I'VE never been on a holiday without my wife, but that's just what I'm doing in November.
I'm joining my twin brother Mike for a week of golf in the hot sun.
The Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Spa was totally renovated this year and is located just a five-minute walk from downton Puerto Vallarta.
Mike is a self-described "captain of commerce'' in Hamilton, and he loves golf, but usually finds it difficult to get away on a holiday. He's too busy getting rich.
We've talked for years about a golf getaway, but yakking doesn't get you to the airport.
So earlier this week I e-mailed Mike the details of my most recent "once-in-a-lifetime'' plan, expecting the usual "I'd love to but...''
Not this time. "Count me in,'' he replied.
So my brother and I, who generally see each other only when an offspring is getting married (his three girls are keeping me broke) are off on a "mancation."
For a girlfriends' holiday, the Armonia Spa at the Buenaventura Grand Hotel in Puerto Vallarta is ideal.
That's a new word and I don't know that I like it, but I guess it covers the territory.
"It's the new buzzword,'' says Pat Rachey of Signature Vacations. "Guys travelling together.
"My husband recently took one; a bunch of guys in a converted bus going to the States for three days of non-stop golf, playing cards, going to the casino, eating and drinking.
But these can be a bit more sophisticated with men travelling to resort areas together to play golf, go deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and male bonding."
But the "pal idea" isn't just for guys, Rachey added.
"At the same time, wives are travelling with girlfriends to resorts with spas or extensive fitness facilities, or for major shopping expeditions."
Or how about a "babymoon"?
"Instead of traditional honeymoons," says Rachey, "young couples are waiting and taking the baby with them on a "babymoon."
If you win the Great Winter Escape Contest, the Winnipeg Free Press and Signature Vacations has a week-long holiday in the sun for two as your prize, with four possible destinations and vacation themes. (There is only one prize at the contest's end).
The "mancation" package includes seven-nights all inclusive, with airfare, at the Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Spa in Puerto Vallarta. The hotel has three pools, Jacuzzi, fitness facilities, one buffet and two a la carte restaurants, three bars (including the famous pool bar), and evening entertainment.
The hotel is on the beach right next to the popular Malecon beach wall and walkway in Vallarta. It has the biggest and best Jacuzzi in Mexico, which is a popular spot in the late afternoon for drinks and socializing.
The Buenaventura was totally renovated this year, moving from a three- star to a four-plus-star hotel, complete with the Armonia Spa. (Armonia means Harmony in English) Its name was changed from the Buenaventura Hotel to Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Spa.
It's located on the beachfront in Puerto Vallarta, just a five-minute walk to the centre of town. It's the perfect location for shopping or enjoying a meal in town.
The rooms have all been redone in contemporary Mexican style and feature air conditioning, satellite TV, hair dryer, iron and ironing board and in-room safety deposit.
The prize is all-inclusive so includes all meals, drinks, activities and entertainment at the resort.
Puerto Vallarta sits at the centre of horseshoe-shaped Banderas Bay on Mexico's Pacific Coast - one of the world's largest natural bays, with 40 kilometres of golden beaches.
Temperatures hover around 26 C from January to March, but the city of 350,000 is much more than a sun, golf, sailing and scuba destination.
Visitors can watch humpback whales cavorting in the bay, swim with dolphins, go ocean kayaking among sea turtles and manta rays, or skim over the jungle canopy on a zipline adventure.
Surrounded by lush jungle and sheltered by the Sierra Madre Mountains, the bay is a paradise for tropical birdwatching, fishing and hiking.
There's also abundant shopping, a wealth of luxury spas, a lively art community, vibrant nightlife (this area being the home of tequila production), and a culinary scene that's considered second only to Mexico City.
With its cobblestone downtown streets, Puerto Vallarta also retains a flavour of colonial Mexico that's appreciated by history and architecture buffs.
The free trip, to three possible destinations in Mexico and one in the Dominican Republic (the prize winner gets to pick) is non-refundable and non-transferable and subject to availability. Travel must be taken between Dec. 15, 2007 and March 31, 2008 with blackout at Christmas, New Year's, Easter and Spring Break.
And if you win and are a Free Press seven-day subscriber, you will also receive a $500 shopping voucher from Journeys Travel and Leisure SuperCentre located at Donald Street and Wardlaw Avenue.
So pick your favourite holiday, and don't forget to answer the contest question. The answer can be found in this story. And good luck!
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