#greenpearlsontour – My Thailand Travel Diary (Part 1)
Back in January, I was definitely dreaming of warmer weather and really wanted to escape the cold for a couple of weeks. My travel heart follows one specific rule: each year, I want to travel somewhere I have never been before. Sunshine, great nature and a friend, who just moved there for work – Thailand was the answer!
So in March, I took my partner with me and we stepped into a plane to Bangkok. Thailand, here we come – It is about time we are properly introduced in person.
First stop: Bangkok
Our first stop is probably the most frequent beginning of any Thailand trip: the big, pulsating city of Bangkok. I had heard so much about this metropolis before hand and could not wait to make up my own mind of it.
We spent the three nights at Amari Watergate Bangkok situated only a few minutes away from the famous Siam Center. Lucky enough, we stayed in an Executive Room on the 31st floor, offering a breathtaking panorama view right from our bed.
The large windows let in so much natural light that we hardly ever turned on lights in our room at all. During the day, the sun shined in; at night the lights of the skyline took over the job.
Our mornings started out with a great breakfast with fresh ingredients and a stand-by cook, who knows every kind of egg preparation you can think of. It was a great beginning to our culinary feast throughout the trip.
Impressions of Bangkok
After a good catch-up sleep after the 11-hour flight from Frankfurt, we got up on our legs and took a taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market in Northern Bangkok. It is known as the largest market in Thailand, with more than 8000 stalls filled with handmade jewelry, wood-work and clothing. We spent about 3 hours in there and only saw about half of everything. And honestly, we wished we had more room in our suitcases.
During the day, we followed our travelers’ mood: strolling through each market we could find, gazed at fascinating temples and took a long tail boat tour of a more hidden part of the city on the river. But one thing stayed the same.
Each evening, we would return to Amari Watergate, indulge in some cocktails on the terrace and take an evening swim in the outdoor pool surrounded by lit up skyscrapers. Relaxation and metropolis meet here.
How to cook in Thailand
On another morning, we crawled out of the comfortable Amari bed a bit early, in order to attend a traditional Thai cooking class. Our class included a visit to a small, local market, where we bought all the ingredients fresh from the supplier. The scents alone that filled the small market hall were already mesmerizing.
We learned five authentic dishes and that Thai cuisine is filled with amazing ingredients and flavors. But beware: Thai spicy is definitely too hot for your first days in Thailand, believe me!
Heading to the airport to fly to Phuket, we realized, how Amari Watergate was the perfect place for a couple of days in Bangkok – Amari Watergate has the city at its doorstep.
Off to Paradise to Koh Phi Phi
After only an hour speedboat trip from Phuket, I saw a familiar sight: the Zeavola beach. The captain’s first request: „Take off your shoes, you will need to walk through a bit of water. But then again, you won’t be needing them here anyway.“ What at first sounded unlikely, turned out to be completely true.
From the beach, we were taken to the lobby, which is, like everything at Zeavola, surrounded by green palm trees and lots and lots of sand. Have you ever checked into your room while playing with your toes in the sand?
We were brought to our Garden Suite – a wonderful, cute cottage with traditional dark wood. An outdoor rain shower and the in-house made shampoo and shower gel complimented this piece of paradise.
Small things for eternity
One thing I really treasured at Zeavola was their lovingly attention to detail. Every night during our stay, after the bed got turned over, we found a special something. On the first night, it was a photo of us that was made during check-in in a handmade saa paper picture frame; on the second, it was a small organic glass of coconut scrub to take home. Small things, but with a high memorable effect.
Little stuffed critters to prevent bad dreams were also tucked away in our bed each night – but who would have bad dreams here, at all? In my mind, this is impossible there!
Thailand traditions at Zeavola
The garden and beachfront suites are designed in a village style, which is very close to Thai traditions. Early on, Thai families lived close together and each day, it would be someone’s turn to cook dinner. The whole family would then go over to this cottage and enjoy some quality time together. And this sense of family and community is transitioned perfectly at Zeavola today.
Zeavola cuisine is a love story for itself. Being great lovers of Thai cuisine already, we enjoyed our meals at Baxil, the restaurant with the traditional Thai menue.
We tasted our way through Pad Thai Gai, to Tom Yum Goong soup all the way to the fresh fruit platter and the signature Zeavola cocktail Tom Yam Martini, and what can I say: it was all out of this world! The freshness and spices are still on my mind today and combined with a table right at the beach – it was really memorable.
Pure Zeavola love
After countless walks through sand, lazy hours at our own terrace and a relaxing sunset at the beach, we both felt like we had been at Zeavola for days. Relaxation immediately kicks in here, which is such a luxury in today’s world.
Our last steps from Zeavola led us through the shining waters again onto the speedboat, where I wore my flip flops for the first time in 2 days. It felt awkward on so many levels, which made clear that I had lost part of my travel heart to Zeavola.
And there were more fascinating places and experiences to follow – part two of my Thailand Diary will follow on Tuesday!
If you missed my Instagram diary, be sure to head over to our Green Pearls Instagram page or search for #greenpearlsontour!
