Koh Samui, Thailand

After our crazy few days in both Bangkok, Thailand and Yangon, Myanmar it was time to move on to the part of the vacation that I had been dreaming about.  As Zac Brown would say "I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand."  (You can take the girl out of Texas...)   Koh Samui is a large resort island off of the east coast of Thailand, second only to Phuket in popularity with tourists.  That is where we spent the reminder of our holiday, soaking in the sun.

Two Days in Yangon, Myanmar

After five years, Matt and I do pretty good traveling together.  Matt traveled extensively and often solo for years before we met.  He's much more of an explorer than I am.  Let's just say I'm partial to a more leisurely pace.  But as I've gained more experience and confidence, our traveling rhythm has become pretty well matched.  I've expanded my comfort zone and he indulges me with a few hours or days where there's "no plan". (Well, that's not entirely true, with Matt there is always a plan.)  But, this slight difference in our travel style was never more evident than when we went to Thailand and included a side trip to Yangon, Myanmar. 

Yotel London Gatwick Cabin Hotel

I am not a morning person.  At all.  Not even a little bit.  My husband can definitely vouch for this.  One of his least favorite things to do is to wake me up before I'm ready.  On our recent trip to Malta, in an effort to give me a few extra hours of morning shut eye and save him the drama, we tried something very different.  We stayed in a cabin at Yotel London Gatwick the night before an early flight.  Let's just say there were mixed reviews. 

Grim's Dyke Hotel

I've so missed the London Bloggers Teas and the fun of meeting up with other bloggers over scones and tea.  So when my inbox pinged with an invite from Linzi at Office Breaks to attend a bloggers tea I immediately responded "Yes!"  

The fact that it was located in a gorgeous country manor made it even more appealing.  The Grim's Dyke Hotel is a 19th Century Tudor-Style manor located on 40 acres just 12 miles from the center of London. 

Garden Beauties and a Life Update

You'll never guess where I'm writing this.  Well, actually you probably will.  I'm in Texas!  I was supposed to fly home on August 8th and stay for three weeks.  But as the birth of my first grand baby approached, the possibility of not being here for the birth took over my thoughts.  All signs point to this baby coming early and I had to get here.

Afternoon Tea & Sightseeing with Thistle London

Last year I wrote about an amazing date night that Matt and I had here in London that included a stay at the Thistle Marble Arch.  It's a favorite London hotel and I particularly loved the complimentary lounge.   Nibbles and bubbles just for me?  Yes, please.  

This summer Thistle Hotels invited me to join them for again for a special treat. 

Casanova the Camel

I'm currently editing the photos from our week in Egypt.  It was one of our top three trips and I can't wait to tell you more.  

I'll start by introducing you to the handsome Casanova who resides at the Palm Royale Soma Bay in Hurghada.  This was our home base for our trip and it was a great choice.

Melia de Mar Majorca

The hotel that we chose for our weekend in Majorca was the three-star Meliá de Mar, an adults only hotel in Illetas.  They are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and it was the perfect location for our sunshine getaway.

The hotel is right on the water.  It’s surrounded by a rocky outcrop, but there is a little cove to swim in and a small beach just around the corner.  For the big white beaches of Majorca you’ll have to venture out by taxi, but we were more than happy to spend our time relaxing by the pool. 

All of the rooms in the hotel face the ocean and have balconies.  You just can’t beat the views from high up.  Our room had a separate living room and a ton of space.  The massive, cushy bed faced the windows perfectly and the two large balconies were used for several naps.  

Our upgrade to The Level gave so many wonderful perks, included access to their exclusive lounge.  Throughout the day, we would venture there for a complimentary snack or a drink. 

There are several bars and restaurants on the premises.  There's little need to venture out if you don't want to. 

I’ll admit that a pet peeve of mine is when people reserve loungers for the entire day, but then never show up.  At one point I counted about 35 empty lounges in prime spots being held with towels.   But if you have any trouble, just ask for assistance.  The pool staff were very helpful in pulling two loungers together for us and getting us an umbrella. 

Our upgrade to The Level also gave us the use of a big white sunbed for one day with a complimentary fruit tray and bottle of cava.  (Be sure to reserve your sunbed ahead of time.)  There is a full spa and gym on the premises if you just aren't relaxed enough. 

My only complaint is that our stay just wasn’t long enough.  About the time we started to really relax and settle in, it was time to head home. 

Have you ever enjoyed a day on a big white sunbed?

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We booked our stay at Meliá de Mar as part of a package.
Our upgrade to The Level was complimentary for the purposes of review.
  All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

Provence with the Girls - Le Mas de l'Île

Our Provençal home away from home was the Le Mas de l'Île bed and breakfast. It’s located on the lovely la Barthelasse island just minutes from Avignon.  It was absolute heaven. After 6 days of being completely spoiled in this gorgeous setting, none of us wanted to leave.

We all stayed together in the Poppies suite with two rooms that slept the four of us very comfortably. You would think four women sharing a bathroom might be a challenge. But, we coordinated everything with great ease. The room was air conditioned and had free wifi. There was a courtesy tray in our room and we also had access to a communal kitchen.

 

Our room was on the ground floor and opened up to both the front of the house and the back.The grounds are lovely with several shady areas to sit. Although my favourite spot was perched on a big boulder with my face to the sun. There is a pool with plenty of lawn chairs, unfortunately it was out of commission while we were there.

The highlight was breakfast each morning served in the arbor. It was like eating in a cozy, green nest. We would gather excitedly each morning, well-rested and ready for the day. Over coffee, tea, baguettes, pain au chocolat, granola, homemade yogurt (yes, homemade), fresh fruit, honey, and homemade jams, we would talk about the day before and plan for the day ahead. Each day there was a special dish served, lovingly made by our hostess, Valérie. One day it was muffins, the next a sweet loaf. My favourite was the French toast pain perdu sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was absolute perfection and none of us wanted it to end. To be with my sweet friends, sun shining in gorgeous Provence, enjoying this gorgeous spread was something I’ll always cherish.

I can’t say enough about our hosts, Valérie and Laurent. They are the reason this B&B has a five star rating on Tripadvisor. It felt like we were just guests in their home. They were full of information about the area, always offering tips and suggestions, or even a ride to the station. They insisted that we didn’t need a taxi.

Our stay at Le Mas de l'Île was absolutely delightful. I think someday all four of us will make our way back to this beautiful home away from home. I realize there is ridiculous amount of gushing in my posts about our Provence trip, but it was just that good.

Where was the best breakfast you've experienced on your recent travels?

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Date Night at Thistle Marble Arch

You've gotta love a good date night, right?

Any excuse to get a new dress and new shoes,

get all dolled up and excited for the night to begin.
I'll never get too old for that.

Matt and I had The Best Date Night Ever a few weeks ago.
He scored an invite to one of London’s biggest social events,

the Serpentine Gallery’s Summer Party.

For one night and one night only, we got to rub shoulders with the fabulous and famous.
I was trying so hard to be calm, but I might have squealed once.  Okay, twice.

There was plenty of paparazzi but no one else had their cell phones out,
so I didn’t dare take many Instagram photos.  But, oh, how I wanted to.

Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Cara Delevinge.
Apparently, Orlando Bloom was wandering around, but I couldn’t find him.
And I tried, believe me, I tried.

Matt made me promise that I wouldn’t go up and lick Bradley Cooper.  As. If. 
Actually, I was tempted, but I managed to play it cool.
(Well, as cool as this middle-aged hot mess from Texas can.)

Oh, and the princesses.   Beatrice and Eugenie were there.
Beatrice looked especially lovely, just like a princess should look.
A gorgeous white, organza dress and lilac heels. Absolutely gorgeous.
I didn't curtsy, but I might have pointed.  Accidentally.  With my pinky finger, but still.
How I didn't get escorted out of there, I'll never know.

It was pretty surreal and an absolute blast.
Standing three feet from people that you only read about in People magazine was crazy.
We both felt just a tad bit out of place.  I don’t think I could live in that world,
but it was sure fun to pretend for the night.

After a late night stop at the famous Bouji’s nightclub
(really a good thing I took the next morning off),
we certainly didn’t want to go all the way home.
Luckily, we were staying local that night.

In true celebrity fashion, we stayed at a fancy hotel in the heart of London,
the Thistle Marble Arch.

 The party was on a work day so I skived off early and took my overnight bag
over to Oxford Street to check into the Thistle Marble Arch Hotel.
It’s just at the corner of Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Marble Arch,
two minutes from the tube station.  The perfect location in the heart of London.

The four-star hotel is grand and gorgeous.
I checked in smoothly and headed up to our room for the night.
Traveling around Europe, you get used to tiny rooms, but this one was massive.

  Air conditioning and free wifi, of course, not to mention a fancy coffee machine.
We were in an Executive King room. I was greeted with a basket of fruit and a bottle of wine.
A lovely welcome to the hotel which was a very nice touch for a special date night.

 I quickly dug into the fresh pineapple but left the red wine for Matt. 
The room was massive with a fluffy, white bed and a seating area.
All the terrific extra stuff, a tea and coffee tray, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, toiletries,
even a comfy white robe and slippers.  

  
 Not to mention, a mirror with a plug right next to it which I was most thrilled about.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to straighten my hair and the nearest mirror
was on the other side of the room. Hotel pet peeve of mine.

I planned to slip into that robe as I prepped for our date,
but first I was eager to go for an explore. 
 I was particularly interested in checking out the complimentary lounge
that is available when you book an executive room.

 With my special swipe card in hand, I made my way to the lounge.
Wine, beer, champagne, drinks and snacks.  Yes, please.  

Even a special concierge in case we needed any assistance with our London plans. 
It would have been rude not to sit down and have some nibbles and a glass of wine.

Obviously I had to text a photo to Matt who was not yet off work.
Just a little encouragement that we needed to get this date night started. 

I spent a bit more time exploring and taking photos of the hotel,
before sitting down in the Marmor Grill.
 I figured it would be prudent to eat something before a night of champagne and cocktails.
 

 
I made a mental note to return to try out their afternoon tea. 
They had the sweetest tables set up.  I love the tea service.

Matt appeared shortly, spurred on by my text and we enjoyed a light dinner.
Then back to the room to prepare for the big night out.

Matt was done quickly so I sent him off to the lounge while I finished getting ready. 

I love the blue dress that I got, such a great color.
Love my shoes, same cobalt blue on the strap and 
just a touch of leopard print for a bit of sass.
You can take the girl out of Texas...

 A gin & tonic at the Glenn Miller Bar before the doorman hailed us a cab
and we were on our way for date night!

Then this happened.

Sing it with me...

 

Maybe we’ll get to do it again next year.  

And this time, I'm not making any promises.

 Fair warning, Bradley Cooper. 

What makes the perfect date night for you and your love?


 

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Our accommodation at Thistle Marble Arch was complimentary for the purposes of review.  All photos, writing and opinions are my own.   
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers. 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.