Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Kim & Kelly Go to Thailand - Our Girl's Weekend Getaway to Koh Lipe, Thailand

My friend from work (and we knew each other from Houston) Kelly, and I, decided to take a girl’s only trip to Koh Lipe, Thailand to get away for a MUCH needed weekend of rest and relaxation.




Thursday after work we flew 50 minutes to Langkawi, on the west coast of Malaysia, where we stayed the night. Friday morning, we went to the Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal to catch a 9:30 ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand. While waiting for our ferry, we got to see these precious monkeys eating their breakfast. I couldn't believe how many there were and how they didn’t seem to be bothered by humans coming close to take a picture.
Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal
Langkawi Yacht Club
Look at the tiny baby!

Are you looking at me!?!?
On the ferry heading to Thailand
 We arrived in Koh Lipe at 9:30 am (they are an hour behind our time in Malaysia) and were amazed at how beautiful of an island could be so close to KL! Overall, it took about 1 ½ hours to get to Koh Lipe from Kuala Lumpur.
Immigration in a small little hut on the beach :)
Our home for the weekend was at Sita Beach Resort & Spa, a beautiful hotel right on the water of the pristine Pattaya beach on the south side of the island. 
The entrance to our resort
The water and sand couldn't get more perfect

We decided to first walk around the town and see what it had to offer We didn't realize that it was Thailand’s New Year’s celebration, and there were many kids and even adults, running around with water guns spraying anyone in their paths as well as painted the faces of passers-by with white chalk (at least I am assuming that was what it was!!!) We had a delicious local lunch of Thai green curry, pad thai, and Chang beer all for $9/USD. After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the many massage places in town and had an hour full body massage for $10 USD! Kelly and I were so relaxed and enjoyed having no real agenda. As the day progressed, we decided to sit on the beach people watching and marvelling at the breathtaking sunset.


Paradise
Sunset on the beach



Saturday morning we woke up and had a wonderful full buffet breakfast at the resort, then decided to enjoy the quiet beach and get some sun. The water was so clear and there weren’t many people around, so it was perfect for us to lie out and enjoy the peace and quiet. After another delicious local Thai lunch at the resort, we had to indulge in more massages. We were so relaxed after an hour massage; we both agreed that we should stay longer for an hour foot massage.


Kelly quenching her thirst with a cold Chang beer
Beer, massage, and vacation...

The small town
After our massage, we ventured further into the island and stumbled upon quite an interesting bar called OMG! Bar. They played good music and had some big screen TVs to show a football (soccer) match that attracted quite a few people. We hung around for a few beers and enjoyed the comical people that came into the bar. One couple in particular could not keep their hands off each other, even while sitting at the bar!


The weird couple at the bar that couldn't keep their hands off each other...
After a few beers, it was time for dinner and we opted for a small, but delicious looking pizza stand that was busy every time we passed by. It smelled wonderful and was even a bonus since they served real pepperoni (we don’t get much pork in KL as it is a Muslim country) If we had known how great it was, we probably would have eaten there every meal just to get great tasting (real) pizza!!!
The day had been long and with both of us getting more sun that we had planned, we watched the sunset over the beach and headed in for an early night.
Sunday we woke up early and decided to try and get an earlier ferry back as we were both pretty tired and burnt. Our flight wasn’t until 11 pm that night, but luckily we were able to catch an earlier flight home so we would get in at a reasonable time to start the work week on Monday.


Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. It was exactly what we had hoped for and cannot wait for our next opportunity to return for another visit!