Coy and I spent 10 amazing days in Thailand for our 5 year anniversary. Many people have asked why we picked Thailand and to be honest it happened for multiple reasons. I was pushing for Greece and Coy was rooting for Thailand. Coy is obsessed with the beach and while I love the beach I also love culture and sightseeing. In addition to seeing the Kardashians in Thailand a few seasons ago, Coy had also heard a lot of great things from people he knows. Once I started doing some research I was easily swayed to Team Thailand.
This was by far the most amazing trip we have ever taken. It was breathtakingly beautiful, the culture and the people there are beyond amazing, and the food is delicious. This was for sure a trip of a lifetime and one we will never forget. In an effort to make sure we remember all of the details I wanted to document our trip here.
I would HIGHLY recommend a trip to Thailand, and specifically Koh Samui.
Day 1-2:
Between the 11 hour time-difference and a 33 hour trip across the world, days 1-2 were primarily spent in an airplane. On the way there we flew from Indianapolis to Minneapolis to LA to Guangzhou, China to Bangkok to Koh Samui. We literally switched our first flight less than twelve hours before departure so we extended the length of our trip even more. We were both dreading the flight, particularly the almost 15 hour flight from LA to Guangzhou. However, all in all, we couldn't complain too much when it was over. I hated the LA airport, and hated it even more when we realized we had to leave the domestic airport and re-check ourselves in through security and ticketing at the international airport. I had never flown out of the LA so this was new and extremely annoying (especially when it was in the middle of the night to our bodies). We left LA on Wednesday night and landed in China on Friday morning. We were able to sleep for almost half of the flight and spent the rest of the time watching some of the millions of movies that were offered. The food was decent and although a little cramped, it went much quicker than anticipated. I hated the Guangzhou airport - the air conditioning was not working, it smelled bad, and there were very limited options for food. We settled on a breakfast of something's I cannot pronounce and had fresh squeezed watermelon and orange juice. We loved the Bangkok Airport and I wish we had had more time there. We flew Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui and LOVED it! It was by far my favorite and shortest flight. The service was great, the food excellent, and they did a great job serving us.
(Breakfast in China) (Last flight!!!) (FINALLY...Samui!)
Day 3:
We arrived in Koh Samui on Friday afternoon and were immediately taken aback by both the beauty and the heat. The humidity was something I had never quite experienced before and as much as I would like to say we got used to that, that never really happened. Luckily, the island itself was worth the sweat the poured out of my body for the entirety of our trip.
We stayed at
Fairhouse Villas on Maenam Beach and loved it! We chose it because of it's seclusion and that did not disappoint! Although we had considered an upgrade once we arrived we decided to decline this, as our villa was in a great location and we loved it! Many of the staff spoke limited English but they were the sweetest little things and had such a great work ethic. Our villa was adorable. We were pleasantly surprised that we had to take our shoes off before entering and not so pleasantly surprised to find out that our one room key was the only way that the air or electricity would run. To translate - unless we were in the room our air conditioning would not run! This was a little upsetting and pretty blazing hot when we would return after a day out but in the end it was bearable and less dramatic then we thought it would be.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the resort, taking in the amazing view and scenery. That night, despite our exhaustion we headed to Fisherman's Village for the Friday night open-air market. It was amazing. However, by the time we sat down to dinner (I had coconut curry prawns and Coy had sweet-n-sour chicken) we could barely keep our eyes open and made it as quickly as possible to street for a taxi ride home. I LOVED Fisherman's Village, luckily we were able to go back another night and actually enjoy ourselves.
Day 4:
We spent our first full day at the resort. It rained slightly this day but passed pretty quick. I headed a short distance down the beach for a ($9) one hour massage. It was amazing! We also went to lunch a short walk down the beach to Jin's - our favorite restaurant! Jin owns a little shack on the beach that I had read about previously. She was amazing and the food was even more amazing. We ate here multiple times and each time it was better than the time before.
(Breaking my coconut for coconut curry)
Chicken Satay Coconut Curry
Prawn Pad Thai
Late that afternoon we took the shuttle to Chaweng Beach. This was a much more crowded area. We spent a lot of time shopping and were luckily enough to find a small open-air market at the end of the night. We had fish-therapy on our feet and also a foot massage. We ate dinner on the beach and loved seeing the culture and the views. Every part of the island looks a little different and the beach and streets here varied from Maenam. We had talked about coming back to Chaweng later in the week but this never happened and this was our only time at this beach.
(Our first experience with Thai pancakes. These little carts, attached to a motorcycle make a variety of thin 'pancakes' with various toppings and fillings...all for around $0.10 each!)
(Mopeds galore...everywhere)
