12/31/2016

#TouchseGoesAsia tour: Koh Samui - Kuala Lumpur

...and it's time to move on...

My #TouchseGoesAsia trip's blog posts have covered so far

Blog Post 1: 
My first leg; long-haul flight by Finnair from Helsinki to Bangkok on A350 plane's business class, simply fantastic experience - as always, please feel free to enjoy the trip with me by reading about it here:


Read it if you want to get the sense of luxury they offer to their valued passengers!



Blog Post 2:
Arrival and stay at My happy place, Nikki Beach Koh Samui Beach Club Resort, Part I, feel free to join me, by reading about it here:

TouchseGoesAsia - Blog Post 2:Nikki Beach Koh Samui





Blog Post 3:
Now, on this blog post I will tell you about my
trip from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur...

With me even a simple journey from one destination to another can turn into an adventure! I guess that is why you guys like reading my blogs, you never know what's happening next - well, neither do I!

Here we go!


Time to say good bye...
I had enjoyed my time at Nikki Beach as always, 6 days of excellent service and rest. 

Unfortunately, it was time to move on to my next destination, namely to Kuala Lumpur. 

My flight departure time was at 10 am from Koh Samui airport, which by the is one the nicest airports I've seen.

I decided to go to the airport early since I knew that there will be fuss due to my excess luggage.

Linda from Nikki Beach drove with me to the airport, which I loved as we finally had some time to catch up.. It is always bitter sweet to leave Koh Samui and especially Nikki Beach.

I always love my stay and those amazing people there, but at the same time, heading to some place new is also so very exciting.



Check-in and some suitcase problems…
We arrived to the airport, got a trolley for my bags and even managed to fit in all my luggage! Now to the check-in counter, to face the challenge No 1.

Let me tell you, check-in at Koh Samui isn't like in other airports, here so many staff members are asking you questions, hassling around, with poor English skills.. at times you wonder if this person in front of me is even one of the employees... After all these years of tourism one would think that airport would function like well-oiled machine.. but no, not really – not when departing. Arrivals are a totally different story, no problems, not once.

So, I told them how many bags I had (1 suitcase, 2 sports bags, I carry on bag and my handbag) and they told me I have to pay 80 USD extra for the excess weight, which I knew already, so no worries there. 

I checked in the luggage and then I had to follow one of the airline employees to the terminal area, wherein their office was located in order to pay the actual fee. Not sure whether he was in a hurry or trying to loose me in purpose but I basically had to run over all the other passengers to keep an eye on him while he rushed through the airport, did he ask if I needed assistance with my belongings or use the ladies room etc.? No. He was plane ignorant.

Ladies at the office were nice, no worries there and I got that sorted and went to the gate. Right before I was about to get into mini trolley/van that takes passengers to the plane, that same man stops me and says: "Excuse me."
Yes, I said.

"Is this your bag?" and shows me a photo of my favorite fuchsia colored suitcase on his phone. (I'm thinking, ok, what now, don't want to miss my flight, please...)
I was so confused. I responded: Yes, that is my bag, what's wrong?


Who.broke-what?

With this kind of judgmental voice he says:
"Madam, it is broken, you checked it in broken."
  
HOLD ON, WAIT A MINUTE! Say what now? ...I said.
(and at the same time, inside of my head, there were much more worse words than those, I admit..)

I told the guy that I most certainly did not check-in a broken bag. If my bag was broken, I’d get a new one. So try again.

He said that there is nothing that can be done about it at this stage as my plane was ready board. Then, he told me that I need to go to "Lost and found" office at Kuala Lumpur airport and explain the situation there. So I asked if I could have the photo of the bag, but he said that he deleted it after he showed it to me. Right... of course it was deleted as it would have helped me a lot to explain the situation at the other end.
This tower stands at Koh Samui Airport and as you can see,
 there is "Singapore" sign up on the right.

Let me tell you, based on what I saw on this photo, my bag was totally broken, as in nearly in pieces. And it was a big, hard suitcase. I was quite nervous and wondering whether my belongings will be inside the bag once I see it next time, which will be in Kuala Lumpur 8 hrs later! 

Namely, I flew there via Singapore, which means that my bag is going to go through the Singapore airport proceedings as well... more tossing around.. oh no...!






Deep breaths & positive thinking

I was upset for a moment. 
Then I took a deep breath and decided not to worry about it yet as there was simply nothing I could do about it now. So I got to the mini car (not sure what to call these vehicles) and got into the plane. 



Flights...

It was Singapore Airlines' flight and as always, the service was excellent. The flight attendants are always so kind, attentive, happy to help and serve you and what I especially appreciate is their excellent English skills. Planes are always in excellent condition, clean and well maintained and the staff's appearance always on par - love it! It's like flying in business class in an economy; service is almost at the same level that in some business classes even though seats are in economy. 

I have many food allergies for which reason I barely eat on flights but on their flights I even found something I was able to eat. This was only 1 hr flight, and yet, I almost wish it was longer as their service is so pleasant, and also, since the plane wasn't full, I had two seats for myself, so plenty of space.

(Off topic, I have to tell you, now that I'm writing this, the travel bug itch is getting worst, my wanderlust is getting out of control! I'm at the moment planning my next years trip but for the first time I haven't booked any flights yet and it feels horrible, traveling has really become a big part of my life, it's difficult to explain to someone who doesn't share the same passion.
Thank God, most of you do! For me traveling is like sports to some, simply can't live without.)

Ok... back to my trip: 
 Singapore views from the plane...













Plane landed, I had few hours in Singapore, Changi airport, which I love since it's clean, logical, friendly and simply very comfortable.



There was still one Singapore Airlines' flight left in order for me to get to Kuala Lumpur. This second flight was as pleasant and nice as the first leg was, no complaints at all. Thank you Singapore Airlines!





...and welcome to Kuala Lumpur airport – an adventure of its own!

Ok folks, has anyone of you been to Kuala Lumpur? If not, prepare yourself for a huge airport! There are actually two separate airports; KLIA1 and KLIA2. (So if you are travelling there and planning the either meet someone, have arranged transportation, or are going to continue with another airline, make sure you are at the right terminal!)

I arrived to KLIA1 as KLIA2 is for low cost airlines.

However, even KLIA 1 is big enough so that you need to take a train to another building wherein all the baggage claims were.


Panic in the train

So I walked quite a bit in order to get to the train station, the train arrived and I jumped in. It was such a hot day and despite the (poor) air con the train was quite hot and the humidity was noticeable. The train arrived to the station, everyone was ready to get out but… what?! Wait a minute, why is everyone still in here? Get out folks (I screamed inside my head, not out loud, of course not!)

 There were double doors there; train doors and the those doors that actually allow you the access to the train station's platform.

Unfortunately, doors on the platform's side opened. I tried to stay cool... Not managing very well. I started to panic, I’ve never liked closed spaces, such as elevators etc. places where DOORS CAN GET STUCK!
…and of course, there I was.
I was trying to breath in, breath out.
Took my phone, turned it on, tried to do something with it to distract myself so that I wouldn’t get into total panic mode. On a scale 1-10 I was somewhere around 5-6 at this point. Especially since everyone else seemed to get a bit restless as well, and we all know that panic creates panic.
There were no seats, felt as if we were running out of air, but that was just because it was so hot, I had nothing to drink… we were there only probably for 5 minutes but it felt like an hour. Finally one of the train’s 4 doors opened and people walked out. Aaaw.. Fresh air! I’m saved!

…well, so I thought until I saw the sign towards the customs and then around the corner all those people.

(Too bad I didn't dare to photograph this as didn't know whether it was allowed or not.)


Customs, not a walk in the park...

The customs line was insane, there were hundreds of people waiting to get into the country. Unfortunately, not until I was leaving the country I heard that in order to avoid the line you should basically run out of the plane as that way you may be able to get to the beginning of the line, instead of being of the last one of those hundreds of other passengers. (Although, most likely I was there because I was stuck in the train!)

There are separate counters for people that are Malaysians, separate counters for First & Business Class passengers etc. and then there were maybe 4 counters for us; the ordinary people, which, naturally, was the majority of those hundreds of passengers.

I guess there just wasn't enough of those counters and due to that those lines started to pile up. People started to get a bit annoyed, normally I wouldn't mind that much as it's all part of traveling, sometimes you just need to wait, but in this case I was getting nervous because
a) I wasn't sure if my belongings were touring around the airport's baggage claim as they may have fallen out of my broken bag
b) I knew I need to sort it all out with Lost and Found office before I get anywhere
c) and because I had made airport transportation arrangements with my hotel and they were supposed to meet me after the landing, i.e. 5.15 pm and at 6.30 pm I was still on the customs line...
d) I only had less than 2 days in this country so didn't want to spend that time at the airport!

However, to my joy I had two elderly gentlemen from New Zealand standing next to me on the line and we had such a nice chat while slowly approaching those custom counters... without them it would have been insanely boring as I didn't even have my internet passwords, couldn't read as had to focus.

By the way, these gents had had very cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur and they told that if they had paid about 30 USD more, they could have had business class seats but since it was such a short flight they didn’t feel the need. Now that they saw that there was no queue to business class counters… well, let's just put it this way; they certainly regretted saving that 30 USD!

In general I do like being at the airports, especially in a new country. It's amazing and wonderful to notice so many different cultures and people, all at the same space, all waiting for the same thing; to get that stamp to your passport and get into that country. 

I finally got all those entering the country formalities sorted and with very quick steps (tried not to run, maintaining my dignity, or what was left after the flights, panic and the line…) I walked towards the "Baggage claim" signs, wondering where my luggage might be after all that waiting and what’s the condition of my broken bag...


Reuniting with my luggage - finally!

Finally I got to the baggage claim and found my luggage already on the floor, and 3 staff members standing around them, one of them talking to a phone, two of them standing around looking a bit confused.
I walked to them and told them, these are my luggage, and asked if there is a problem or are they here because they’ve been here unsupervised for such a long time. The answer I got was: “Yes.”

Ok, let me think, “Yes” to what? I showed them the broken suitcase and I explained them what had happened in Koh Samui. Apparently they understood English better than they spoke as they actually guided me and my trolley full of luggage to their Lost and Found office.


Lost & Found fiasco
At this point it just all of a sudden came to my mind, wait a second, I’m here in Kuala Lumpur less than 48 hrs, how an earth I manage to get a new bag to replace the broken one… Ok, let’s talk to these officers first, maybe they can help me with it. 
Oh, how naive of me, I realized about an hour later.

I consider myself quite good if not even excellent in solving problems, even quite well known for it, so I was confident that things will be sorted out. That’s the salt and pepper of traveling, sometimes things just happen that are out of your control and you just have to adjust, and work on them under the given circumstances.


Chaos and No Trolleys!

Once I saw the class doors of the L&F office I realized what a chaos there was. There were bags all over the floor, and it all seemed very unorganized to me who is, indeed, very organized.
I had just packed everything I had with me for my 4 week’s tour around Asia to my trolley, and was about to enter the office when I saw the sign “NO TROLLEYS INSIDE!”

Of course, let’s not make things easy. Let’s make it a bit challenging!

Right, and what am I supposed to do now?
Leave all my belongings, worth thousands of euros outside the office unguarded?
There was no way I’d do that.

So I asked one of the employees of the office to come outside.
This person had no idea what I was talking about, luckily his colleague, lovely lady (whose name I forgot) spoke relatively good English so I explained her the situation, which was to say the least, tricky; I couldn’t even enter their office if I can’t bring my trolley in, and I had a broken suitcase that was their responsibility, I had no time to get a new one, my driver had been waiting for me for over 2 hrs by now and so on…
This sweet lady just simply moved some of the bags from the floor and told me I can bring in my trolley, just to put it on the side so that it's not on the way. Ok, maybe this will be easier than I feared. Oh, how wrong I was!


Step 1: Call the driver

So, the first thing I did was I asked if someone could give a call to my hotel so that they can send a message to my driver that I'll be LATE, as in very much late. I might have gone insane without this English-speaking lady - or I'd still be there. She asked me for my hotel's name and when they heard it I guess they took me a bit more seriously as it was one of the best hotels in town; Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.

She got the message to the driver, one worry less for me; the driver will wait for me as long as necessary – well, that’s the type of service said hotel offered for the entire stay, i.e. excellent.

Step 2: "No fix 1 day"

 I had to fill up all kinds of forms relating to broken suitcase.
(I noticed that the English-speaking lady had disappeared…)

 After all the paperwork they told me they get the suitcase repaired.

Let me tell you, it was literally in pieces, there was no way in hell (pardon my English, I was getting quite frustrated) it could be fixed and I told them that and also explained that I'll be going to next country day after tomorrow, so there’s no time for me to find a replacement, to which they answered; “Madam, bag no fix in 1 day.”
(I said, in my head: Daaahh, I know!! That is what I just said!) Outloud I said; Yes, I know. Kindly.


Step 3; Good idea!

Now what? Well, lots of discussions between the staff, and there were about 10 people there, trying to fix the problem.... or at least that’s what I hoped they were doing.

About 10 - very frustrating - minutes later a man with very poor English told me that “May you take one bag here.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant. He showed me one suitcase on the shelf and said, you take that? After taking a closer look at the suitcase I thought, finally, a good idea, as the suitcase was slightly bigger than the broken one and it was brand new, still with all the guarantee tags etc. on it. Didn’t know why they had one of those there among all the lost bags but I didn’t ask because I was pretty sure they didn’t know it either.


Step 4: Not a smart suggestions on their part

Man with poor English skills, presumably some type of supervisor said: You pur things from this (pointed my broken bag) to this (pointed the new one) here.
I looked around, the place was full of people, bags, pure chaos.

Me: “No, sorry, but no. I will not empty all my personal belongings here in front of everyone. Do you have an office back there (they had offices there) that I could use to do it?
I guess he understood as he said: “No, you put it here.”

…at this point I was about to loose my sh.. oh, sorry patience. I asked if they could get that English-speaking lady back. I refused to go any further with their plans before she gets back as it was so difficult to explain a bunch of men why I don’t want to show all my personal items to all of them. That was so disrespectful on their behalf. Luckily that lady came back after they called her!


Step 5: The talk – woman to woman

I explained her the situation; that I didn’t feel comfortable to spread all my items here in front of everyone and that since I had plenty of them, considering that my (broken) suitcase's items were in total 23 kg, it would take a long time to properly pack them into the new one etc.
She seemed to understand me, completely, and was very sympathetic.

Now they discussed it - again - for a while. Then she suggested that I take both suitcases to my hotel and they send someone to get the broken one once it's empty (they needed it as evidence or something), I could just leave the broken one to concierge's desk.

Finally! I could kiss this woman, she was clearly the smart one. Naturally I said, gladly, “YES, please, that sounds excellent!”

So she said her goodbyes and I was ready to leave; took everything out of my trolley, which was quite full already and started to rearrange all of my bags so that also the new suitcase would fit in, being more than ready to leave that chaotic airport.
(Funny enough, the airport was very clean and quite nice if you just looked at it!)


Step 6: No, no!

Suddenly that same man comes back and says: "No, no, you no take bag to hotel, you change here."

Ok, is he joking? I will literally go nuts, about right now!
At this point my patience was gone, I had none left, none.

I bet my look was freezing when I told him;

“No. The lady said I can take both suitcases to my hotel and I will do that because I want to get to my VERY EXPENSIVE hotel now. I don’t have time for this anymore.”
(For your information; I articulated in a polite voice, with a smile, which didn’t reach all the way to my eyes though, so I guess he realized I was being quite serious about it at that point…and also, I spoke  v-e-r-y   s-l-o-w-l-y  so that he would understand me better, as I have a habit of talking fast and a lot – just like when I’m writing..)

I think he understood most of what I was saying but still was not agreeing with me, and yet, at the same time he seemed as if he was a bit hesitant to disagree.
To be honest, at that point even I wouldn’t have wanted to disagree with me, it was quite obvious that I had had it.

I simply decided to ignore him and packed everything to my trolley and at this point, English speaking lady returned (yay!!!) so I asked her if she was kind enough to explain the situation to his colleague AGAIN as he doesn't seem to get it.

That she did and it seemed that in her opinion it was all good, however, the man seemed to feel as if us, 2 women had just walked all over him, based on his passive aggressive behavior. I felt he was upset but to be honest, didn't care anymore.
I didn’t realize it until then that maybe this was about his dignity, women were not supposed to decide, it was not about serving the customer the best way possible. How foolish!


Out and into good hands

Phew! 

Finally, I got out of there, me and my very FULL trolley.

I walked towards the exit sign and what a relief it was to see my driver right outside the exit door…
At that point I knew that now I'm in good hands as these men (driver and his assistant) work for Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, so I'm sure they know what is hospitality and how to treat guests, and I was so right!

It took over 3 hrs to get out of that airport...

On the left, my very full trolley after the extra suitcase was also in it. On the right, the exit of the airport.


...but it was worth it as my visit to Kuala Lumpur was incredible and I can't wait to get back - despite of the airport action.

You get to find out more about my fabulous visit to this amazing hotel soon as my next blog post will be all about my visit to Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. There will be plenty of photos and also links to my Youtube videos showing hotel views and surrounding areas. Trust me, that blog post is absolutely worth reading!

This one was a long one, a lot happened considering that this was just one stop at one airport, but hey, that’s traveling, things happen and they you just sort them out!

Keep reading, keep traveling, keep smiling!


#Wanderlust rules!

xoxo! 😘😘


12/17/2016

Little update on what's to come...

Dear Followers,

My apologies for not posting more often.

However, there is so much going on at the moment and in order to be able to continue to travel around the world, to do things I love and keep on blogging, I need to work on things at times...

Be patient, I promise, next blog post will get out there soon, at least one post will be published this year, maybe two.

Next one is about my trip to Kuala Lumpur, wherein I stayed at amazing Grand Hyatt hotel - that will be definitely worth reading!

The post after that will be Part II of Nikki Beach Review, You loved the first part so I'm sure you'll love this one too. Part III will come out at some point next year...

Keep on checking, new posts will come. In case you need to find out what's happening in a mean while... well, just check out my Twitter and Instagram accounts. Or, just send me a message if you wish to contact me directly, you can always use the field on the right side of this page, the one that seems as if it is only for sponsors etc. Anyone of you readers may send me a message via that form, you are all important and I'm happy to hear your voice too.

Until next post, keep smiling, be positive, and enjoy the Christmas spirit!

xoxo!


11/21/2016

Nikki Beach Koh Samui, luxury resort where your soul rests and feet dance! Part I

Dear Reader,

This is not just a hotel review.
It's a love story of a hotel expert who has visited over 220 hotels around the world i.e. me, and an amazing beach club resort hotel, namely Nikki Beach Koh Samui.
You know how it goes, sometimes you can't really explain it, the other part just feels right, not always perfect, because we all have our little flaws, and still, the other part just feels like a match.

Oh, too sweet?
Well, you just have to cope as that what it is. Something just clicked the moment I found out about this place and I just keep returning and based on what I've heard, I'm not the only one.

So I guess, it's a kind of magic...




How did I discovered Nikki Beach for the first time

This love affair started almost 4 years ago.
We had bough tickets to Koh Samui and booked 2 hotels. However, for some reason the other hotel just didn't feel right. So I kept searching same OTA (Online Travel Agency) pages again and again. Then I came up with an idea; why not open google map and check all the hotels in this specific area that I wanted to see, maybe I've missed something.


DOT ON THE MAP

So, I started browsing through the hotels I saw on the map.
Then I found this one dot on the map that seemed to have a perfect location. For what?
Well, I love to photograph sunsets (and sunrises) and that dot on the map was located in the middle of the west coast of the Koh Samui island, meaning sunsets probably would be great.
I wondered what's underneath that dot... So, I clicked the link open and there it was:
Nikki Beach Koh Samui Beach Club Resort (NBKS)

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been intrigued by the name Nikki, so I immediately got a little excited, and wanted to know more.
I checked out, naturally, the Tripadvisor reviews, which I only found a few since the hotel was relatively new, but they seemed very promising, and I got even more excited...
Then, I checked out the photos and got a LOT excited.

Finally I found it. Now my hotel choices felt right, no more searching, this is it.

So, despite the 2 other bookings we had already, I contacted Nikki Beach, told them all my special wishes and also asked for the price for the particular villa I had in mind.
Why particular?
Well, those garden villas are located so that on the map it may seem like they are very close to the pool area, where all the action happens. You see, I was a bit worried about the music; by the pool I liked the idea of it, DJ playing cool music, creating chill ambiance... sounds lovely, of course, but I was very specific; didn't want to hear the music inside my villa, tranquility inside the room is very important for me. (Fyi, and there was no problem with that, we heard nothing when closed the doors.). I also had some other questions regarding transportation etc.

I got such a warm and welcoming response every time I asked for further information. Even the price for the villa was exactly what we had in mind budget-wise.
So we found it. Yay!
Thus, we cancelled the other reservation and booked my first visit to Nikki Beach Koh Samui.

The dot on the map and the name Nikki, couple of photos and emails. That's all it took and the love story of Nikki Beach Koh Samui and myself was ready to begin. Had I known, by that time, the story behind the name, I would have been even more intrigued.

As one wise, elderly lady once told me, there are no coincidences, there are things that are meant to be. I believe this was one of those.
Really, sometimes it only takes a dot to change one's life. Sounds dramatic? Well, in a way it was, as it turned out the be a life changing experience for me and had huge impact for my future.


My first visit

..to Nikki Beach was 2013 when it was a small 4 star boutique hotel, with only, if I recall right, 13 villas (most of which were garden villas, couple of sea view villas), a breakfast cafe and a restaurant, pool and the beach.
Sounds nice, but not just quite 5 star fabulous luxury, right? Well, let me continue...!

The moment I arrived I felt as if I came to a place with positive, good, happy vibes.
..I will enjoy my time, for sure, I thought.
And I was right.


Villa

We saw our garden villa and I fell in love.
There it was, so peaceful, so inviting..

It really looked like everything we had been looking for; nice garden, lovely patio, wherein you can chill without burning sun shining directly to the patio. The villa was very clean, very spacious, with a daybed, desk, minibar, lots of storage space... It had a great bathroom/rain shower/toilet area - loved the tiles there, so beautiful - and I actually have now something similar in our house as well!

But the absolutely best part of the villa was the bed. I've stayed at hundreds of hotels around the world and that is probably one of the best beds I've ever slept in.
Good bed is so, so valuable when traveling. Due to poor sleep you may get your entire day ruined. But not in here!

We didn't have direct ocean view from inside the villa but once we stepped outside to our patio, we were able to see the ocean, and how beautiful it was.

A lovely young woman, Mariska took us our villa and told us about the surrounding area. She had just recently started working for Nikki Beach.

I love the fact that we met already on my first visit. I've met her many times after that and I feel grateful to be able to call her a friend. She has played an important role in my opinion of Nikki Beach since, as you know, the first impression is very important, and she was a big part of that being a person to welcome us to the hotel and on our first visit she took such a good care of everything. She also arranged us an amazing snorkeling trip to an island south from Koh Samui and a picnic after that to this incredibly beautiful uninhabited island that had the most amazing, pristine beaches...

The picnic island
We still remember that excursion and the lovely picnic basket they had prepared us including sushi and house wine - loved the little detail; Nikki Beach wine glasses...


During our visit we asked whether there were any shops nearby as we wanted to by some bikinis and t-shirts etc and Mariska even drove us to this store, waited for us while we purchased what we needed and drove us back to the hotel via scenic route so that we got to see a little more of what was in the area.
(Which actually turned out to be an excellent thing as once when driving around the island with a scooter we got little lost and at some point I recognized the road the be the the one we then drove and it helped us to find our way to NBKS.)


Villa's action night

I remember how I came back to our villa on one evening just to hear that there has been some action there. I was, naturally, eager to know what had happened. My partner, "Joe" told me that there was a gecko in our villa and he was not able to get rid of it by himself so he had called the guest service and one of the housekeepers came over and together they chased the poor gecko around the villa, gecko running around up in the roof and my partner "Joe" and the housekeeper with her broom around the villa on the floor.
I visioned this sight in my head and couldn't stop laughing. That's hilarious!!! ...but wait a minute, why an earth did you chase the poor thing? "I knew you couldn't be here if you knew it was here." said Joe. Oh my days! They had done all that for nothing! On the contrary! Geckos are just fine in my opinion as they eat the bugs, which, unlike geckos, I can't stand (despite the fact that I've lived, for example, in Australia, where there's more than plenty of them - never got used to them!). So all that fuss about nothing... well, that's traveling, things happen, right?
(Did they get the gecko out? Yes. Did it come back in? Don't know, I never saw it - but in most villas I've stayed at around the world, there has been a gecko but... no bugs, so gecko is a welcome roommate anytime, and no worries, no one is "brooming" them out!)


Location and surroundings

Nikki Beach Koh Samui (NBKS) is located in beautiful, peaceful Lipa Noi Beach, western part of Koh Samui. It's not close to Chaweng, the "action center" of the island, which I actually like. If you are looking for partying every night, then you may not be in the right place. However, if you are looking for a place where you can enjoy great ambiance by yourself, with your spouse, friends, family, group of people... then you are in the right place. Oh, but don't get me wrong, Nikki Beach does have some of the most amazing parties as well!
(I will tell you more about that party side of this serene place on the 3rd part of Nikki Beach Koh Samui review series, so stay tuned!)

It takes about 30-40 minutes to drive to hotel from the airport, especially daytime I actually like the drive, because it gives you an opportunity to see what else is on the island, you get to see the real local life, shops, mountain views, glimpses of the ocean... and it makes you get excited of what's a head.

This place is surrounded with beauty and its ambiance is unique. When you sit at the breakfast cafe you feel like you are in paradise, you can hear (and sometimes even see) birds singing and you sip your tea in harmony with the surrounding nature. There is a water feature, long garden pool wherein carps swim around, ready to get a bite if anyone happens to offer them some. They actually look, not just beautiful and graceful when swimming around, but also quite funny at times.
I had a good laugh when filming them while some other guest fed them as they really looked like talking fish on the film. I bet they said, c'mon man, just throw the bread!

Morning concert by the bird 
Breakfast view of present Nikki Beach
Peaceful, clean, good vibes

When you walk around at NBKS premises, you really get impressed over gardeners' work. There are never leaves or trash on the lawn and the lawn is always green, all the flora is well taken care of and flourishing, love the fact that there is so much greenery as well, instead of just adding concrete everywhere and buildings after buildings.

There are nowadays two pools. Peaceful, long pool, which, by the way, happens to be the longest on the island; 75 m, on the new side and the beach club pool on the original side. Lovely pools both, serving a bit different purpose in my opinion. The longer pool is for swimming and relaxing in peace, whereas the beach club pool seems to me more of a party pool, although, that is mainly so on Sundays when there is the famous Sunday's Brunch.

Fabulous, 75 m pool

Beach Club pool area

Growth and changes

Nikki Beach has changed over the years, it has grown, more buildings has been built, more services are available, more staff has been hired and so on.

That first experience was quite different than my latest one (in October 2016) as now Nikki Beach Koh Samui has two new big accommodation buildings, new villas, new reception building, new spa opening up soon etc.

The change has been for the better, absolutely. It's not always the case when a resort expands, but here, they really have succeeded in making it bigger AND better.


Rooms, Villas, Suites

NBKS has three different types of villas: Garden Villas, Sea View Villas, and absolutely amazing BeachFront Star Villas
which have their own private garden and a wonderful vista of Lipa Noi beach. These fabulous villas have about 300 m2 and even their own pool and sauna. Guests can even have, on request, get their own butler service.
Pure ultimate 5 star experience, without a doubt!



In the newer part of the premises there are Pool Suites on the ground floor which are really convenient if you love having a quick access to a pool.

There are also Ocean View Suites on the second floor, which overlook the fabulous pool and have their own large balconies. To be more exact, there are: Chick Junior Pool suite, 2 br Ocean View Suite, 3 br Chick Family Pool Suite, 4 br Rendezvouz Pool Suite, 5 br Generation Pool Suite and Ocean View Penthouses.

For me hotel room is really a big deal. I often work during my trips and, therefore, spend quite a lot of time also in the room, unlike many guests who go to adventures etc. and just basically sleep in their rooms.

NBKS rooms have amazing design, with dark wood, stone floor tiles, and like I mentioned, the best king sized beds with luxurious bedding (and great pillows, which I always check out first, can't stand bad pillows!).

All suites & villas have well equipped bathrooms with his and hers sinks, plenty of closet space (which is also very important for me!), nice slippers and robes, which I actually even wore, which, normally, I don't because in a tropical climate they are too hot to wear, but not these, and they were actually decent size even for me, so I loved wearing one).

I personally appreciate the complimentary Aromatherapy products, such as lotion. I never take my own body lotion when I go to Nikki Beach, because I know I'll be using theirs. I can still smell that lovely scent, it takes me back to my favorite beach resort



My experiences of the room types

I've stayed in a garden villa, ocean view suite and the ocean view penthouse.

Ok, you guessed right, that luxurious Ocean View Penthouse won, it was absolutely incredible!

The Penthouse is on the second floor, overlooking both the pool and the ocean. It's so spacious, 160 m2 and has all the amenities you could need. I love the king size circular bed overlooking the ocean, my absolute favorite, not to mention the circular, wooden large bath... The penthouse also has 2 private balconies, which was more than luxurious.


I will put together a video clip of the penthouse and add it to my Youtube channel. You will receive a link thereto on the Part II of this hotel review.


So, what makes me return time after time?

Despite the growth of the resort, there are things that still remain the same and make me return again and again. It's the people who work at Nikki Beach Koh Samui

Of course, I have to mention first, and send my special thanks to amazing
Director of Nikki Beach Thailand, Bruce Hanrahan - without him I wouldn't, probably, be even writing this blog today. He gave me so much positive feedback many years ago that I got the courage to start my business, TouchSE. For that I'm forever grateful!

Bruce is the soul of the place. He represents everything that Nikki Beach is: Genuine, warm, caring, wants to make guests enjoy; to be happy and get quality service by the professional staff.
Wanting to create a connection with guests is extremely important feature for a manager these days. Guests want to feel noted, they want to feel as they are all important and Bruce certainly does his share in this regard; instead of just sitting in a high tower and leading he is always on site to be seen, to have a chat with, guests get to say Hi and he is always ready and willing to make sure that guests have everything they need.
I've seen tens of hotel managers, if not hundred and what I appreciate so much about Bruce is the fact that he really leads by example and for that reason, the staff at Nikki Beach is unlike anywhere else.

I have to also mention my favorite South African women, living in Thailand, who I really miss and adore; Linda (Guest Service) and Mariska (Hotel Sales & Marketing Manager, I mentioned her already earlier as I met her already on my first visit to NBKS).
I've gotten to know them over the years and they are amazing, inspiring, warm, caring, fabulous women with huge hearts. So, so happy to know you both! (lots of hearts here!). They live and breath guest service, always trying to think one step a head of the guest so that everything would be as pleasant as possible for the guests.

On my last visit I also got to meet Nikki, the room division manager, what an amazing, wonderful and kind woman she also is. Thank you for the room upgrade, I loved the penthouse, I absolutely fell in love with the view (ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted a round bed, so it was quite convenient that I got to do that, finally.).

Key to the Ocean View Penthouse - as fabulous as the Penthouse itself!
The entire staff is always doing their best to assure guests' happiness and taking care of guests' needs. It's a group effort that has been noticed, and not only by me but also by many others that write amazing reviews of the place.


Family away from home

Nikki Beach staff becomes like your holiday family while you stay there. Everyone greets you, if you need anything, feel free to ask and they'll do their best to make it happen. If there is a language barrier, they find someone who can help as there are native English speakers among the staff.
Especially for me, who travels often alone, it is important to feel safe and that is one thing that has been well taken care of at Nikki Beach Koh Samui.

Photos of celebrities visited Nikki Beach clubs
By being safe I mean, for example if unfortunate happened, for example you would get sick, you wouldn't have to worry as they genuinely care and would, for sure, take care of your needs and would get you the medical assistance that you may need. Weather you have a question, a request, a simple need, such as more sugar etc, no problem, your needs will be taken care of here, just dial the guest service and assistance is on the way.

When people travel, obstacles may occur, we all know that. That may happen here as well. It may not be perfect in all areas at all times, but in my opinion, no place is. But it's perfect for my needs and what I really appreciate and respect is the fact that if there is a problem, just say the word and it will be sorted.

Perhaps, because Nikki Beach chain is family owned, its management also cherishes soft, family values. Part of that is appreciating and taking care of its staff and that, naturally, reflects to guest service - only happy staff can make happy guests.

I've been fortunate to be able to visit world famous 5 star hotels, those that everyone dreams they could go to. Yes, they are magnificent, no doubt. What separates Nikki Beach Koh Samui from those is that NBKS has soul. It's staff is mixture of international hotel professionals and local community members who want to do their best to make guests happy. You don't find this in very large, chain hotels. They have their own pros and cons, just like every place does, but this place's benefits can be found in the fact that it's staff is a team, like a family to each other.


5 stars and 3 Es - that's what you get here

Effortless, that is what today's traveler expects and that's what you get here.
Emotional bond, especially for millennials that is important aspect of hotel stays.
Excellence in so many ways!



The ambiance

At NBKS staff provides guests with service that is kind, warm, caring and genuine. They don't smile because they have to, they smile because they are happy. And you know what, happiness is contagious. Someone smiles at you, you smile back, then you smile to someone else, and they smile back, and they smile to someone else as well, and soon you realize, everyone looks happy and smile and greet everyone. That is the kind of intimacy I love about high quality boutique hotels.

People are treated with respect, but still every one is close enough to each other to get the sense of belonging to this place; you know, as if it's "us" not "me and other guests and the staff".

It's like an extended Nikki Beach family when you stay there. If you want, it's quite easy to get to know the staff, and also other guests. For some reason on my each visit I've gotten to know other guests as well. Perhaps many of the guests have similar personalities; open and outgoing, travel and hospitality loving people and, therefore, you get along so well also with other guests.

It's glamorous and yet dreamy, unique design and yet warm, hot and yet cool!

My favorite spot to relax.

I would visit Nikki Beach Koh Samui every day if I could. I feel so happy and in peace in this unique place. And since this place and people who work there have started to mean so much to me, I want to write about it, give it a proper shoutout, so that you, my dear readers, find out about it too.
I see no point in hiding this gem. I bet you would love the experience, just like I have, and will in the future as well, I'm sure.

However, remember, just like love, magic and that sense of happiness will only come if you keep an open mind. Let the place charm you, be kind, open your eyes, mind and soul and you will find what I've found already. The secret of Nikki Beach, the sense of happy place. It's glamorous and yet it has this warm charm that cannot be explained.

It has its own, unique style that celebrates life, it's vibrant and yet a perfect place to relax.


Do - or don't but don't miss the sunset

Try its amazing foods, go for excursions, swim in that 75 m long pool, go to the gym, let your body do the work while your mind rests. Take a paddling board or a kayak, and go for a little trip by the shoreline. You'll never know what you might end up seeing. Gather up a group and play some beach volley ball or just take a bike to check out the neighborhood.

There is always something to do - if you want to do something. Or, you can just chill. Order a cool drink, for me it would be a Mimosa, for sure, and take a book. Choose of those amazing sun loungers and just relax; read the book, zip your drink, let the sea breeze cool you down and sun make you warm... or if you are a beach lover, just go to the beach, relax there. It is nice, beautiful, clean and private (in a sense that there are no other people there, I've only seen 3 salesmen during the entire time I've been there).

Trees bending over the sundeck provide little cover so you can get little shade if you wish.

The absolute best part about the beach for me are the sunsets. Nikki Beach sunsets are becoming well known around the world and I often hear other guests saying the same thing I've said so many times, you don't find better sunsets anywhere, at least not on that island. I haven't! Here are some examples for your eyes only to prove my point. Don't you just want to book your stay already and get to the beach?



How did the Nikki Beach saga get started?

Nikki Beach was founded by Mr. Jack Pernod, a man who wanted to celebrate the life of his daughter, Nicole.

"In 1998, entrepreneur Jack Penrod introduced the world to Nikki Beach, the first and original luxury beach club concept that combines the elements of music, dining, entertainment, fashion, film and art into one. Today, the Nikki Beach concept has transcended its international venues and grown into a global, multifaceted luxury lifestyle and hospitality brand comprised of a Beach Club Division; a Hotels & Resorts Division; a Lifestyle Division; a Special Events Division and Nikki Cares, a 501c3 Non-Profit Charity Division....

...Everything was designed with my daughter Nicole in mind. The look is meant to be soft, friendly, carefree, beautiful and safe. Guests feel at home, whether they are sunbathing, sharing a meal or joining our events. We create the perfect stage to allow them to “Celebrate Life”. Nikki Beach is all about keeping the look natural and simple. There’s nothing synthetic or over the top. When we first started coming up with ideas, I spent a lot of time in Central America with my wife Lucia, and we went around farms acquiring some of the large wooden tables that are made out of one big piece of solid wood. It was this natural look combined with soft sophistication in all white fabrics and free-flowing white curtains that made the essence of our Nikki Beach design. Basic, simple and with a touch of heaven. Like you are in the clouds. The teepee is a symbol of living close to the ground and nature. It is a great reminder to stay grounded and respect nature. It conjures up memories of family around a campfire, sharing meals and stories. Celebrating life in a simple but very rewarding way. Another important factor in designing Nikki Beach was to make sure we kept the good energy flowing through the space. Nothing should block the flow. My biggest surprise is when I see our customers’ attitude of feeling like they just got home. It’s very rewarding. Our Nikki Beach design is never exactly the same, but all of the locations have the elements that we know make our customers feel good. When we enter new regions, sometimes we collaborate with other designers and architects but always following our vision of “Celebrating Life” surrounded by natural and earthy elements and this is found all over the world."

Would you like to read more?

Check out Nikki Beach website:
http://www.nikkibeach.com/


On Part II /of the review of Nikki Beach Koh Samui you get to know more about its services, such as transportation, excursions, restaurants, entertainment, events, butler service etc.
(Will be posted later this year.)

On the last part of this review, Part III you get to taste the amazing, world famous Nikki Beach Sunday Brunch, trust me, you don't want to miss that experience!
You get to check out photos, video clips, stories and interviews, all material that I get to gather when attending to my next Sunday Brunch - sounds delicious? Well, it is! Just wait and see!
(Will be posted next year.)

I know, it's not the same as experiencing it yourself, but why not consider it as an appetizer.

(I would have introduced you the fabulous Sunday Brunch already on the second part of the review but, unfortunately, the respected, beloved, King of Thailand passed away during my latest visit to Nikki Beach and I was supposed to document the Sunday Brunch during my visit via photos, filming etc. Due to that sad event 1-month's official mourning time was declared to the entire country, which of course meant no Sunday Brunch or any other parties either. It was not a time to party, it was time to pay our respects to the King and the royal family.)

So, this is it -  for now.

* * * * *

What? You can't wait for the parts II and III?
Well, as they say, if it's good enough, it's worth waiting for, right?

...or you can just book your own trip to Nikki Beach Koh Samui!
...and experience this gem yourself, you won't regret it! However, be aware that it's unprecedented allure will might make you to fall in love it. I dare you - take the risk and go for it!

It's easy, start here:

Nikki Beach Koh Samui

Nikki Beach Koh Samui - Booking

and I give you a tip:
Stay 3, pay 2 offer is valid until December 25, 2016.

...and not to worry, you get to fulfill your blog post hunger with my other blog posts in the meantime, I've got plenty of topics and stories to tell you from my #TouchseGoesAsia tour!

You may check out my photo gallery thereof from my Twitter and Instagram accounts.
TWITTER Touchse
IG Touchse_by_Mia

I hope I have been able to pass on my admiration to this amazing boutique resort that stole a piece of my heart. I am the kind of traveler who loves to explore new places so it is a huge compliment from my part when I tell you that I really want to return to this place again and again. Every time I go to Asia, I love to start my trip by staying at Nikki Beach for a few days, because I immediately feel relaxed and get to my happy traveler mood.


Who wouldn't smile and feel happy when staying at a resort where the weather is hot, people are warm, but the drinks, they are cool!







11/01/2016

#TouchseGoesAsia - 1st leg: Finnair's business class HEL-BKK

Hello my Dear Readers,

It's finally here - time to take off!

Touchse is on the road; #TouchseGoesAsia tour lasts 4 weeks from
11th October until 8 November 2016.

My travel plan (Emphasizing word plan i.e. it may change along the way) is as follows:
4 weeks, 4 hotels

Leg 1 & 2
1st flight HEL-BKK
2nd flight BKK-USM (Koh Samui, Thailand)
6 days at the fabulous, world famous

Nikki Beach Koh Samui beach club resort (This is link to my blog thereof)

LEGS 3 & 4
3rd flight USM-SIN (Singapore)
4th flight SIN-KUL (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
2,5 days at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (This is link to my blog post thereof)

LEG 5
5th flight KUL-DPS (Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia)
Here I will stay at first in Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua hotel, at the Elysian Boutique Villas and Anantara Bali.

LEGS 6 & 7
then on 8th November
my 6th flight DPS-SIN
7th flight SIN-HEL


- - -

So this adventure of mine starts with a flight with Finnair's newest plane type, A350 and of course, I wanted to upgrade myself to test out the fabulous business class, only right, pleasant way to fly long-hauls if you ask me (and I'm telling even if you're not asking...)

You may read more of this fabulous plane here:
https://www.finnair.com/fi/fi/a350


I have to say though, booking tickets isn't always quite as straight forward as you'd think.
Especially when you


a) travel in business

b) have specific dates you need to travel
c) are missing some points in order to upgrade yourself to business class both ways, not just one way.
d) the trip is route trip, i.e. your departure flight's destination airport is not the same as return flight's airport
e) have plenty of food allergies and food restrictions, so you need special diets
f) your luggage will weigh more than they are allowed.

Ok, despite of all of the above, I managed to get tickets exactly the way I wanted.

I will tell you though, on another post, more about how to book those tickets in the best possible way, if you have similar special needs as I did. As you know, I travel a lot, so I've learnt to deal with those issues during the years, and would be happy to share my knowledge so that others can benefit from my experience as well.



OCTOBER 11, 2016 - THE DEPARTURE DAY!

I arrived at the airport early, for once, on time to actually enjoy the calmness and luxury of Finnair's business lounge. 


CHECK-IN

I went to priority check-in with my luggage which were in total; 1 large hard suitcase, 2 softer bags, 1 carry on bag and a hand bag. What do you mean that's a lot?
Isn't that a normal amount of luggage for a lady to go touring for four weeks?
Well, it was for me!

The lady on the check in counter was very kind, as they, in most cases with Finnair are. I did have a short chat with her and told her that I'm actually going to tour around Asia for one month and that's why I have so many bags - as if I had to explain myself.. but felt the need as I almost felt guilty for taking so many bags with me.

However, when I asked her if she knew what happens with my bags on my next leg, i.e. Bangkok-Koh Samui, she had no idea.
I don't have a photo of me when going, but I do have a photo when I'm at the other end so you see the amount of bags I was having... (Please, a woman needs her precious belongings, don't judge!)


Raoul from Finnair's phone sales


Well, it so happened that I had this amazing sales person on Finnair's phone sales (Raoul) who was actually able to tell that primary flight, in this case that being Finnair's business flight from Helsinki to Bangkok (BKK) defines the quantity of the bags allowed to the following leg. I told him that this didn't work on my previous trip so I strongly doubt that I would have better luck this time.

He knew the booking system inside and out and told me to tell the airport customer service personnel to check the "Ozzy" (...wonder if that was the correct way to write it) field, probably something to do with Amadeus, has it very clearly stated that the primary flight defines the allowed quantity of bags also on the continuing flight if both flights are written into one ticket.

Well, at Helsinki airport the check-in counter officer couldn't find this info. Anyway, I had to take a risk as I couldn't just dump my bags so checked them in and went to security. For those who don't know, it's ok to take check-in 3 bags if you're traveling in business.


SECURITY CHECK

Priority security check is nowadays on the second floor at Helsinki airport. 



I have never had any problems with security since I consider myself as an experienced traveler after all these years. It was then my turn to get security checked so I put my laptop, tablet computer, GoPro camera, liquids' see-through bag etc. on the line to boxes and  then showed the staff that I have this plastic ice block (sealed, it has frozen water inside, KylmäKalle in Finnish) here in my carry on bag for my chocolates (as I'm allergic to so many things, I always have some Milky Ways with me to get some energy if needed if there's nothing eatable for me).
On my previous trips it was perfectly fine. However, on this time, the security officer said: No, not allowed, only for medical purposes. Wait, hold on, it is like medicine for me, but I guess that's not what they meant, but.
.. Well, lucky for me, I had my eye drops in that same plastic backd and they need to be kept cold at all times, so I told them that and also showed my prescription for my eye drops. After that, all good. Very much appreciated, it was a long trip before I actually got to my hotel and those Milky Way bars turned out to be more than necessary.

Of course they checked everything, as they should. However, before I got to pack it all up they wanted to make a drug sweep with their gears of my handbag. Well, fine with me, and said ok, but somehow that did, indeed, make me feel uncomfortable. Was that just a coincidence or did they do that because of all the hassle? Anyhow, its funny how human mind works, now it made me feel like a criminal and I did nothing wrong. 



BUSINESS LOUNGE

Well, all good, and I continued towards the Finnair's business lounge. This is the part when I always start to feel happy and excited about my trips, yay, it's finally the departure day! I walk around the airport with the stupid grin on my face, as if I never traveled before and I travel all the time. But you know, that's my passion; traveling, and one of the best parts of it is Finnair's lounge & business class. No, I'm not kidding. They are relaxing for me as I've made a promise to myself that I don't have to work when flying, so it's actually like my mini vacation.

Got to the lounge and... wait!
Did I come to the right place?
I think I've been here often enough to recognize the place but.... what the heck?!

It was completely full, packed, jammed, whatever the word you want to use, it was so full of people that I couldn't even find a seat for myself. Never in my life had that happened before. Ok, I'm hungry, got to the food serving line and ask the staff if they had anything gluten free. Turned out that they had gluten free muffins and these buns with butter and sugar in the middle. I used to love those years ago before I found that I'm gluten intolerant.

So I decided to pamper myself and had one of those and it was DELICIOUS!!! 


Best one I've had in a long (and I mean LONG, like years!) time! It was so good, I immediately regretted for not having 3 of those and taking 2 of them to the plane with me. Due to all those crowds and everything, turned out that once again, I didn't even have enough time to sit at the lounge and enjoy all the servings as it was time to go to my gate.



Well, no time for that as I noticed that it was time for boarding. Once I got to the gate, it was obvious that it is going to be a fully booked flight, there were so many people there. I was truly happy and grateful for being able to fly in business class - which by the way is the best and the most enjoyable way to travel long-hauls!






BOARDING

It is always a pleasure to get on the place when flying in business, but this time I'd only give it maybe 7 out 10, namely the entire economy class walked by me, as my seat was in the "middle" business seat part (there are two separate business seat areas in this new plane type).


The place feels crowded and there is a hassle going on for as long as passengers keep walking into the plane. But that is just a small thing, not even a problem, except when they punch you in the head with their bags.
I got to my seat and got all my main entertainment gears ready; i.e. my laptop, book, tablet computer and some snacks as well as my phone (camera).
And quite quickly the kindest, young (and handsome, may I add, Jussi Jouppi, don't blush- haha!) flight attendant came to me with a glass of Champagne. Would I like to have some? Oh, yes of course! Here starts yet another trip, yay!

Wasn't that long after "boarding completed" we heard the notification that there was some electrical malfunction in one of the plane's doors and we had to wait until they check that out. I was so happy to be in business class as at that point I heard some poor little babies and kids started to become restless in the economy class. (I remember the days travelling with my son when he was little, when he was a toddler and tired - boy was that miserable for everyone, poor child). Well, I got another glass of sparkling delicacy and had some good talks with Jussi and other crew on board, so no complaints on my part.
Turned out that we will be at least 2 late when arriving to BKK, which means I won't make it to my next flight. The head purser/cabin crew chief (not quite sure what the term is nowadays) lovely and the friendliest lady, Sirpa Brusila was kind enough to arrange everything on my behalf so I didn't have to worry at all.

Although we took off couple of hours late, I didn't mind. That business class is like a mini vacaytion so I don't mind spending there little extra time - not at all, good food, good company, fun things to do, relaxing - what's there to complain about? Nothing!

I do have to say that although I've traveled in Finnair's business class numerous times, this time it was the best service ever. Thank you Jussi & Sirpa!


DINNER TIME

Dining on board. It's a show case of its own.
From the moment the plane takes off, everyone waits for the food.
Then, when they get the food, they take their forks, poke the food around the plate, and then decide not to eat it, and naturally, the complain about it. Hands up, who hasn't seen this?





As I always contact Finnair's catering in advance due to my many food allergies, I pretty know what I'll have or at least what's not going to be in my food. In most cases, it's basically chicken and rice.


So, this time was no exception. I wasn't expecting any life changing dining experience, just happy if get something that doesn't make me sick.

However, this time I decided to try something new and I chose the duck and my goodness IT WAS DELICIOUS!! Devine. Lovely. According to Urban Dictionary:
Sick! Dope! But sick as in so good that I could eat it until I get sick!

Never have I ever asked if I could have the second set of starter course, but now I did. It was a divene mix of sweet, a bit greasy meat (duck is quite fatty), salty, and a bit sour. Absolutely exquisite. Thank you so much to your smart chef who made this experience possible.

Well, with the main course I had a problem, it was chicken and rice, just like I asked, and that was not a problem - the problem was; I had so much of that starter so my stomach just didn't have room for any more meat. Good thing though, the dessert was lovely Finnish ice cream, Jymy, that actually was suitable for me even with all my intolerances. 


Thank you Finnair and your food & catering department, you really absolutely exceeded my expectations - and I don't say that lightly.










LADIES ROOM


Before getting some sleep I decided to check out the ladies room - and yes, there is an actual LADIES room in that particular plane type and what a beautiful, peaceful space, with lovely aromas it was. Never have I ever enjoyed my little stop by at the ladies room, especially on the plane like this time. 

Ok, back to my seat after having, once again, one little fun small talk/chat with Jussi - there should be more people like him working for airlines. Or, if my company is ever big enough that I can hire people, I just might steal him to work for me! 💖 


Some gadget to adjust your seat
magically to turn into a bed
So, now with full stomach and after two glasses of lovely Champagne (I think it was, by the way, Nicolas Feuillett Brut Grande Réserve) it was time to get some sleep, after all, it was an overnight flight and I was supposed to be all fresh and ready to meet some people once I finally get to my destination.

Once again, no problem. These seats in the new A350 are so comfy. Not sure whether it's the same if you are a very tall man, but at least for me, it was like sleeping in a bed and once my head hit the pillow, I woke up 4 hours later as if I had slept the entire night.


Then I had another one of those delicous ice creams, some wonderful breakfast and it was soon time to prepare for landing. Before that Sirpa kindly informed me that they have arranged everything so I have no problem what so ever to get to Koh Samui, I have been transferred to the next flight and there should be someone waiting for me at the airport to escort me to the gate (well, things didn't go quite as smoothly, but it was by any means not Finnair's fault, it's just the way things go at Bangkok airport pretty much everytime - but more about that on one of my future blogs).

Time to get ready to start my amazing 4 weeks #TouchseGoesAsia tour. I'm  on my way to new adventures and also challenges I'm sure, but I can't wait - and neither should you! There is plenty more great stories to come, stay tuned!

Enjoy your lives people, it's for living, not just existing.
Just to remind you in case you've forgotten!

If your life is boring and you feel stuck - do something about it, don't expect others to do it for you. You're the captain on board in your life!

Love,
Mia
xoxo