MDubs' Summer of Travel: Same, Same (but Different)

We've spent the last 4 1/2 days at the Peace Resort on the island of Koh Samui, one of Thailand's largest islands in the Gulf of Thailand, also known as "Paradise" ;) It's full of palm-fringed beaches, mountainous rainforests and lots of delicious food and tropical drinks. It reminded us a lot of Maui...not quite the same (same) but not all that different. Our days were packed pretty heavily with laying by the beach, swimming in the pool, playing cards, cocktails, food, and more beach time. It was the perfect way to unwind from our eventful 3-week journey, and reminisce about the fun we had. I don't want to bore you with how tan we got, or give a synopsis about all of the books we read (although I highly recommend Nicholas Sparks' latest, The Longest Ride!), so instead I'll highlight a few of our fave moments:

Our first night on the island, after a yummy dinner at Copacabana in Fisherman's Village (the area where we stayed on the island), we found this awesome bar called Coco Tam's. It was right on the beach, decorated with cute furniture, and played the best jams. We snagged a spot just a few feet shy of the ocean, in two oversized bean bag chairs and enjoyed a few cocktails and some strawberry-mint flavored hookah! The atmosphere was perfect, and the libations were great.

Our view at the Peace Resort

Oh hey, Paradise.

Everything tastes better when it's served in a pineapple

Coco Tam's, Take 1

Oh, and this is how we were greeted at the airport :D

Tuesday night on our walk home along the beach after dinner, we got to do something I've always wanted: light a sky lantern! We had seen several in the air the night before, and were surprised by how big they are on the ground (I was barely taller than it). It was a much cooler experience than we thought it would be, and I'm pretty sure our wishes are going to come true, because that baby shined bright in the night sky for quite some time.

Our view for the day

Dinner on the beach

Lighting our very own lantern!!

Up, up & away!

On Wednesday night, we ate our most expensive meal of the trip, but the food was to die for. If you ever find yourself on Koh Samui, I highly recommend dining at H Bistro. The tiki torches surrounding our table gave it some extra flare (literally), and the wine was great as well (although it was the first sip of wine we'd had in 3 weeks, so maybe the bar was set low in that department).

New view for the day ;)

Dinner at H Bistro

Thursday we took a little day trip to Chaweng Beach, which seemed to be more touristy and happenin' than Fishermen's Village. We strolled through their giant shopping mall and finally made our way to the beach. The sand was so soft, and it was nice to just sit and watch the waves--until one of those tropical pour-downs happened without any warning! We decided it was the perfect time to get a massage, so we could wait out the rain. Later that night, back in Fisherman's Village, we had the most amazing BBQ for dinner (this was the same day I had a cheeseburger for lunch...just trying to get our bodies ready for American food again :( ). It definitely had Thai influence because it was spiiiiiicy. And for me to say that, you know.

Chaweng Beach

Yesterday, after another perfected routine by the pool and beach, we went out for one last stroll in the village. We got massages in a room that overlooked the ocean, heard our favorite Muay Thai advertisement that we can now recite by heart, and paid one last visit to Coco Tam's, which I should mention, went through a complete transformation during our week in Koh Samui. Our first night, we noticed it looked like they were opening another bar next door, and sure enough, Friday night was their grand opening. It doesn't get much better than watching the sunset while sipping banana coladas.

And now, we're back in Bangkok getting ready to start our (long) journey home. These 3 weeks have flown by so fast. In some ways, we're not quite ready for it to end, but we also can't wait to get back home (Miley, we're coming for you!). Since I'll have a "few" hours in transit over the next 24 hours, I plan on jotting down a few final thoughts from our trip, as well as a couple dos and don'ts for anyone planning a trip to SEA any time soon (Heidi & Vince!!). Thanks for following along as we shared our thoughts from this trip of a lifetime!