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}

Muay Thai Boxing & Lady Boys in Koh Samui, Thailand

As I have said before, the holidays in Malaysia are wonderful and we try and take every opportunity to use them to explore uncharted territory. The Indian holiday Thaipusam allowed us to have a 5 day holiday with friends to the beautiful island of Koh Samui, Thailand.

Kelly, Alex, Layla, James, Kaes, and I all left Thursday, January 24^th on an early morning flight to Koh Samui. There is a 1 hour time difference between Thailand and Malaysia, so we arrived with a full day ahead of us on the island. We stayed at the beautiful Amari Palm Reef resort on the east side of Samui of Chaweng Beach.

After getting settled into our hotel rooms, we spent the rest of the day by the pool and beach relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Friday we had the buffet breakfast at the hotel that was absolutely delicious! It was by far one of the most diverse breakfast spreads we have ever had and even more importantly had BACON! Since we don’t get pork too often in KL, it was nice to have it as an option each morning for breakfast. Turkey or beef bacon doesn't hold a candle to the real stuff. After more relaxing by the pool, we all decided to go get foot massages and then the girls roamed around the shops to see what kind of cheap knock-offs we could find.

Saturday was an interesting day full of lady boys! Me, Kaes, Kelly, and Alex decided to go get body massages this time instead of foot massages. When we got to the salon, the therapist they assigned to each of us was two lady boys!! Kaes was not excited and wanted to leave, but I told him there was nothing to worry about since I was laying right next to him. It was quite humorous seeing the look on his face, but he didn’t seem to enjoy the laugh at his expense J We both agreed it was some of the best massages we have ever had! That night we went to one of the famous lady boy cabaret shows that Thailand is known for all over the country. The show had some great performers and some of the ladies could fool most anyone!

Sunday was full of more lazy lounging, but at night we decided to attend a traditional Muay Thai Boxing match. Muay Thai is taught from a very early age and even boys as young as 14 were competing in this very intense type of fighting. Boys that didn’t even weigh 100 pounds all the way up to men up to 175 were involved in a series of 10 fights. Of the many times Kaes and I have been to Thailand, this was our first experience to see a Muay Thai match.

Monday was our last day before flying back to KL, so we had an easy day and had breakfast, then packed up our room. No trip to Thailand would be complete without a massage, so Kaes and I opted to get foot massages after a delicious Pad Thai lunch at a small local restaurant, and then headed to the airport for our afternoon flight.

  

We had a great, relaxing weekend in Koh Samui. It is definitely a quick and easy trip to get to for even a short weekend away from KL. 

Our Many Blessings of 2012

2012 has passed and I wanted to wrap up on the many wonderful blessings for which we are so thankful for during our first year of living in Malaysia.

In May we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with nine days in Japan. Springtime boasts the short lived cherry blossoms, but thankfully we were able to see them before they withered away until the next season. Sushi was some of the freshest we have ever tasted and the people were friendly and hospitable. Definitely at the top of the list for must see places to visit for anyone that has a chance to make it to Asia.

In June, my Mom came to visit and together we traveled to Phuket, Thailand and relaxed on the beautiful beaches of Patong while dining on local favorites foods and drinks at night. 

Kaes’ parents came to visit us in August and together we traveled to Laos to see Buddhist temples, eat fresh local food, and enjoy the beautiful sunset across the Mekong River.

In November, we traveled to Boracay, Philippines with our friends, Kelly and Alex, who live here in KL and are also from Houston. The powder white beaches, clear blue water, and friendly locals really made it a wonderful relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL. Kaes and I visited Boracay in January during Chinese New Year and loved it so much we wanted to come back knew Kelly and Alex would share the same love that Boracay has to offer.

December we were fortunate enough to go home to spend Christmas with family. Last year we spent Christmas in KL as we had just been home in October. The holiday season is never the same without the one near and dear to your heart to spend the best time of year. 

It has been an incredible year full of adventures and we hope to create many more memories in 2013. May the New Year bring you joy, love, and happiness throughout the year and always.

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!