Stressfree cruising: my Silversea experience

Cruising is a great way to see the world and do it both in style and comfort. I do have to say that a lot of people still regard it as something for the newly wed, over fed and nearly dead. Thankfully even we in Estonia can see a decline in that mentality. Still, finding your own from the large number of cruise companies, ships and routes can be a bit daunting. This time, I would like to make your life a tad bit easier with talking about one of the best in the business - Silversea Cruises.

So, a few months ago, I was lucky enough to be a part of a group of travel agents who got to experience the quality and style of Silversea. Our group consisted of travel professionals from the Baltic States and Scandinavia. I have to say that this one was one of the best familiarization trips that I have been on until now.

Silver Whisper by Silversea

We were treated to a 5 day cruise onboard the beautiful Silver Whisper which accommodates 382 passengers and 302 crew members. From these numbers alone, it's clear that the service onboard Silversea is very personal.

Being honest, I have to say that this was my first ever cruise and some might say that this was not a good choice. Some might also say that the only way now is down, but I don't take is as such. This gives me a good perspective of how high you can go and therefore review the other cruise lines a bit better. We'll see...

Thai + amazing = Thaiamazing!

I remember my first trip to Thailand - it was March 2012 and I was invited to go there on a business trip. Although I was there for work and much of my time was spent doing site inspections and other things, I fell in love with the country. When I came back and wrote about it for work I said - this was my first, but surely not my last time to Thailand. I knew there was something and that it had so much more to offer...boy, did it ever :)

I visited Thailand again just a little over a month ago. This time I was on vacation and got to relax and really take my time on enjoying the place. I was there with two of my co-workers and I have to say that those two were the best travel buddies one could look for - ever! Let's call them K and N for future reference :)

The trip came about in a funny way. I remember a time months and months before (probably the winter before the last), when we were driving back from a work related event and got to talking. We talked about different trips we would like to take and so on... So months and months later - I had just got back from Italy and K told me that they had booked tickets to Thailand. A couple hours later, I had my tickets booked as well. We didn't have any plans or ideas, but we knew that this trip was going to be the best ever - check! ;)

If you're new to Thailand and want to enjoy the beaches then I recommend taking the route that we took - Phuket-Koh Phi Phi-Koh Lanta. Although it was the same route that I had taken a few years before, I still wanted to go back and do the same thing.

Phuket - a mix of everything on the menu

Don't get me wrong, but that place has changed, even with two years. There's a huge Russian population there and therefore most of the signs are translated to English and Russian. I do have to say that it was a bit strange. Usually you're used to seeing signs in the local language and English, but not there.

Phuket in itself is a tourist hot spot. Maybe you've heard about Patong Beach? Or Kata and Karon Beach? If you're planning on visiting that part of Phuket then I would categorize them as follows:

• Patong is the place where the party goes on 'til the early hours and back. You've probably heard about sex tourism and that is pretty much the place when it goes down the most. I personally don't like the place - it's too loud and crowded. Don't get me wrong (again :)) I love a good party, but that is too much. One or two nights would be OK, but more would be suicide.
• Kata Beach is a more quiet and laid back place. It's further down south from Patong and totally different place than the first. This is also the place that we stayed at for the first three nights in Thailand. Kata is good for families too - the beach is pretty decent and the water isn't too bad, so the smallest ones of the family can take a dip as well. We stayed at Kata Orient House and I would recommend it. It's not anything fancy, but the hotel's location is really good and there's a guy on the corner of the main street and the street that the hotel is at, that makes mean fruit shakes! :) The hotel was clean and quiet - you could hear some cars from the road, but nothing too much. The pool was great as well.
• Karon is a mix of the two I expect. I didn't spend an awful lot of time there, so I'm not going to pass judgement. But what I have heard and read, it's an OK place for both families and younger people with friends. 

Koh Phi Phi - party all the way

After Kata Beach on Phuket, we were off to Koh Phi Phi. I was there in 2012 as well, but stayed on the quieter side of the island. So I didn't really know what to expect from the parties and the everyday life of the island. And let me tell you - Phi Phi you stole my heart. Yeah, it's not the cleanest place in Southern Thailand and I wouldn't recommend going there with children or your honeymoon, but if you want to party for a couple of days/weeks/months - then this is the place. I've heard that Koh Pha Ngan is a pretty rad party island as well - we'll see in a year or so ;)

On Phi Phi we stayed at the Ivory Hotel which again had a great location and was OK, although there were some downs. First, the room that we stayed in (sorry, can't remember the name) has the AC right above the beds. I mean, yeah, you can't live without air conditioning there, but having cold air being blown on you the whole night is not nice. We tried adjusting the fan direction, but to no avail. And the other thing was the quiet policy at the hotel. I totally understand that there's no need yell in the corridors and you have to respect other people, but if almost every wall has a sign on it that you have to keep quiet - it gets a bit weird. We didn't have any problems, but I did have an urge to ask the receptionist if the owner knew on which island they were on. Phi Phi is no place for a quiet vacation....

...if you're not on the other side of the island of course. In 2012 I stayed in the Holiday Inn Resort which now is named the Outrigger Resort. You can get there by boat only and that was a really nice quiet place to visit. Although it did take about 20-30 minutes by longtail boat to get to the center. In the end, if you're looking for a relaxing holiday with nice beaches and beautiful scenery - go to Koh Lanta.

Koh Lanta, my love

Oh, Koh Lanta, my love. After spending three nights in Phuket and then three nights on Koh Phi Phi, we went to Koh Lanta. I fell in love with that island from the first time we got there in 2012. Koh Lanta is a place for honeymoons, family holidays and friends having a great time. The laid back atmosphere of the island just hits you - no point in fighting in :)

We stayed on Long Beach which is pretty much in the center on the western part of the island. The hotel we stayed in was named Soontreeya Lanta and I highly recommend it. It's a boutique hotel and has only 12 bungalows all together. The owners are a Thai-Irish family and are on site all the time - really nice people. The breakfast is good, the rooms are super cute and if you think you've seen big beds - no you haven't. We booked a room for three people, so we had an extra bed in the room, but the main bed was so big that we all slept there and could have fit two more people in easily. The pool was great as well, spent many relaxing days by it.

There are some things though that you have to take in to account - the bars and restaurants on Long Beach are not open as long as on Kata Beach for example. The first night when we arrived, we spent a good hour for looking a place to eat. And moving around in the dark is a bit tricky as well since there are no pedestrian walk ways so you're pretty much on the road and the street lighting is not the best.

When you're on Long Beach then do visit a bar on the beach called Mad Bull Beach Bar. You have to walk through the Lanta Castaway Resort to get there. Sunsets, colorful cocktails and great food - you'll get it all there.

More to come

This two week trip was a life changer in so many ways and I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. We all came back glowing like we swallowed the sun and the feeling hasn't left us. I'm planning on doing a separate post on each of the islands with all kinds of tips on how to spend your time there and such.

As you can gather from this post - Thailand is amazing. It's one of my most favorite places on this planet. No two places are alike in Thailand, except that the locals are awesome everywhere :)

Remember - the world is a candy shop just waiting for you to take a bite ;)

What do you have in your travel bag?

Every person has their favorite or must-have things that they can't go without. Some not for a week, some not for a day, in more severe cases - even an hour. I have to be honest and say that I am a lousy packer. I can never (and I mean it) pack light. I have so many things that I just have to take or that I think ( ;) ) that I will need. When it comes to clothes, I know I won't wear every single top that I packed, but at least I know that when the need for that blue t-shirt should arise, I will have it. 

Packing my hand luggage is stressful for me. That's probably the reason, why I usually have my bags checked. The main thing that annoys the hell out of me is the stupid law about the liquids. I know that in some way it's reasonable, but being a girl...I have to have my shampoo, conditioner, perfume, body lotion, hand lotion, hairspray, split ends serum and so on with me. I hope that at least some of you get me :) Even when I do have to leave all my pots and pans at home then there are some things that I will NOT leave behind. So, here they are:

My Cloudz pillow aka the neck worm as I call it. A little while back I didn't really think much of these pillows. Usually I just stared at the people carrying them around and though that why don't you use your sweater instead. Boy was I wrong about that...As I recently went to Vegas, I had the longest journey there and back. On departure from Tallinn, I hadn't bought the pillow yet, but as I was getting ready to get on a plane in Vegas, I grabbed one with me. That was a life safer and I mean it. I spent at least 24 hours in planes and airports on my way back and if I wouldn't have had my Cloudzy with me, I would have been a very grumpy passenger. (Which I ended up being, since I got really sick on my way back) If you're thinking of buying one then I have the Cloudz Microbead Neck Pillow in Charcoal - I love it! It can double as a teddy when in a hotel since it's sooo soft :)

The infamous iPhone. I got my first iPhone a little over a year ago (if I'm not mistaken) and I can not imagine my life without it anymore. I might even be OK with being called an addict. I have my music on it, which I listen to every single day on my commute to work and back. I have my books on it - both audio and e-books - that I don't really read or listen to every single day, but I'm very happy that I have them with me. I have all my apps there, staring with Facebook up to my bank app from Swedbank (which I love by the way, I don't know if other banks around the world have that, but it's super handy - transfer money on the go, check your balance and so on). I love being connected to my friends and my e-mails while on the road. It's not so much that I couldn't live without these apps and the possibility of doing everything on the go - I really like it. And with my iPhone I always carry my wall charger as well.

One thing that annoys me on planes and in airports is the air conditioning. I have a dozen different allergies and dry air does not make me feel better. One of the things that it also does is dry your lips, so I always (and I mean always) have at least one chapstick with me. Actually two other things fall in to this category as well - hand sanitizer and hand cream. Maybe I'm the only person that notices or hears this, but when your hands get dry and you rub them together, they produce this awful noise like you're sanding wood. And when I think what it must feel like - I get goose bumps. I know, I'm weird like that :)

Even though I talked about my iPhone and how I have my books on it, I always take at least one paperback with me as well. Since you still can't use your phones during take off and landing, then it still gives me something to do. And sometimes your eyes just need a rest from that glowing screen.

One more thing that I always!! have with me are the print outs of all my tickets, confirmations, reservations and so on. I think we've all read about the times when the global systems have gone down and people have stood in line for hours, just so that the person on the other side of the counter can see that you really are meant to be on that next plane to Where-ever. But! When you have your tickets and stuff printed out (CheckMyTrip ;)), you can flash them before their noses and they will see that yes - you are one of us. It also helps in hotels - I've had many occasions when the receptionist has said "Sorry, we don't have you on our list". Hah! Wait a second there, but I have the confirmation from you booking system printed out. Check the status or history of booking number 1234 and see that I AM supposed to sleep between your comfy sheets tonight.

As I am not graced with perfect eyesight, I have to wear glasses in order to see further that a few meters away. It's not uncommon that I can't recognize or see a friends that's coming towards me. I'm really sorry, but I just can't see you clearly enough. And when in an unfamiliar city, your sight is one of the key things to get you around. Especially when you have to switch planes in an airport - I wouldn't want to run in the opposite direction because that sign Gate 6B sure looked like a 8D. If you wear glasses then you probably know what I mean. You might ask - why don't your wear contacts then, it's easier? Well, my eyes get really dry with contacts and I have already told you about my love/hate relationship with air conditioning + you can't really sleep with contacts and I can't read with them in my eyes, I only need glasses to see across the hall.

So yeah, these are some or even the main things that I can't travel without. There might be a few more things, but since I can't really think of them then maybe they aren't so important after all.
What are the things that you can't leave behind?

Where would you go?

We all have that one or two or....maybe like twelve places that we want to go to. Let's say that they are our dream destinations. Somehow these destinations have caught your eye. In my "Where would you go" list, you can also find one place that I have actually already been to, but would without a blink of an eye go back. So without further ado...

Why do we do it?

As my blog's headline states - the world is a candy shop. There are so many tastes and textures in this world, just waiting to be sampled. But why do we do it? I have to say that I have on several occasions been with a group of people, who don't really understand the point of packing your bags for a week or two or for only two days and getting the hell out of here. So that got me thinking....

Viva Las Vegas!

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to visit Vegas. Although my trip was all about business, I did get a chance to mix a bit of pleasure to the pot. My main reason for being there was the annual IPW which is a huge travel fair that features all kinds of US travel suppliers from all over the country. I took on the daunting task of representing our company and let me tell you - it was probably one of the best choices I have made!