A good old fashioned girlie get together can be a real tonic when our busy lives allow it. So if you're opting for a night away with your friends, it's a good idea to put a little thought into your planning to make sure you get real value for money and the most fabulous time catching up - and having a giggle of course.

If you're visiting a hotel with a group of friends there are so many options to choose from. You can always use the hotel as your base and venture out for the night on the town - it's a possibility but, let's face it, you can do that any weekend of the year - at home. Or you can really get into the spirit of your night away with the girls and take full advantage of staying in a luxury hotel with the many opportunities it offers for relaxation, pampering and enjoying great food and drink. Moreover, there's no cooking, cleaning or washing up to do for the whole duration of your stay!

So if you're going to stay at a hotel you may as well get the most out of it. Besides, who really gets any pleasure from a rainy night on the town with its overcrowded bars, overpriced food and endless taxi queues at home time? Instead, you could be spending your time having a relaxing swim followed by a pedicure and then maybe a chilled glass or two of something in your room before supper, catching up on news and all the girlie gossip. You could always spare a thought for the poor souls who are outside stuck in a cramped pub, unable to hear themselves think, queuing forever to get a drink and hoping they don't miss the last bus home. Or you could just ring room service and ask for another bottle and some extra nibbles.

There's a lot to be said for the occasional night of total indulgence. It's quite possibly the best opportunity to give yourself time off from the rat race and to hide away with your best girl friends. With lots of hotels offering massages and other treatments, you may even go home feeling healthier and more energetic than you did when you arrived.

Many hotels even provide DVDs for you to watch in your room during your stay. That way you can stay in your bathrobe until bedtime, order supper and wine and all chill out with a chick flick in the luxurious privacy of your room. And when the film's finished there's sure to be plenty more conversation until bedtime, when you can simply tuck yourselves in and sleep like babies until morning.

And whether your hotel has lots of facilities such as pool, spa and gym, or it simply offers good quality rooms and a good standard of restaurant, you might find you've no need to venture out at all during your stay. If you've got the right company, good food, excellent wine and a comfy room, you probably have everything you need for a great weekend.