Is there anything better than a bestie girlfriend trip?

I’ve been fortunate to have several incredible women in my life who love to travel. Frequently, the personal trips I write about often have a girlfriend or two along for the ride. Or to be more accurate, it’s usually the other way around: My fabulous girlfriends have travel plans, and I’m actually the one along for the ride.

In any event, girlfriend trips are so valuable to me. There’s something about experiencing a new destination with someone you’ve known for a while who already knows your bathroom schedule, sleeping patterns and hangry tendencies.

A few weeks ago, one of my college girlfriends came to Sarasota for a brief visit. We stayed at The Sarasota Modern, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in downtown Sarasota, thanks to a three-night stay she won in a charity auction.

The Sarasota Modern is exactly as it sounds: a bit Art Deco, a bit modern and all things intriguing. Our king-sized suite had a separate living room and bedroom, large bathroom with double sinks, and an oversized balcony overlooking the pool.

There’s also a restaurant on site called Wink Wink Food and Drink serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Over the bar area there’s an alligator fastened upside down on the ceiling. His presence is basically begging to fall on top of easy-going patrons and scare the living daylights out of you (an interesting nod to the Florida gator culture).

We enjoyed our meal at Wink Wink and a few light bites at the pool during our time at the hotel. But we also enjoyed several other downtown restaurants including Comida (Latin American), C’est La Vie (French), and Arts & Central (creative bistro-style food).

Near the end of our time together, we made our way to South Sarasota County to catch a sunset at Venice Fishing Pier. The 700-foot pier is largely reopened after sustaining a good amount of damage thanks to hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall. For us it was a gorgeous night to see the sun go down over the ocean.

All in all, girlfriend time is about catching up, checking in and laughing at life together. Bonus points for great food, late-night giggles and grown-up worries left behind.

My thanks to each of these Sarasota County destinations for such superb reminders.

— Carrie Cox, account executive