06Jun 2016

Koh Samui: Girls Weekend Trip

You know you have some really fun and amazing friends when they travel, literally, half way around the world to see you. Three of my favorite ladies came to Bangkok for a visit and we took a side trip to Koh Samui. It was quite a whirl wind having them in town and we really packed a lot into the relatively short trip.

After a jam packed day of sightseeing around Bangkok we jumped on a plane to Koh Samui! We headed for the Chaweng Beach, which had some great reviews and did not disappoint. The OZO Chaweng Samui was our home for the two day trip.

The pool was gorgeous, the beach front mandalas were heaven and the rooms, though small, were clean and very much met our needs for the weekend. I would stay at the OZO again with the just the husband or for a girls weekend, but if we were to travel with Jellybean I think we would need to book a bigger room.

After grabbing a very late dinner we headed to bed!

Day 1: Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui

Chaweng beach is beautiful and we enjoyed the day by hanging by the beach, swimming in the ocean/pool and indulging in a little shopping.

The day was fabulous, but I think the night was truly a highlight of the trip. We went to Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai) around sunset. The Buddha was worth the short taxi ride. After seeing the Buddha, we had a drink at Sunset by Angelina. The view was picturesque and the drinks were quite delicious!

We headed to Fisherman’s Village after our drink and walked in and out of the shops while we made our way to CoCo Tam’s. The ambiance was super cute and fits the hangout by the beach vibe of Koh Samui perfectly.

An important thing to note about CoCo Tam’s is it is not a restaurant so eat dinner before grabbing a seat for the fire show. We went to Restaurant Krua Bophut for dinner, which is right next to CoCo Tam’s.

The Fire Dancer show on the beach starts around 10:30pm and is NOT to be missed!

Day 2: Angthong National Marine Park Speedboat Tour

All of day 2 was spent on a speedboat tour of some of the small islands near Koh Samui. Snorkeling at Koh Wao, a sightseeing hike at Koh Mae Koh followed by lunch at Koh Paluay and hanging on the beach as well as kayaking at Song Pee Nong beach. It was a fun filled day!

It was a fabulous 2 days in Koh Samui. The girls trip was a huge success!! I hope the hubby, Jellybean and I make it back to Koh Samui sometime before we move back to the States next year.

03Jun 2016

Friday Favs!

by Nicole ⋅ Leave a Comment

It’s Frrrrriday!!! It’s been a busy week and I’m totally ready for the weekend! What about you? We are keeping it low key this weekend as we are traveling and having friends in town for the next 2 weekends.

One of my biggest favorites as of late is talking to Jellybean. Toddlers say the darnedest things, don’t they?! Her vocabulary has been rapidly growing and the bigger it gets the more hilarious and cute things she says.

For example, on the taxi ride to school the other day we were discussing that she was going school, Daddy was at work and I was going to go home after dropping her off. Clearly she needed to keep tabs on everyone. :) She follows that convo up with …

Jellybean – Mommy you go home and pway.
Me – What should I play with?
Jellybean – You make a tower. Otay?
Me – Okay JB, I will make a tower when I get home. {smirking a little}

Jellybean also has become obsessed with motor-bi-cles. It is not a motorcycle or motorbike … it is a motor-bi-cle … otay?! I can’t get enough. It’s just too stinking cute. She counts them, points them out or says {read screams, as loudly as possible} the color of said motor-bi-cle that she has in her sights. And, at least once a day while crossing the street I am told ‘watch where you are going Mommy, there are moter-bi-cles’. Thanks for the heads up JB!

And now for some of my non-toddler related favorites…

Let’s start with the picture below of the fire dancers in Koh Samui from last weekend. The show was fantastic and watching it with some of my favorite friends from DC made it all the more special. A post should be up next week about our trip to Koh Samui, stay tuned!

Totally loving this lip screen WITH spf 50 it is a-freaking-mazing! My friend introduced it to me last weekend in Koh Samui (yay for a girls weekend!).

I’m also eyeing some super affordable Mirrored Aviator Sunglasses in rose gold. I love sunglasses. I feel like they can make or break an outfit, or swimsuit. Agree or disagree?

Cinnamon roll cake, um, yeah, GET IN MY BELLY!!! This needs to happen asap, but I need an excuse. Who wants to come over for brunch?

Love this – Can’t A Stay-At-Home Mom Get A Little Love?

I wish Jellybean was in need of some new swimsuits there are so many cute ones currently on sale. This swimsuit for a girl is fabulous and if I had a boy I would go for this lemon print one.

What are you up to this weekend? What are some of your current favorites?

02May 2016

Cambodia Two Day Travel Guide

by Nicole ⋅ Leave a Comment

Cambodia is super accessible from Thailand and was near the top of our Southeast Asia travel bucket list. So when my parents offered to watch Jellybean for a few days so the hubby and I could go away, we happily accepted their offer. Quickly we decided Siem Reap would be the perfect place for our ‘toddler-free’ vacation.

Tip: If you don’t get a tourist visa prior to arrival (which isn’t necessary you can get one at the airport prior to customs), bring a passport photo with you. If you forget the photo, don’t fret they will make a copy of your passport photo for an additional fee.

We stayed at The Golden Temple Hotel and I would highly recommend it! The price point, location, great pool and friendly staff made for an excellent stay. Not to mention our room rate included daily buffet breakfast, one set dinner at the hotel restaurant, free 60 minutes massage, daily one hour cocktail reception at Sky Lounge, and pick-up/drop-off at Siem Reap Airport.

Delicious welcome drink & snack. The banana chips … gah, to die for!!

Breakfast buffet (above) & hotel entrance (below).

Day 1: Touring the Angkor Complex

We decided to splurge and hired a tour guide to take us through the Angkor complex. It was absolutely the right call. The tour included a driver, car with AC, water and a guide who spoke perfect English. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a ton about Cambodia, the temples as well as the unrest in the region.

Tip: Bring light weight pants with you or plan to buy the ‘elephant’ pants before making your way to the temples. Conservative wear is required.

Bayon temple {above} was probably our favorite of all the temples. Surprising, I know … everyone’s favorite seems to be Angkor Wat. Does the location in the picture below look familiar? It might if you’ve seen Lara Croft: Tomb Raider! Ta Prohm has so many trees growing over the temple.

The tuk tuks are definitely different in Cambodia than Thailand. Many of the tuk tuk drivers were chilling in their hammocks while their patrons toured the temples. Must admit the idea of hanging a hammock for a little nap was pretty nifty!

And, the grand finale of the day was this perfect view of Angkor Wat!

We had dinner at the Chanrey Tree restaurant. Although it was walkable from our hotel, we chose to take a $2 tuk tuk ride there instead {we were pooped from all the walking we did that day}. The food was really good and the restaurant ambience was cool.

Day 2: Touring Angkor Complex, Circus & Night Market

It was surprising to me the sheer number of temples in the complex. And, I would love to have seen how these large temples were built and decorated during a time when modern technologies weren’t available.

Banteay Srei temple is a bit of a drive from Angkor Wat, but worth the trip. The craftman’s ship is unbelievable!

When we hit our limit with the temples we headed back to the hotel to spend a few hours pool side.

The Phare Circus was fabulous and if you have time something worth seeing. Tickets can and should be purchased online ahead of time. We had the tuk tuk driver dropped us off at the night market on the way back from the circus. We purchased some baby and toddler-sized elephant pants, which I haven’t been able to locate in Bangkok for some strange reason. My favorite find of the night market was a canvas wrap painting of Angkor Wat, which is now hanging in our living room!

It took so much restraint not to inundate you with more pictures from our time in Siem Reap. We had an excellent vacation and Cambodia is absolutely worth the trip, especially if you are already in Southeast Asia. And, I must admit, I was glad we didn’t bring Jellybean along on this trip. Between the heat, steep steps, uneven footing and all the walking it was not a toddler friendly vacation.

Have you been to Cambodia? If so, what was your favorite part?

25Apr 2016

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

by Nicole ⋅ Leave a Comment

Mother’s day is right around the corner and somehow with the lack of seasons in Bangkok it has crept up on me, just like all the other holidays since our move. I’m looking forward to a low key Mother’s Day with the hubby, Jellybean and the fur baby. If you are looking for a hilarious 1st Mother’s Day check this story out.

As a child I remember heading to the book store early Mother’s Day morning with my father. We would walk around the store, pick out a book, a card and buy some flowers before heading home. It wasn’t until years later I found out my mother preferred my sister and my handmade gifts or really anything other than a book as a gift. Sorry Mom, I promise no book for you this year!

Whether looking for a gift for your mama, mom-in-law or suggestions for yourself here are a few things I love or wouldn’t mind receiving on Mother’s Day. :)

Earring // Because let’s be honest a little bling bling never hurt anyone!

Zella Headband // Super comfy headband and it goes perfectly with live in leggings!

Mama Bear Sweatshirt // This was what Jellybean got me for my second mother’s day.

Personalized Calendar // My go to give for my mom. She loves the personalize pictures and I enjoying picking out my ones favorites from the past year.

Makeup Brush Holder // Classy, decorative and functional.

Massage and/or a Mani & Pedi // Pampering and a little mommy alone time is good for the soul.

Canvas Boat Bag // Us Mama’s are always toting around a bunch of stuff.

What are you go to Mother’s Day gifts?

18Mar 2016

Friday Favs

by Nicole ⋅ Leave a Comment

Happy Friday … hope you had a great week!

A couple weekends ago we went to Cambodia for a few days {more details to come soon}. It was amazing and our first couples vacation since Jellybean was born. While we missed her terribly it was amazing to explore Siem Reap just the two of us! I’ve only just begun really looking through the 500+ photos I took, but the one of the Buddha faces at Bayon Temple immediately caught my eye.

Some current favorites …

After becoming very frustrated with slipping and sliding on the slick streets of Bangkok I purchased these flip flops. They have traction on the bottom, arch support and made from yoga mats. Loved them, purchased a pair for the hubby and he loves them too!

If I had a little boy I would by him this driving cap. It’s so dapper.

New recipe on the books for dinner soon is lemon chicken risotto. If lemon in all recipes is wrong, then I don’t want to be right!

I really want to buy this dress in savilla abstract print, but it’s currently out of stock in my size. Pout. And, speaking of clothes, how cute is this swimsuit. If I thought I could pull it off I would have already pressed purchase, it’s crazy affordable.

Easter is right around the corner, which doesn’t seem right to me. But honestly, what do I know? I live in a place where the seasons are hot, hotter and hottest so holidays seem to just sneak up on me as of late. THIS is how you hard boil a ton of eggs at once. Making a million easter eggs just got a little easier … your welcome. ;)

This post on why maternity leave isn’t a vacation. Sorry, but YES! #SorryNotSorry

What are you loving this week? Hope you had a excellent weekend!

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Author Archives: Nicole

Koh Samui: Girls Weekend Trip

Day 1: Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui

Day 2: Angthong National Marine Park Speedboat Tour

Friday Favs!

Cambodia Two Day Travel Guide

Day 1: Touring the Angkor Complex

Day 2: Touring Angkor Complex, Circus & Night Market

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Friday Favs

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