The sapphire colored waves crashed gently into the sand leaving behind a trail of white froth in its wake. The wind whistled through my hair as the birds sang praises to the golden sun. I opened my eyes and blinked hard. Was this all just a dream? I looked around and inhaled the salty sea air and smiled, this was the real thing.

Rewind to two weeks ago when I found out that I would be headed to the Amari Palm Reef Resort in Koh Samui, Thailand. I was thrilled beyond belief since I had been looking pretty pale for a few months now (the meeting be- tween my skin and the beautiful summer sun has been long over due). Of course aside from getting that I’ve-just-spent-four-days-laying-under-the-sun-in-a-tropical-island-look, I was really looking forward to seeing a part of Thailand I have not explored before, not to mention that I would be staying in a world class resort. Like any eager traveler, I quickly went on the World Wide Web to view photos of Amari Palm Reef Resort. Of course the photos were very pretty, but sometimes website photos can be quite deceiving, leaving the tourist feeling a little tricked when they get to the place and fi nd out it isn’t exactly what they had signed up for. Nevertheless, I got my travel documents together and prepared myself for an experience of a lifetime.

Fastforward to the day of my arrival at Samui; we were welcomed by the two representatives of the Amari Palm Reef Resort at the arrival area and presented with a colorful fl oral hand wreath. Our spirits remained high despite the heavy dark clouds looming in the distance, threatening to drop buckets full of rain on our supposedly sunny vacation. By the time we arrived at the hotel lobby, to say it was raining cats and dogs would be an understatement. It almost seemed like there was an actual typhoon going on. Was my dream of a fantastic tropical vacation going to turn out to be a wet nightmare?

Cats and Dogs

The mood of the staff remained sunny despite the fact that the sun was nowhere to be seen. We were welcomed at the lobby and ushered under the canopy of giant umbrellas into the restaurant on the second floor called Mirant Seaside Dining. This place offered all day dining and had fantastic views of the sea, so we were told. When we got up there, all we could see was the white canvas sheets pulled down to protect the rest of the restaurant from the violent rain and in the process obstructing any views we might have hoped for. Since the rain did not look like it was about to give up just yet, I decided to check out my garden view room which was situated on the other side of the road. To help shield me from the downpour, a gracious staff member offered to drive me to the garden area with a golf cart.

As I could not properly appreciate the garden, I decided to go straight to my deluxe bedroom. I was surprised to find a very spacious room with a contemporary setting, an exact replica of those in the photos on the internet! I even had my ownlittle balcony with a pretty view of the modern Thai style garden. I silently prayed that the rain would stop so that I could make use of that cozy little area. The bathroom was quite roomy as well and it had both a standing shower and bath tub. A little tired from all the excitement, I doze off to the pitter patter of the rain still a little hopeful that my vacation would eventually turn out as sun-filled as I had anticipated.

Paradise found

An hour and a half later, I woke up with a more positive feeling, it was like I could almost hear the birds chirping outside by the balcony – oh wait, they actually were! Finally the rain clouds decided to give me a break and clear out for the rest of the day. When I walked out into the balcony, it was like I was in a completely different place! I was greeted by a variety of palm trees and other tropical flowers that appeared brighter and more colorful than usual. It looks as if the showers helped them brighten up a bit. They all looked like they were actually standing tall and proud, making the most of this shining moment. There was a certain sense of peace that enveloped the place. It was probably because most of the guests were still hiding out from the downpour in their respective rooms. I decided to use this opportunity to explore the resort. With my trusty digital camera, my notepad and pen, I walked towards the main lobby of the resort, which was located across the street fronting the beach.

Along the way, I took a look around the area where my room was. My room was located on the third floor of a three storey low rise building. The U-shaped building hugging the tropical garden, allowed every room to have the perfect view. Each room had its own balcony and the rooms on the first floor had their own mini terrace. Although we were situated behind the street, the area felt very secluded and private. Walking on I noticed the surroundings change from relatively contemporary buildings with distinctly Thai style roofs to more traditional Thai style houses clustered together like a little village surrounding a swimming pool. The houses had family rooms built to accommodate bigger groups, some even with their own lofts.

Reaching the main lobby, I was finally able to appreciate the architecture and interior design of the resort as the afternoon sun provided the perfect lighting. From the lobby, I caught sight of yet another swimming pool, and it seemed to pull my eyes outward towards the pool and even further out, towards the sea, although my eyes lingered a bit over the swim-up pool bar where hotel guests enjoyed their cocktails while taking a dip in the pool. The transition from the pool area to the beach proper seemed very smooth and natural due to the tropical style landscaping and design of the resort.

Of Spa and Spaghetti

Although the resort’s design itself is very impressive, I found out the next day that the best thing about staying at the Amari Palm Reef Resort is the easy access to the Suvari Spa. At the spa, I was presented with a variety of service options. Being the chocolate lover that I am, I indulged on a thirty minute chocolate scrub topped off with a one hour relaxing massage. The treatment room was not your usual, stuffy air conditioned type. It made the most out of its serene and natural surroundings, using natural light and a ceiling fan for air circulation. The well trained therapist was able to perfectly interpret my comments on the pre-service questionnaire perfectly resulting in the most relaxing massage I have ever experienced, leaving my skin glowing and my body completely rejuvenated.

My spa treatment ended at around 8:00pm and by that time, I was so relaxed that all I wanted was to go straight to bed, but my stomach grumbled as if trying to remind me that I really shouldn’t skip dinner. I didn’t really want to stray too far from the resort in case I got too sleepy, so I decided that it was the perfect time for me to sample the outlet, Prego. Prego sits quietly at the edge of the resort, right by the road. The popular Italian restaurant is ideally located by the street providing easy access to guests from other resorts who also want to have a taste of the wide selection of authentic Italian dishes. The atmosphere is very laid back yet classy. Dinner at Prego must be enjoyed slowly, from cold cuts and cheese to pizza and pasta, and don’t forget dessert! The pizza is served fresh from a show stopper of a wood-fired oven. My personal favorite dish among the pastas was the fettuccini served with the mushrooms and truffle oil. The casual chic ambiance of Prego combined with its outdoor setting, delicious entrees and a bottle of wine would have made for a perfect moonlit dinner.

As Is Where Is

So here I am on my last day at Amari Palm Reef Resort, packed and ready to head to the airport. I’ve got my tan (yay!), and a digital camera loaded with hundreds of pictures of the beautiful island and the amazing resort. I took one last look around before entering the van and I smiled as I watched the children splashing around in the pool, couples starting on their I’ve-just-spent-four-days-laying-under-the-sun-in-a-tropical-island-tans, and friends laughing over their mango shakes. Then I quickly boarded the van as I shrugged off my sadness, knowing that I would definitely be returning to the Amari Palm Reef Resort.