It was fun to get away as a family and just relax after quite an intense few months. And, we were happy to sneak in a trip pre-baby!
We decided on Krabi, Thailand. Mike and I had already been to Puket and Kho Phi Phi. We had heard even better things about Krabi...just a bit more natural and just a bit less touristy. It didn't disappoint! Southern Thailand is also only a 1.5 hour flight from Singapore, so it's a very easy, popular holiday destination.
After sleeping on our horrible, hard rental bed for 2 months, one of our main requirements for the trip was that we ensure a very comfortable bed. So, we decided on a Sheraton Resort near Krabi that is known for being great for families and kids, having one of the most beautiful beaches in the area, and having comfy beds. It also has rooms that can accommodate two kids on a couch and make shift bed. It also did not disappoint!
(We have all of a sudden entered a new phase with traveling with kids. At home, we had done the crib tents for a long time, and pack and play before that. Soon before leaving, we had hit the stage of just doing makeshift beds on the floor with pillows and blankets. No big deal! But, that doesn't work when you travel in Asia and everywhere has tile floors! So, we are now tied to tracking down places that have a couch and daybed or two rooms...anything we can make work. It's not quite as simple anymore. Totally first world problems, we know!)
We had a really fun time!
We spent some time every day at the resort in the pools and at the beach. And, we took an excursion away every day too. The boys were just in heaven. They really both thrived with having so much down time, time to just play and explore, and time to be all together. And, we got to eat Thai food EVERY DAY!!! It doesn't get better than that!!!
Here we are arriving at the hotel and taking golf carts to our room...the boys loved that!
Here are some shots from swimming in the pools.
Lewis and Beau decided this was their very most favorite part of Thailand...the swim up bar where they could get smoothies! What's not to love!
We loved how breezy and cool it felt there. It was technically just as hot as Singapore, but with the sea breeze, it didn't feel like it at all!
The boys literally could have spent all day every day just going back and forth from pool to pool and down to the beach and back! We did get a bit of rest/play time in the room during the afternoon on some of the days, mostly to get away from the sun a bit. The boys enjoyed that!
Our first excursion was out for an elephant ride!!! We thought we had found a place that would let me ride pregnant, but no luck. The Thai culture is extremely protective of pregnancy. No riding elephants. (Sheesh!!!) It took us 3 days of asking tons of different people to finally find someone who would take me out on a boat. Most people don't want pregnant people on boats. Too bouncy. And, no one would give me a a proper massage. Just a little on the legs and a bit on the neck...nothing more. We appreciated their concern and respect for pregnancy, but I've never needed a massage more!!! ;-)
Back to the elephant ride. It was really fun! The boys had a blast! They rode through the jungle with Daddy, learned how to yell commands to the elephant (Hwa - go and How - stop!), and fed him at the end.
Excursion Day 3 was an island hopping tour on a long tail boat (with our wonderful driver who miraculously didn't mind that I was pregnant!). The boys tried out snorkling! Well...they tried out looking at the fish through their goggles. Mike loved snorkeling. I, unfortunately, get too motion sick when pregnant to snorkel at all. So, it was short lived for me. It was really beautiful scenery all morning, and we had lots of fun swimming at each island!
Yay - monitor lizards in Thailand too! And, Beau all snuggled up in his towel!
I'll mention here that Mike and I managed to switch off sneaking out of the room in the evening a bit. Mike got himself a couple of nice Thai massages. He really, really loves that! I managed to have a red silk top made for my choir blouse - phew...so much easier to do there and probably a ton cheaper!
And, our final excursion was to a catfish farm - actually a bit of an animal sanctuary where the boys got to play with a monkey, see a crocodile, lots of giant catfish, a pig, lizards, and hold a bunny. It was fun!
Afterwards we went to dinner in Ao Nang, the beach town even closer to our hotel. Lots of yums. And then, when in Thailand...we thought we'd introduce the boys to the wonders of cheap Thai pedicures!!! :-) They boys got a kick out of it!
It was a wonderful trip!
