After 2 whole weeks of being away, it’s kind of nice to be back home, but we’re already missing the warmth of Thailand and Malaysia. Not to mention the food! But we’ll get by, I’m sure.
This past week our Instagram has been pretty much filled with our trip to Thailand and the beautiful places we were staying while we were there. It just goes to show Thailand’s not just a destination for adventure any more. There’s plenty of room for romance and luxury here now too.
So settle back and enjoy our last week in the Land of Smiles.
Our room in Aleenta Phuket is most pleasant. Bigger than our apartment in Sydney, this beachfront pool villa is absolutely stunning. And next door to us is the biggest property for this resort. It’s got a rec room twice the size of our apartment, a separate building for dining and upstairs bedrooms, four other buildings that make up bedroom suites and a 20-metre lap pool looking out over the beach… basically it made Mrs Romance tear up it’s that impressive!
But our place isn’t bad at all. Watch this space for a full review and more shots of the room itself. It’s jaw-dropping!
The Aleenta Phuket resort property is surrounded by water. Many of the paths are floating above water gardens full of fish. Mrs R has found a spot to sit and take in some of the much-needed sun we’ve been missing in Sydney recently.
Sunset from Aleenta sets right over the beach and into the Andaman Sea. If you’re looking for romance, peace and a good slice of luxury, you’ve got to come here.
We’re at our last residence further south and across the bay from famous – or should that be infamous – Patong Beach. Thavorn Beach Village is a little haven of romance in Phuket’s party capital. And this is the focal point of that: Phuket’s most romantic dinner setting – or so the awards all say. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Can’t wait to try it!
The lagoon-like pool at Thavorn Beach is almost as enticing as the beach itself. If it wasn’t for the spectacular snorkelling just off the shoreline, we’d be in here a lot more often!
We’ve decided to make a foray over to the other side of the bay today. Patong Beach. Even now, in the quiet of the off-season, it’s still pretty busy here. The town itself is fairly unpleasant and makes us appreciate the peace and romance of Thavorn Beach that much more!
By the way, check out the guys on the parasail. The one on the right isn’t in a harness or tied up. He’s just sitting in the ropes so he can steer the parachute back to the beach. OHS? What’s that?
Back at Thavorn Beach, we get another look at the romantic dinner setting before hitting the pool to cool down.
And this pool has a swim-up bar. All the other times we’ve ever been to a place with one of these it’s been closed or unmanned. This time we’re taking advantage it. I’m drinking a craft beer they make on site by the way! Never knew Thailand did such a thing. It’s actually pretty good.
Mrs R is enjoying her coconut drink. Of course she’s ordered a coconut!
All to soon we’re back at the airport heading back to Sydney. Phuket International Airport’s not much to look at but here at Kuala Lumpur’s new terminal, there’s plenty to do, eat and see. KLIA2 is a monster 4-level 2-wing shopping mall that happens to have an airport attached.
That’s why we’re going for a more pampered approach to exploring: Plaza Premium Lounge!
We’re here for pretty much a whole day on a lay-over, but instead of heading back into the madness of the capital, we’ve decided to hang out at the airport. We have a quick nap and a snack in the lounge – which anyone can visit by the way. You don’t need to have a business class ticket… I don’t think you even need a ticket actually. It’s in the pre-customs part of the airport.
Now we’re enjoying a cheeky beer at The BAR before supper. This is a great little bar that feels more like a local than anything you’d find in an airport. Well worth trying the next time you’re flying through KL.
It’s taken a while to choose where to eat here at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (yeah, that’s why we call it KLIA2!), but we’ve gone with this place – the Green Market. It’s got an interesting menu with a mix of Japanese, Korean and Malaysian food. This is Mrs Romance’s bibimbap I’d be a lot more jealous of if my chicken katsu and salmon sashimi bento wasn’t so bloody good!
We’re also sharing a salmon salad, which is delicious. I think we’ve chosen very well indeed!
Just before we board, we’ve popped into the Wellness Spa. It’s right behind The BAR, which is handy. Here you can have a range of massages and treatments just right for a long-haul prep. These are some of the treatment chairs you sit in within the private room.
The prices here are surprisingly reasonable – just R93 (about AU$30) for the best shoulder, neck and back massage, or a foot reflexology massage, and you get access to the bar and food area here. Quite impressed.
And we’re on our way! The flatbed seats on AirAsia long haul make this flight so much more pleasant. It’s going to be very hard going back to regular seats after this! I’d definitely be considering this for your next flight to SE Asia. You can pay the upgrade at check-in – or even when you’re on the flight – and it’ll cost you the same amount as a regular economy seat on other airlines.
And we’re back in Sydney! Wow! What a whirlwind – and we’re still in time to explore a bit of Vivid Sydney. The Opera House looks absolutely amazing this year. As does so much of Sydney. Even the moon’s putting on a show!
One last shot for the week of our trip in Thailand. The water gardens in our hotel – the Hua Chang Heritage – are beautiful. I still can’t believe this is in the middle of Bangkok.
This hotel is really special. The attention to detail is spectacular, the styling is very slick and food in the restaurant here is pretty bloody good too!
If you’re in Bangkok and looking for somewhere really different on the luxe end of things, this is the place for you. We really enjoyed our stay here.
This week’s travel recap
Each week we go back in time over some of our favourite travel destinations using never-before-seen photos of our travels. Here’s where we’ve been looking back on this week.
The front of this classic London pub – the Churchill Arms – is always covered in flowers. But when we were here last, the summer had lasted a lot longer than normal and the flowers just hadn’t stopped!
Such a beautiful sight in the middle of the city – check out our full write-up of the Churchill Arms here.
If this isn’t the cutest thing you see all day, you’re doing well. Or you’re lying! The squirrels in St James’ Park in London are nothing if not bold. They’ll come right up to you and even climb up your leg if you stand still and look like food long enough!
We love Burano – a little island north of the main part of Venice. It’s just so full of colour. Each house is different to tell each address apart; there are no street numbers here.
Perhaps because of all the colour or because this isn’t as busy with tourists as other parts of the city, the locals here are friendlier and much more likely to say ciao!
Check out what else we’ve got to say about Burano here.
The hills over Tuscany are a real sight to behold. Everywhere you look is a postcard waiting to happen.
Here are some of our top tips for travelling through Tuscany – we’re somewhat of experts on the subject these days!
Aperol spritz – one of the most refreshing drinks you’ll find anywhere, but particularly good when you’re busy exploring an Italian city in the summer. This was in the Aperol bar in Milan, which has the best view of the duomo by the way, but you’ll find this everywhere in Italy.
Here’s our recipe for Spritz Aperol – as they call it in Italy.
The water in the Cook Islands is beyond-belief beautiful. This shade of blue doesn’t exist anywhere else I’m pretty sure, and certainly not anything we could manufacture.
We love the Cook Islands – the is Aitutaki by the way – and there’s real history here for us. We got engaged here, you see. Here’s more of that story too.
No, I didn’t propose here! But wouldn’t this be the most amazing place to get married?! This is another island in the Aitutaki atoll. Stunning. Just stunning.
So how has your week been. Has it been a good one or a bad one? Tell us all about it in the comments below!