No. I · The Ranked Ten
From best to tenth.
Sorted by the balance a girls trip wants: a usable pool, a town or wine region within a short drive, a cook or chef for the in nights, and a per-head number that works across a mixed-budget group.
No. I
Tuscany or Chianti farmhouse with pool and cook.
Format: four- to six-bedroom farmhouse with pool, cook available, sleeps 8 to 12. Weekly rate: €9,000 to €22,000. Balance: pool days, cook nights, Florence and Siena within an hour.
Why it ranks first: Tuscany is the food-led girls trip, and the cook in the farmhouse kitchen is the reason. Lunch and dinner appear without a booking, the pool holds the afternoons, and the day trips to Florence, Siena, and the Chianti wineries give the group an itinerary without forcing one. The format suits a group that wants to eat well and talk late more than a club week.
What we would change: confirm the pool is heated if the trip is May or September, and check the drive to the nearest village. The best Chianti farmhouses are rural; a 25-minute drive to dinner is fine, 45 minutes is a chore.
No. II
Mykonos view villa, Aleomandra or Houlakia.
Format: four- to six-bedroom villa with infinity pool and view, sleeps 8 to 12, staff. Weekly rate: $10,000 to $25,000 peak. Balance: pool days, beach clubs, town dinners 12 minutes away.
Why it ranks second: Mykonos is the beach-club girls trip, for the group that wants the Nammos lunch, the boat day, and the town dinners with the villa as a calm base. Aleomandra and Houlakia keep the property private and the view intact while the beach clubs and the town stay a short drive. The format flexes from loud to relaxed depending on the group.
What we would change: avoid the first three weeks of August, when the prices and the door friction peak. The second week of September is the same island at a far lower rate.
No. III
Marrakech medina riad or palmeraie villa.
Format: four- to six-bedroom riad or palmeraie villa with pool, full staff, sleeps 8 to 12. Weekly rate: $6,000 to $18,000. Balance: spa, souk, rooftop dinners, pool.
Why it ranks third: Marrakech is the spa-and-souk long weekend with the strongest price-to-experience ratio on this list. The riads carry deep staff and a cook for a fraction of European rates, the hammam-and-spa culture suits the group, and a four-hour flight from Europe makes it an easy three or four nights. The palmeraie villas add a pool and more space.
What we would change: the medina riads are central but can be hot and have small pools. For a pool-led summer trip, the palmeraie villas outside the walls are the better choice; for the souk-and-spa weekend, the medina riad wins.
No. IV
Napa or Sonoma wine-country house.
Format: four- to six-bedroom wine-country house with pool, sleeps 8 to 12. Weekly rate: $12,000 to $25,000. Balance: winery days, pool afternoons, town dinners.
Why it ranks fourth: Napa and Sonoma are the wine-trip girls trip within a short drive of San Francisco. The wine-country houses carry the pool and the deck, the wineries run the daytime, and Healdsburg, Yountville, and St Helena hold the dinners. The format suits a group that wants tastings and long lunches over a beach.
What we would change: Sonoma runs less than the Napa valley floor for the same house and a shorter winery drive. For value and a slower pace, weight toward Healdsburg and the Sonoma side.
No. V
Mallorca or Ibiza northside villa for the calm version.
Format: four- to six-bedroom villa with pool, sleeps 8 to 12, staff. Weekly rate: €9,000 to €22,000. Balance: pool days, coves, village dinners, optional one big night.
Why it ranks fifth: the quiet sides of Mallorca and Ibiza are the relaxed-Mediterranean girls trip, for the group that wants the island without the party. The northside Ibiza and Tramuntana Mallorca villas carry the pool and the coves, with a flight under three hours from the UK and the option of one big night in Ibiza town if the group wants it.
What we would change: the rural northside villas can be a long drive to a restaurant. Confirm the village distance, or book the cook so the in nights are covered.
No. VI
Tulum or Riviera Maya wellness villa.
Format: four- to six-bedroom villa with pool, sleeps 8 to 12, staff. Weekly rate: $8,000 to $20,000. Balance: yoga, cenotes, beach, pool, one night out.
Why it ranks sixth: Tulum is the wellness girls trip, with the morning yoga, the cenote swims, and the beach-club afternoons. The Aldea Zama and jungle villas carry the pool and the staff at a rate below the Mediterranean, with a direct flight into Cancun from most US cities.
What we would change: book November to April to avoid the sargassum seaweed season, and weight the villa toward Aldea Zama over the congested beach road.
No. VII
Cotswolds cottage or small manor.
Format: four- to six-bedroom cottage or small manor with garden, sleeps 8 to 12, optional staff. Weekly rate: £6,000 to £16,000. Balance: pub dinners, country walks, spa day, fireside nights.
Why it ranks seventh: the Cotswolds is the no-flight girls trip for a UK group, inside a two-hour drive of London. The cottage-and-garden format carries the country walks, the village pub dinners, and the fireside nights, with Daylesford and the local spas for the daytime. The trip works year-round, not only in summer.
What we would change: there is no pool culture here. If the group wants a pool day, book a property with an indoor pool or a spa membership, or pick a warmer pocket.
No. VIII
Lake Como or Lake Garda garden villa.
Format: four- to five-bedroom lake villa with garden and dock, sleeps 8 to 10, staff. Weekly rate: €12,000 to €25,000. Balance: boat days, garden lunches, town dinners in Bellagio or Sirmione.
Why it ranks eighth: the Italian lakes are the elegant girls trip, with the boat day on the water, the garden lunches, and the aperitivo evenings in Bellagio or Sirmione. The villa-with-garden format suits a group that wants the setting and the food over a pool scene or a club night.
What we would change: the lakes are residential and quiet. This is the refined trip, not the loud one; match the destination to the group’s intent.
No. IX
Charleston or Santa Barbara town villa.
Format: four- to five-bedroom town or coastal house, sleeps 8 to 10. Weekly rate: $9,000 to $22,000. Balance: walkable dining, beach or harbor, spa, pool.
Why it ranks ninth: Charleston and Santa Barbara are the walkable US girls trips, where the house sits inside reach of the restaurants and the bars. The format removes the transport problem entirely: the group walks to dinner. Charleston brings the Southern food scene; Santa Barbara brings the wine country and the beach.
What we would change: the in-town houses can be smaller on outdoor space. If a pool day matters, confirm the property has one, since many historic town houses do not.
No. X
Algarve or Comporta beach villa.
Format: four- to six-bedroom villa with pool, sleeps 8 to 12, staff optional. Weekly rate: €7,000 to €20,000. Balance: beach, pool, seafood dinners, one marina night.
Why it ranks tenth: the Portuguese coast is the value beach girls trip, with a flight under three hours from the UK, reliable summer sun, and the pool villas of the Algarve Golden Triangle or the design-led houses of Comporta. The format suits a beach-and-pool week with seafood dinners and one night at the marina.
What we would change: Comporta is more design-led and remote; the Algarve is more amenity-rich and walkable to restaurants. Pick Comporta for the quiet aesthetic trip and the Algarve for the easy beach week.