Yup, there's where we went for our secret getaway. It was such a pleasure planning for this getaway when Bear was totally clueless on where he was going. He was so sure that we were heading to Phuket but obviously yours truly me won't plan something that is that obvious ok. I'm the self-declared queen of surprise ok!
Reason for a secret getaway? My birthday weekend and to have an early celebration of our first year wedding anniversary *heart*
Our romantic hideout for 4D3N was none other than Le Meridien Khao Lak. Thinking about that awesome place brings a smile to my face. And it was indeed a perfect choice for us to be with just only us, to spend some quality time together, to be in each other's presence. It was totally relaxation bliss.
Now where is Khao Lak you may ask? It is a small town which was hit by the tsunami back in 2004. Khao Lak is about 1 and 1/2 hour drive from Phuket. Away from the hustle and bustle of Phuket's sleazy nightlife, this area is THE area for honeymooners.
Why Le Meridian? Because I got it cheap on AirAsiaGo. A 5-star resort plus flights was only RM1,700 for two persons. Comes with awesome buffet breakfast too. What more could you ask for? :) Here's a tip: It is much more cheaper to book flight+hotel on Air Asia than buying only the flight alone.
Day 1:
The minute we were ushered into the resort, we were sheer-shocked by the architecture and most of all by the hospitality of the staff there. Such beautiful resort. All in all, it was really a pleasant stay and we thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it. We are jakun we don't get treated with 5-star hospitality nor could we afford to stay in a 5-star resort as and when we like
Caution: No doubt we got a good deal to stay in Le Meridien, however please take note that everything else that is in the resort is also 5-star pricing. That means food is expensive and shuttle/transfers are expensive too. One way out to Khao Lak town is RM20 per person and it only starts from 5:30pm to 9:00pm. Taxi is RM75 return. Mind you Khao Lak town is only about 15 minutes away!!
Try to book during off-peak season like September. Le Spa is cheaper (this will be separated into another post) and it is not too crowded. Yeah, upon arriving we checked ourselves into the spa for a 60 minutes massage. Bliss~!
However, bear in mind that it is rainy season around September and snorkeling/diving activities around Similan Island and Surin Island is off. Throughout our stay there except for the last day, it only rained for a short while in the evening. So yeah it was a blessing to us. :) Not to worry, Le Meridien does provide you with an umbrella should the need arise.
Our room was to die for!!! It is so romantic it's even better than our bridal suite back in Putrajaya Marriott! Really beautiful. Loved the combination of green, yellow, and brown tones .. such earthly and warm colors.
As mentioned food in the resort is not cheap, the cheapest is around the range of RM25 per dish. On the first day, we were rather hungry and was lazy to walk around, so we settled for simple Thai food by the beach at Bamboo Bar & Seafood Grill. Food was not too bad but nothing to shout about. The view and the sea-breeze however was fantastic. :)
That night, we had really AWESOME Thai food at Baan Thai. Expensive but really really mouth-watering dishes! So good.. thinking about it makes me drool. Ambiance was secluded, quiet, and pretty romantic.
After dinner, we headed back to Bamboo Bar & Seafood Grill where there was live singing from a duo-team from the Philippines. Nice voice and nice choice of song. I had a cup of latte whereas Bear had his Singha Beer.
Did I mention that the staff at Le Meridien actually has a full itinerary planned out daily for their guests? You may choose to participate - most of them are free, some you are required to pay at a nominal sum of around RM20 for say Thai cooking class.
That night at 9:00pm all guests were ushered to the beach where we released paper lanterns into the sky. Really good experience.
Day 2:
We booked from the hotel via an outsourced tour agency for a half-day elephant trail in Supaporn Elephant Sanctuary for RM160 per person. The excursion includes an elephant ride, bathing the elephant, bathing in the waterfall, and lunch. Not too bad eh?
Tip: You may book other excursions in the town. It is much cheaper.
The elephant ride was fun! Our 40-year old elephant is a female and her name is Khayala. Real gentle giant *hugs*.
Thereafter, we gave Khayala a goooooddd scrub! She loves bathing time!
We also had a fun time bathing in the cooling and refreshing waterfall with the other British couple from our group ... until the Russians invaded. urgh ~
A simple lunch followed thereafter. Not too bad.. but would rather the curry chicken be a little more spicier. Food was plenty and we couldn't finish them.
That night we decided to head out to town to try their local and authentic Thai food. I highly recommend Jai Restaurant. Clean, decent food, and reasonable pricing. One dish costs approximately on average RM6.
That night upon returning to the room, the staff sent an anniversary cake to our room. It was really thoughtful of them *heart*
Day 3: My BIRTHDAY~!
Today was a free and easy day for us. Total relaxation and nothing planned. Basically to just go with the flow. And to me, that is the epitome of a great holiday. Our daily buffet breakfast was served in Cafe Lilawadee. Fantastic array of food and not to mention really yummy too.
Took a leisure stroll around the resort to kill some time before heading to Le Spa again for a full-on 1 hour 20 minutes of sheer pampering.
After the spa session, we took a walk on the beach cos I read on Trip Advisor that there is a good restaurant just about roughly 500 meters to the left of the resort which serves fantastic and cheap Thai Food.
The place is called Rim Lay and true to the recommendation. It was really good food! I had fried flat noodles extra spicy and Bear has a Thai Fried Rice. It costs us RM6 per dish. We were told by the owners that the entire stretch of beach was swept by the 2004 tsunami and it was a pretty devastating sight. Water was swept 2km inland!
After lunch, we took the shuttle to the town for a quick walk. Before that, we stopped by Ban Niang, another small town before Khao Lak to see the police ship which was swept inland by the tsunami. We were totally taken aback. The driver told us that there were 7,000 people who lost their live that fateful day.
We headed back to the resort just before sun set to shower and decide where to go for dinner. Finally, we settled for Baan Thai again. Can't get enough of those Thai food! That night the Italian restaurant, Bangsak Grill was serving Italian buffet for RM99 per person. Yes, very steep pricing right? That was another reason why we opted for Thai. :)
Again, dinner was perfect, I couldn't have asked for more. And the sticky mango rice was heavenly! Didn't regret one bit choosing Baan Thai over Bangsat Bangsak Grill.
Upon reaching the room after dinner, I was surprised that the staff actually arranged to send a birthday cake to the room~! And we didn't even mentioned that it was my birthday. Just that when we signed in our details on the first day, an alert staff took note and wished me. That's all! So sweet of them! Could someone shout first class service please??? :)
Day 4: We left for home. It was such a pleasurable and memorable stay at Le Meridien Khao Lak. I would highly recommend them. No flaws at all except for the hefty pricing and they do take the meaning of service a notch higher. Amazing!
p/s: another post on my birthday pressie from Bear.
Love;
Mrs Lee
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