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5 Things to do in the Maldives

November 4, 2018 MALDIVES 20 Comments

5 Things to do in Maldives

1. Snorkelling / Diving

Snorkel around whales and manta rays while exploring beautiful coral reefs around. Maldives is definitely one of the best places to go for snorkelling or diving due to many untouched and intact coral reefs. It has more than 2000 beautiful coral types and a vibrant marine life. Just grab your snorkelling equipment for the chance to explore.

2. Go Fishing Game

We joined the sunset fishing 5 years ago and this was my first time to go fishing. This was an amazing experience, only equipped with a small fishing rod, I was able to catch a 30 cm long red snapper. We also saw a lot of tuna, jumping up on the ocean.

3. Take a Dolphin Cruise

Who does not love Dolphins? Maldives is under the Top 5 places on the earth for watching Dolphins. You will have the chance to watch the sun plunging into the Indian ocean. When we took the cruise, 40-50 dolphins were popping up and followed the boat and performed high jumps around us.

4. Unforgettable Romantic Dinner

There is nothing more romantic than the, imagine just you two here at sunset, dine on pearly white beach under the starts in the moonlight, the background is calm sea wave. Special moments with special people in special place.

5. Explore the capital city: Male

Male is the populated capital of Maldives which offers the best chance to see the real country lifestyle. It is one of the smallest capital city in the world. Take a beak and spend a day in Male, also to grab some cheaper souvenir than in the islands – There are many attractions like local market, national museum and the golden- domed Grand Friday Mosque.

DHIGALI RESORT: ROMANTIC GETAWAY

October 30, 2018 MALDIVES 38 Comments

The Maldives is one of my favourite travel destinations. This was my second time that I travelled to the Maldives, the first time was 5 years ago. I visited the Seychelles last year, but my heart could not stop thinking about the Maldives. Nothing could be compared (even not the Seychelles) to this paradise.

DHIGALI RESORT MALDIVES

Dhigali is a rather new hotel from Universal Resorts (opened in June 2017), which is a modern and luxury 5 stars resort. We were overwhelmed by the natural landscape, crystal blue water and also the untouched house reef (which was in swimming distance due to our water villa)

HOW TO GET TO DHIGALI MALDIVES

The resort is located in the northern atolls, 40 mins by seaplane from Male or 70 mins by domestic flight from male to Ifuru/ Dharavandhoo airport, then 45 mins by speedboat. The second option is much cheaper, but slower.

Our lagoon Villa with Pool : OMG, the breathtaking view

WATER VILLA AT DHIGALI

Accommodation options at the Dhigali include: Beach bungalows or beach pool villa/water, water pool villa, suite villa. We stayed for a total of 10 nights; 8 nights in the Water Villa another 2 nights in the Lagoon villa with pool.

Staying in the water villa is A MUST to get the stunning view including the best snorkelling experience. From the moment we stepped into our villa, we felt with each minute like browsing through the pages of a unreal travel magazine. The villa was so gorgeous, white and modern. We both liked sitting on the terrace, perfect for sunbathing and relaxation. The terrace is also a great spot for fish watching. Through the easy access to the sea, we were snorkelling at least 4-5 times a day.

DINNING AT DHIGALI

The island has 4 restaurants, 2 bars and 1 cafe.
Capers: Main restaurant, offers breakfast and dinner buffet
Battua: Named after Ibn Battuta, one of the greatest travellers of the 14th century, offers dishes from his adventurous journey. Middle East and Asian inspired cuisine
Faru: Available for lunch and dinner, grilled meat and seafood, the view from there is amazing! (better make reservations to get the sea view front table)
Jade: All day dinning restaurant. Offers pastas, pizzas, burgers etc.
Haali: The bar design like a bird nest and tree house style. This was our favourite place for sunsets, because its facing the west side
East: Pool bar next to the beach
Deli Cafe: We went to the Cafe for donuts everyday. Offers quick snacks, coffee, ice-cream, milk shakes etc.
In Room Dining: Private dinner in your villa

ACTIVTIES

Sunrise/ Sunset yoga
Jogging tour around the island
Live Bonduberu (traditional music)
DJ night
Romantic movie night
Water Sports: Windsurfing, kayak, stand up paddle, jet-ski etc
Unforgettable experience: Dolphin Cruise, Island Culture, Sunset Fishing…and even more to do.

On the last day at Dhigali resort, when my hubby and I wanted to see the last sunset, we saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky instead – a rainbow that was stretched widely over the horizon. The whole life I lived in Hong Kong, I have never ever seen any rainbow before. The rainbow in Maldives was like a magical, inspiring moment and I will never forget it until the last day of my life.

OUR HIGHLIGHTS & TRAVEL TIPS

The house reef was stunning, we saw more then 50 types of fishes (e.g. sharks, clown fishes, sting rays, trigger fish…).
A dolphin cruise with a lot of different dolphin types
Grabbing a cocktail at HAALI bar and watch the sunset, the first row ensures the best view.
Wifi was good and fast in the room and over the entire island
You could order food or check your bill via the TV – so modern. Dhigali has their own app. It is extremely useful, because it helps you to find all the info, you could track the buggies or check daily activities.
Dhigali offers half board, full board or all inclusive/
Pay a bit more to upgrade to seaplane ( you won’t regard it ).

Check Available & Rates: Dhigali Maldives

Smallest Hilton in the world

October 3, 2018 Blogging 25 Comments

Welcome to the “Smallest” Hilton property in the world with 56 rooms. The Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa is not very big however it was perfect for a romantic getaway. The Hilton Seychelles Northolme is well located on a hillside (west cost of Mahé) and in 30 mins walking distance to the beautiful Beau Vallon Beach. The resort is known and popular as the place that was an inspiration to the James Bond creator Ian Fleming ” For Your Eyes Only”.

Upon arrival at the resort, you can enjoy champagne, wine or soft drinks at the reception. After a couple of hours, our room was ready and we were taken to our room (we arrived too early). The surrounding small gardens around the hotel impressed us with wonderful blooming flowers and a cannonball tree.

HILTON OCEAN FRONT VILLA

We had an Ocean Front Villa and the view was fantastic, an amazing view over the Indian Ocean, a terrace with a comfortable day bed and several sun beds. A massive bathtub to relax and enjoy the sunset everyday is in the room as well.

HILLTOP RESTAURANT

The hilltop restaurant is the place for breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is served as buffet in the restaurant each morning and goes until 11am where we enjoyed our late breakfast (no pressure to get up early). The breakfast buffet was amazing: you can make your own smoothie, you could have eggs cooked any way you like them and they even served with sparkling wine.

The dinner buffet was fantastic as well, which had different themes each night. During the ‘Surf & Turf’ theme, you can try many of Seychelles’s traditional local food. We never felt the restaurant was crowded and were always able to get a window seat table to enjoy the Indian Ocean.

OCEAN VIEW BAR AND RESTAURANT

Happy hour from 5-6pm (around sunset time), get your cocktail and enjoy the beautiful sunset.

We were invited to a Management Cocktail at 5.30pm and they offered some soft drinks, cocktails and a chance to meet the Resort Manager and PR Manager to give your comment or feedback to the management. Such a well organized event and so nice to talk with them. We had no complaints, only compliments (non paid comment, it’s the truth about how we felt).

The hotel has a small beach for snorkeling and the Hilton provides free equipment, kayaks and standing up paddle boards. The snorkelling area close to the beach was very good and corals were in good condition with various types of marine life.

TRAVEL TIPS:

Hilton hotel offer half board and full board. We had half board during our stay. My husband and I decided to go out for lunch to explore the nearby area.
It takes 30 mins to walk down to the Beau Vallon area. There you can find lots of restaurants, shops and bars.
Taxis in Mahe are expensive, take care and prepare well about your destination.
Parking is free at the hotel
15 mins drive away to Victoria the capital city

Check Available & Rates: Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa

Safari Adventure: The Countless Elephants

August 30, 2018 Sri Lanka 22 Comments

Sri Lanka has many safaris in around 7 national parks. It is one of the best countries for seeing wildlife in Asia. The best safari I would say is at Udawalawe National Park. Here is my review.

WHICH SAFARI YOU SHOULD GO?

YALA NATIONAL PARK
It is a famous and popular safari in Sri Lanka, but be aware that there will be a lot of tourists and many many jeeps fighting for the best views. On the other hand, one of the reasons to still go is the fact that it hosts 30 leopards.

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
Here you have the highest chance to see wild elephants. They have more than 500 elephants in the park. Udawalawe is the best national park to see wild elephants in Asia. Read further down below. I have a special section for this park.

WILPATTU NATIONAL PARK
The Wilpattu National Park is the largest and oldest national park in Sri Lanka. It is also home to endangered animals such as the Sri Lankan Sloth Bear.

WHERE TO STAY IN UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

Elephants Trails – There are around 4 hotels near the national park. The hotel “elephants trails” has an excellent location with very easy access to the safari (only 2.5 Km away). We were staying there for 2 nights. The room is clean and comfortable. The buffet was OK, but not outstanding.

Mahoora Tented Safari Camp – Luxury Tented Camp with All Inclusive for an unforgettable safari experience.

Our “full day private tour package” was starting from 6am- 2pm. The hotel prepared breakfast boxes for us. We arrived the park early in the morning. This was a great morning and we were able to see the sunrise at the safari and we were only with a few other jeeps at that time. Firstly we saw a fox family, the driver was amazing, he was great at spotting animals and even prepared a book and once we saw new animal, he has shown us the page and explained the animals behaviour, gender and ages. We saw a lot of colourful birds, peacocks, a Female group of elephants (grandma, mother and babies).

PRICE FOR UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
Admission to the park costs $6800 LRK for 2 persons.
You can choose Half day 3 hours or Full day 8 hours
Half day session Morning or Afternoon 3 hours $3500 LKR
Full day session 8 hours $8000LKR

Travel Trips

I suggest you guys to book the hotel near the national park as you will wake up very early in the morning. You save time to spot the “early birds”
The best time to arrive at the safari is early morning 6- 6:15am, you will catch up the sunrise at the park.

6 REASONS TO USE FACE OIL- AWARENESS REVIEW

August 18, 2018 Blogging 54 Comments

I have been using this day and night this summer and I am obsessed. Every organic ingredient in the formula nourishes my skin but does not feel too oily in the hot and humid month. Many people are confused about using oils on their skin? When to use face oil?

If this is your first time to try face oil, I would highly recommend Awareness Rejuvenating Radiant Serum. For reference, I have combination skin, with oily t-zone and dry skin in the cheek.

Key ingredients: Cactus seed oil, Maraca oil, Passion Fruit seed oil, Lavender oil, Argan oil…100% Natural formulation

WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING FACE OIL

MAKE SKIN SOFTEN
No matter what skin type you have, this all-natural formula will help balance things out. Face oil is a great skin softener and helps you do away with dry and hard skin conditions. Simply take some take 2-3 drops on your face.

PERFECT PRIME FOR MAKEUP
Put 2-3 drops on your face, keeps makeup looking fresh and glow-y all day long. It’s so light, you can mist it over a full face of makeup and smoother your skin, the better your whole face will look

SUNBURN
Apply face oil to sunburn and feel the soothing effect immediately. The face oil will also gently aid the healing process and reduce the inflammation.

MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW
Face oil gives beautiful and natural glow to the skin when used regularly. Not only oil helps to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and even up your skin tone, also gives your skin healthy and beautiful glow and effects! Try it, you’ll love it.

GOOD FOR DRY SKIN
Dry skin tends to look more wrinkled than well-moisturized skin. The moisturizing benefits of vitamin E oil may help the skin look more youthful and less wrinkled.

So you can now stop worrying about whether or not you can put oils on your skin and dive in with face oil! Oils work really well for all skin types.

Awareness Rejuvenating Radiant Serum

https://www.awarenessorganics.com/products/rejuvenatingradiantserum

KOH SAMUI TRAVEL GUIDE: WHERE TO STAY, EAT & WHAT TO DO

August 12, 2018 Travel 66 Comments

We have a little story about frequent Thailand visits. Our first holiday was in Phuket – it was a rain season (raining everyday) but we were enjoying our holiday. 4 years later, My husband and I married in Phuket, so that’s why we decided to go to Thailand once a year! This time we choose Koh Samui to celebrate our 1st Anniversary.

From Hong Kong to Koh Samui only 3 airlines have a direct flight and they will take around 3 hours and 20 mins.

Bangkok Airways
Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong Airline

WHERE TO STAY IN KOH SAMUI

This time we had 2 hotels, one is located in Chaweng Beach and the other one located in Choeng Mon beach.

Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort: We booked from booking.com and received a free one-way pick up (20 mins drive from airport). The location of the hotel is excellent, close enough to the Chaweng street for easy access (shopping) and far enough to avoid lots of tourists. The infinity pool overlooks the ocean and was amazing. The beach itself was quite and shallow. Breakfast was delicious with a lot of choices from local to international cuisine.

Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resort: The location of the hotel is really quite, ideal for relaxation. It is a bit far away from Chaweng and Fisherman’s Village but not a big deal for us because we rented a scooter. They also offer a free shuttle but you have to book at reception. We stayed in a one bedroom villa with a large pool area, comfortable outdoor sun lounges plus outdoor table and chairs. It was very relaxing. The beach is nice with a bit rocky sea. The breakfast was good, you can order Egg Benedict, Thai style omelet…etc.

WHERE TO EAT IN KOH SAMUI

Dara Serene Restaurant: The first night we arrived at Koh Samui we found this restaurant at Chaweng beach, We sat on a table less than 4 meters from the sea, each table has its own little tent and lantern, the cocktails were perfect. I ordered a drink with coconut rum, but the food I would say was soso, everything was pricy and the service was very slow. It was $57USD for 2 person, I would say not worth it to go there, unless you want to sit in a romantic way at the beach.

Olivio Restaurant: It is only one restaurant in Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort, breakfast buffet in the morning, lunch and dinner was offered, both Thai and Italian dishes. You must try handmade pasta, it was very delicious and with reasonable price.

Jungle Club: We stay there for drinks and chill out only. They offer food as well. This had an amazing view and is my TOP tip.

Night Market : Koh Samui has night markets almost every night, every night in different locations. Thats why I love Koh Samui:). Let me know in the comments below, if you want me to post a night market guide.

Local Restaurant: When we were staying at the Outrigger Resort, there were also a local restaurant nearby (directly at the exit, main street). They only can speak limited English, but they have photos inside the menu. Really highly recommend to go there. My husband and I went there everyday for lunch. Thai noodle soup, pai thai, fresh coconut, fried morning glory…etc. Cheap (3-5 USD only) and delicious!!!

WHERE TO GO IN KOH SAMUI

Jungle Club – Make a reservation before you go there and make sure you get a table to see all over Koh Samui. Most of the people they go at the sunset time.

Big Buddha Temple (Boput) – We arrived at almost 5pm when the sun was going down, it was perfect to see the sunset and not many tourist at all (less than 10 people).

Chinese Temple (Mae Nam) – It is located in Mea Nam Night Market, you can take some photos when you go to the night market.

Central Festival Koh Samui – “Top Market” is located in G/F, if you are looking for dry mango, coconut oil or coconut cookies…etc. This is a good place for souvenirs and local dried food.

Lamai View point – (100Baht) – very nice view, just walk 10-15 mins to the top. Tip: no need to pay for the cable car. Order cocktails and enjoy the view.

ARK Bar – They have a cool beach party every week. It was an amazing party.

Secret Buddha Garden – (80Baht admission fee) located at north-west of Lamai Beach on top of hill. It will take around 30 mins drive from Lamai View Point. The jungle and banana fields are absolutely beautiful. It is a wonderful and peaceful garden.

Spa or Thai Massage – Highly recommend to do Thai massage at the beach. It is around (300-400Baht) for 1 hour. Must try coconut oil massage.

Travel Tips:

Chaweng Beach is a busy area, if you want something between busy and quite, you can consider Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort or nearby. If you want stay away from the tourists, then Choeng Mon beach is really a quite beach.
I would suggest you guys to go to the night market instead of the restaurant. They have a lot of delicious food in the night market.
You don’t need to get taxi in Koh Samui. Rent a scooter or take a local “Tuk Tuk”, you can save a lot of money and it’s so much more fun.