

By Judy m for Sawtelle Foodie Walk 1 on May 30, 2022

Thank you Sheila for a fabulous time in Santa Fe. Everything was perfectly set up for us. The Hotel was in a great location. It was very clean and included breakfast. The museums were so interesting. Sheila is a delight to travel with. So organized. I definitely will travel with her in the future. I'm still thinking about the delicious chocolate tasting!

By Judy m for SPEED DATE A CITY: SANTA FE on Apr 05, 2022

What a great weekend in Santa Fe. Sheila is a great organizer and everything ran smoothly. Action packed but with plenty of time to walk around and relax. We hit some great spots and I don't think we missed anything. Sheila did a great job and it was just a fantastic trip. Caroline

By caroline.marshall@cshs.org for SPEED DATE A CITY: SANTA FE on Mar 28, 2022

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I recently traveled with Sheila and 11 wonderful women on the 2024 Glorious British Gardens Tour and, indeed, it was a glorious experience! Sheila worked extremely hard to plan an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime tour for us, and her hard work clearly paid off! We visited gardens in Scotland and England of every size, shape and context from the personal "back garden" of the Edinburgh caterer who treated us to a fabulous luncheon in her home, to huge RHS gardens like Harlow Carr--and everything in between! And the Chelsea Flower Show (top of my bucket list!) was absolutely astounding!! As a mad gardener, myself, these experiences were extremely special for me. But as you will clearly note from other reviews, Sheila also has an amazing talent at selecting incredibly delicious restaurants for each day. So if you are lucky enough to experience this tour, come hungry and be charmed by all the surprising and delicious meals you will eat! Overall, I highly recommend this tour! Sheila is thoughtful about every detail in her travel planning. She makes sure each traveler has what they need, be it a special dietary accommodation or detailed information about each day. She is energetic, well-organized, and flexible, as needed. So do yourself a favor--just go!!!

By Susie M on 23 Jul, 2024

We saw so many beautiful gardens, flowers, plants on the Glorious British Gardens trip! Highlights were the Royal Botanical Garden (Rhododendrons and azaleas - oh my!), Dr. Neal's garden, Alnwick Garden, Harlowe Carr (my fave!), Chelsea Physic Garden (wonderful!) and the Chelsea Flower Show was incredible - did not disappoint and I'd have loved several days at it! Sheila has great taste in food - all the restaurants she chose were delicious. Hotel location in Edinburgh was perfect! The timing for the trip gave us a wonderful opportunity to see SO many gorgeous flowers!

By Amy G on 22 Jul, 2024

I traveled with Sheila on the Japanese Gardens tour in April 2024. The tour was jam packed with gardens -- one more beautiful than the next. Sheila knows her gardens! And she is UNFLAPPABLE. All tours are made up of people whose personalities and priorities are not always in sync, and Shelia handled this with diplomacy and aplomb. She is a very kind person, and is sensitive to everyone's needs. I highly recommend her tours.

By Margaret B on 21 Jul, 2024

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