"What happens on Fort Myers Beach stays on Fort Myers Beach," I cautioned (i.e. threatened) my girlfriends the morning after.

I had done the unthinkable, after all, and I certainly didn't want this spread around town.

Yes, I had succumbed. To karaoke. Gasp!

 It began somewhat innocently, with a planned girls' escape to the promise of grandeur sans families at GullWing Beach Resort. The opulent condominium resort lies at the south end of Fort Myers Beach, where the beach flares luxuriously wide and leaves behind the glad bustle around Times Square at the north end.

A whirlpool bath, plush white robes, spacious closets, Bath & Body Works toiletries and - in one living room corner - a free-standing wet bar where the four of us could "belly up:" Someone surely had designed this three-bedroom condo with us in mind. After a barefoot walk on the beach, we arranged an array of munchies along the bar. We then settled in with glasses of wine for jaw lubricant and, for a tropical touch, a bottle of mango-infused Finlandia vodka. And that is how we ended up on stage at a locals' bar between Times Square and Matanzas (meaning "massacre") Pass, tonally slaughtering Hall & Oates' "She's Gone."

Boo-hoo at tear-jerk movies, get lavished with chocolate, or sip wine until all your innermost secrets pour out. GullWing has just the right amount of extravagance, pampering and cleverly designed packages to bring friends together for moments unforgettable. And, occasionally, undiscloseable.
Now, if you're more like my group and just want the vino, go for the two-night "Women Who Wine" package, which includes a welcome basket, six wine selections and The Winerd wine-tasting game, which involves blind tasting and wine trivia.

Its one-, two- and three-bedroom condos feel like home, except without that guy in his boxers and all those sticky fingers running about. The spacious living area gives all the girls their own space when they want it. The full kitchen means you can eat breakfast without changing out of your jammies and can nest in on those evenings you'd rather not eat out. One of GullWing's girlfriend "Gal Pal" packages, in fact, even throws in a personal chef for one night's dinner.

It's called the "Ooh La La" package. Indeed. Spend four days reveling in beach views, chocolate, champagne, shopping and glorious food. A personal limo stocked with champagne delivers you to the nationally acclaimed Chocolate Salon at Norman Love Confections, where works of truffle art have won the chocolatier a place of honor on USA Today's list of Top 10 artisan chocolate companies. Taste and make your own during a private chocolate-making class. The limo's next stop: Bell Tower Shops - home to Saks Fifth Avenue, some of Fort Myers' finest restaurants and buy-happy boutiques. Back at the resort, your custom-made dinner includes an assortment of wines from around the world.

Now, if you're more like my group and just want the vino, go for the two-night "Women Who Wine" package, which includes a welcome basket, six wine selections and The Winerd wine-tasting game, which involves blind tasting and wine trivia.

Then there's the "Chick Flicks" package, for those girl gangs who can quit yapping (not us, surely) long enough to indulge in that tearjerker or hunk flick your significant other refuses to watch with you. GullWing's DVD library contains more than 200 titles, and you have unlimited access during your two-night stay. Your welcome basket will be stocked with buttered popcorn, movie candy, soft drinks and, of course, a big box of tissues.

Or, like us, design your own girls-only fantasy. Spend days lounging in a beach cabana or poolside with dips into the whirlpool. Hop aboard the Fort Myers Trolley to get to the beach shops, sidewalk restaurants and sprightly beach bars around Times Square or walk to those nearby. There's even a movie theater just footsteps away where you can have drinks and food served to your table while you watch. Play tennis, hit the fitness center, barbecue poolside or arrange something watersporty - anything from parasailing and jet-skiing to a shelling charter or sunset cruise.

Take long walks on the beach to reconnect friendships that your busy life has put on pause. Fort Myers Beach sands are absolutely made for walking, and that's just what you'll do. Stop along the way at beachside and rooftop bars and taverns. Indulge your inner college coed and get a little silly. I won't tell.