{Paradise in Mauritius} - Our 5 Year Anniversary Trip to the Secluded African Island

Sunrise from the patio steps off our bedroom

Mauritius is a French - influenced island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar in South East Africa.

To say that Mauritius is breathtaking is a mere understatement...the crystal clear blue ocean waters and powder white fine sand stretches endlessly.

We left KL on Tuesday evening April 30th and spent 6 nights at the beautiful Long Beach Hotel on the northeast side of the island in the town of Belle Mare.

Kaes was able to go diving the first full day {Wednesday} that we were there. Since I am unable to dive, I visited the luxurious Sea Spa that even had a traditional hammam bath! I chose the hammam followed by a white chocolate massage and was in absolute heaven!!!

The Sea Spa

Large school of barracuda

The food, resort atmosphere, and beach were a tropical oasis. The resort itself was massive with 5 different restaurants, tennis courts, rock climbing, sports center, two different kids clubs for younger and older kids, two large pools, spa center, and rooms expanding all across the beachfront. Every morning in the main restaurant we had fresh baked French pastries, crepes, fresh squeezed juice of the day, tropical fruit, spicy and flavorful Mauritian favorites, and an omelet station.

Beautiful blue waters, white sandy beach and perfect warm {not humid} weather made for a very relaxing and enjoyable 6 days.

Kaes did more diving and I relaxed between the spa, ocean, and poolside. It was definitely a tough way to spend a week ;)

Mauritius was a memorable destination and ranked high on our list of favorite places to unwind and relish in natural beauty.

Here's to 5 wonderful years and many more incredible memories together!!!

Full Photo Album Here

Girls All-Inclusive Spa Trip to Da Nang, Vietnam

Flight from KL to Da Nang was 3.5 hours. and stayed from April 12- 17

Helpful Hint: Get a green or white taxi when leaving the airport and demand on using the meter! Also, make sure they fully comprehend where you are going. Seems like a mundane detail, but the language barrier can pose issues. We experienced it first hand ;)

Sam, Kelly, and I stayed at the beautiful 5-star all-inclusive spa resort Fusion Maia Da Nang in our own private pool villa.

 

Friday, checked in to beautifully decorated serene room with our own private cabana and swimming pool. We decided to stay in for dinner and had lobster bisque and fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. After dinner, all three of us then had full body massages followed by head massage before bed. It was perfect end to our long day and ensured a blissful night of uninterrupted sleep.

Saturday, breakfast by the beach, swam in pool and got sun, foot massage followed by pedicure. Relaxed more in the room and went into Da Nang city to have dinner at The Waterfront on the Han River and listened a live music festival with violinist, saxophonist and local singers performing various types of music.

Heading to dinner at the Waterfront

Sunday, woke up and had a wonderful facial early in the morning followed by a full buffet spread for breakfast. We relaxed by the infinity pool listening to waves crash into the ocean and just enjoyed our afternoon in the lush surroundings. That afternoon we had warm pressure massages with oil followed by a therapeutic head massage. We are truly getting pampered!!! Dinner that night at the in-house restaurant Five consisted of bamboo smoked duck with red cabbage, cilantro, sprouts and candied apples and raisins followed by sweet potato gnocchi paired with tomato relish and salad. Dessert was a phenomenal coconut creme brulee with coconut ice cream. The food, service, and atmosphere have all been impressive to say the least!!!

The gorgeous dining room

Monday we had our usual 2 treatments at the spalon and then took the shuttle from our hotel into the town of Hoi An just 30 minutes away. Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Sam with her massive coconut at lunch in the Secret Garden

Tuesday morning was one of the most perfect days we had with beautiful weather. Most of the day was spent lounging by our pool (after our delicious breakfast of course) and getting some sun.

Wednesday was unfortunately our last day...I think we all had our fill of such great spa treatments over the past week. We started the morning off with one last delicious breakfast buffet and then had a facial and a 1-hour hot oil pressure massage. It was the perfect end to our relaxing week. After we cleaned up, we had one last lobster lunch out by the beach before heading to the airport on our way home.

It was a wonderful week and we had such a great time reuniting in Da Nang!!!

{Complete photo album}

Weekend Away to Phuket, Thailand

Kaes and I surprised Mom with a trip to Phuket, Thailand as a birthday present. I was so excited to see her face and she was thrilled that we were going. Phuket is one of our favorite places with great beaches, cheap food, and overall relaxation. 

Thursday after a half day of work, we flew the 1 hour plane flight via Air Asia to Phuket. We arrived around 6:45 and then had a 40 minute car ride to the main town and beaches. 


We stayed in a luxurious villa called Baan Pan Yaah Kalim that was on the pristine Patong Bay, not far from Patong Beach and the bustling town lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. It had a gorgeous view of the bay and beaches from the top master suite and we could hear the waves crashing against the rocks as we went to sleep at night. The other king sized room had a view of our private jacuzzi as well as the water.

View of Patong Bay from our balcony

Bay from our private beach

Patio outside of master suite overlooking the bay

Our private jacuzzi

Inside of the villa - living room, dining and kitchen

Cold Singha beer in the jacuzzi

  

We walked into town, ate the fresh local Thai coconuts and relaxed on the beach. It was everything we wanted to do and more!!!

Tuk Tuk with local veggies and homemade banana pancakes

Beautiful sunset over Patong Bay

Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I was so thankful that Mom was able to join us for a getaway vacation out of the hustle and bustle of KL. We cannot wait to go back soon for another visit!

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!