There are some birthdays a girl’s got to celebrate (even if she doesn’t want to admit the actual number). This was the year for Gail, a friend for two decades. She decided to forego the party and instead head to Atlantic City, New Jersey. There’s no way I could skip this kind of party and there’s no better place to have a great ladies night out than in the Vegas of the East Coast.

It was as if the Girls’ Getaway gods were watching us for a weekend where everything just fell into place. Not only did we have rooms at one of the very best places in Atlantic City, but they were in Borgata’s Water Club tower. We also happened to be in town the night of Caesar’s Sex and the City party – featuring hunk Gilles Marini, who – if you saw the movie – you can’t forget as Samantha’s often naked neighbor.

We started the evening with a quiet dinner for 15 of Gail’s closest family and friends. Fornelletto at The Borgata gave us a beautiful room to ourselves and treated us to some incredible appetizers before our luscious dinner. After a quick rendition of “Happy Birthday,” most of the family headed off to the Dennis Leary show at the hotel, but the birthday girl, her sister and I had (no offense, Dennis) had Caesar on the mind. Or, more accurately, the former Dancing with the Stars and current Brothers and Sisters actor.

Dusk is one of the newest nightclubs in Atlantic City and this Caesar’s hot spot is worth a trip as it was designed with the needs of women in mind. The bathroom is large enough and has enough of a (cushiony) waiting area that there is never a line outside, but my favorite feature is the “pocketbook draws” you can lock while you are dancing! We enjoyed a few tasty treats there before meeting Gilles Marini himself, who greeted us all with a kiss on the cheek as only the French and Greek do (he is both). We were invited back to party with him later, but we had so much more to do.

Back at The Borgata, we picked up a few more gal pals and headed to the hotel’s clubs. In was dark and crowded in Mixx, but it was fun all the same as we danced to infamous DJ Samantha Ronson and watched celebrities like Guns N’ Roses’ Slash (I think every woman over 30 has had a good cry over “November Rain,” so his presence seemed appropriate) enjoying the club’s bottle service. We then headed off to mur.mur, a totally different atmosphere within the same hotel, where we danced until the wee hours of the morning.

While the birthday girl and company had to depart on Sunday, I had another day of checking out the restaurants, shopping and, of course, slot machines, of The Borgata and Caesar’s, ending the weekend with spa treatments at both. I enjoyed my first ever four-handed massage at The Water Club’s Immersion Spa (wow!) and had an herbal facial at Caesar’s Qua Bath and Spa. I came home with some of the great Chellá products used in my facial – and plans for my next visit to Atlantic City for the Food & Wine Festival, which just happens to be the week of my birthday!