It is not easy deciding on a honeymoon destination… just sayin’…
It is such an incredibly special moment in any newly married couple’s life, there is a certain sense of expectation and obligation, of how fantastic and ultimately, romantic, that once in a lifetime holiday is actually going to be.
Criteria? Well, we had plenty… romantic (a given), exotic (just to set a scene), activities (we didn’t want to get bored with each other in our first week of wedded bliss), and special (it need to be memorable… really memorable… for all the right reasons). We had a whole host of additional specifications… we are both a little on the OCD side (it needed to be clean, symmetry a bonus) and I have the added pleasure of a public toilet phobia (hard to explain this one), and these are just the ones I feel comfortable naming. And… we didn’t want to spend the next five years repaying our holiday… so the Maldives was out…
After an epic amount of research, we came up with a location that would not only suit our high maintenance quirks, but also promised to be pretty amazing with the added bonus of not quite breaking the bank.
So, we were picked up from our first port of call by a private car, given some sparkling wine by our driver, and set off, to what was most certainly, the most beautiful of honeymoon destinations.
The Sarojin Resort is located on the beach of Khao Lak, about 1½ hours north of Phuket in the Phang Nga province of Thailand. The drive was an easy one… mainly because it was being made for us by Yuth, our driver, who was quite entertaining and informative… and we had ample sparkling, beer and water to keep us entirely hydrated for the duration of the trip on this remarkably ‘warm’ day… 38°C… 85% humidity. The air conditioning was most welcome.
The Sarojin Resort, from initial appearances has a very unassuming façade, which spills open into sumptuously landscaped grounds. Waterlilies of numerous hue sparkle on the tiered ponds that unfold before you as you enter the grounds. Greenery envelope the paths that wind their way to each of the rooms, all of which were disguised amongst the luscious layers of fresh foliage.
You are greeted with the beautiful smiling faces of the staff, more sparkling and a dish of lemongrass scented cold damp facecloths, which we both became quite enamoured with. So much so that my first purchase on my return home, as a dutiful wife, was a dozen face cloths and some lemongrass oil!
Then the honeymoon truly begins… the room (honeymoon suite, of course)… The Sarojin Suite (708) is an expanse of tropical luxury. Large rooms and a colossal bathroom complete with an equally colossal stone bath, and a vast rain showerhead that sprays over a natural pebble courtyard, are just a little bit inviting.
I “oohhed” and “aahhed” over the orchids and palm fronds that were arranged on the bed in “Happy Honeymoon” fashion. Nothing like a bit of honeymoon kitsch, but that is what we came for… I wanted all of the honeymoon trims, and it did actually look quite beautiful. Even more so when we arrived home after dinner to have the bath entirely filled and candles surrounding it, lit.
There was also fresh fruit, more sparkling (all of which it took us two minutes to pop), and an extensive list of things to do!
The room is so beautiful you just want to settle in and rest, but the grounds are also beautiful and invited exploration, as did the beach – it was a spectacularly sunny day. So we downed the bubbly and ventured out.
First stop was The Edge Restaurant, which is part of The Sarojin Resort and offers exceptional traditional Thai food. While you want to explore all of the foodie finds that the region offers, we found ourselves here more often than not, simply because the food was just sooo good – yes, we went back for dinner… I was determined to pick my way through the menu. The cocktails are pretty good too – in case you are wondering.
The jewel of the Sarojin crown would have to be the pool area, which features three pavilions that sit seductively on the outer edges of the pool. Surrounded with sashes of floating white fabric and an awning that can be adjusted to suit the depth of your progressing sunburn, the deckchairs are so inviting you could easily just drift from deckchair to water for the entirety of your stay.
By appearances there are some people that do just this… this was my one little gripe and it was by no means by fault of the Sarojin… Other guests, despite the friendly requests of staff, insist on reserving these pavilions… placing a pair of shoes and a sarong on the deckchair and then disappearing for hours on end until they decide to finally actually use the pavilion that they had spent the better part of the day from allowing anyone else to use…
Having said that, we managed to navigate our way around these slight inconveniences and got our fair share of pavilion time, which incidentally, was absolutely awesome. There is nothing quite like spending ‘happy hour’ poolside sipping martinis and then rolling off the deckchair for a final freshen prior to dinner.
I found that I was exceptionally good at the ‘lazy life’. However, we had activities to do, so there was no risk of falling too deeply into that sloth-like habit!
Our activity checklist read as follows:
Snorkelling at the Similan Islands
90 minute couples massage at the Sarojin Day Spa
Elephant trek and canoe safari with picnic lunch
Sunset cruise and shipwreck private dinner
Private waterfall dinner
Lantern release
We did ALL the honeymoon things…
And… then we managed to squeeze in a trip into town, a tour of the pearl farm (which turned out to be just a pearl shop), numerous bicycle rides including to the waterfall, a few other massages both in town and on the beach (not all of which were what I would call relaxing or pleasant), sea kayaking, and a walk up to a neighbouring resort to meet the baby elephant that did the rounds every afternoon (sooooo cute!!!)
Unperturbedly exhausted, our last days were spent on the deck chairs at the beach enjoying our final sloth moments prior to heading home.
The facilities at the resort are wonderful; the day spa is a must. Out of all of the massages we trialled (and some were indeed a trial), it was by far the most serene and pleasurable. It is a little more expensive, but the difference is immense.
Breakfast was also pretty amazing. Served from 6:30am until 6:30pm, there was no risk of you getting off to a malnourished start, no matter what time of day you decide to emerge from your room. Morning sparkling became the staple, supplemented with a multitude of juices (loved the watermelon juice), a huge selection of pastries, and an essentially western menu with a few choice Thai options, which I really enjoyed. My favourite was the corn fritters… and I developed a penchant for moo ping (grilled pork with garlic pepper and soy sauce) from their Thai menu. Let me just say that if you were planning on losing weight while you are away… perhaps the breakfast venue is not the best place to start your day unless you are possessed with a stronger sense of willpower than I managed to display.
Life is easy at the Sarojin… the most difficult decision you will have to make is if you really do need another glass of sparkling, just because it is offered to you.
The staff are incredible… no matter what we did or who we dealt with, the friendliness and efficiency is supreme. We would often quip that they had some sort of magical stealth powers that allowed them to come and go invisibly, as every time we went back to our room, there was either more water, or fresh fruit or a new fun flower and towel arrangement on the freshly made bed or candles lit. Covert manoeuvres at its best!
I initially had reservations about making Thailand our honeymoon destination. While I have heard some wonderful stories about Thailand, I had also heard of many disastrous trips… usually involving extremely upset tummies and less than adequate facilities… not what you want on a honeymoon, so I needed some convincing. But the images on the website looked pretty enticing to both of us, and there seems to be enough activities on offer to abate even the most acute sense of boredom.
Upon reflection, it could not have been a more perfect honeymoon. The resort was sensational, the staff incredibly friendly and hospitable, the room made us want to stay indefinitely and the food was exceptional. Honeymoon success? Absolutely!
For more information visit:
A BIG Special Thanks to: Au, Opa, X, M, O, Sea, Jo, Lula, James, Alex, Jeep and the multitude of others that made our stay so special.
The Sarojin Resort Tips:
- Book exclusive private dinners early – these can book out so it can be advantageous to book prior to arrival – they are definitely worth it, but they are weather dependent.
- Have at least one massage at the Day Spa, it really is worth the extra expense.
- If you only want to do one special dinner, I would recommend the Shipwreck dinner. It was sensational.
- If your were planning on going snorkelling, the Sarojin offers both private and small group trips on the Lady Sarojin, which again well worth it. The insane crowds that usually accompany some of the other larger (and less costly) tours are avoided totally making the trip a much more pleasurable experience. Unless of course you happen to like insane crowds.
- The Pullman Resort, which is a short walk (15 minutes) up the beach has a baby elephant that is walked around the grounds daily at 4pm. He is very cute and 20 or so Baht will get you a photo. Take along any old fruit you may have – this little fella has a voracious appetite.
- If you are going to visit Phuket Pearls, make your own way there (by resort shuttle or taxi). Taking advantage of their ‘free’ courtesy pick up makes it very difficult to leave empty handed… especially if you want them to drop you into town.
- Please be nice to the staff – the staff here are exceptional and go above and beyond. Take the time to thank them and show your gratitude – a little bit goes a long way.
For a personalised tour for your visit to Thailand visit www.liveittours.com.au
This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds
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