Vacations Archives - Painter Mommy

Koh Samui Food Guide: What & Where to Eat in Koh Samui

November 27, 2018 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Located to the east coast of Thailand is one of the country’s largest islands – Koh Samui. Apart from being a fishing municipality, the area is a tourist destination known for its incredible cuisine. It’s also known as one of best beach brunches in Southeast Asia. Koh Samui is filled with restaurants that serve both local and international foods at affordable prices. There are also luxurious restaurants that serve those people interested in spending more. In addition, some eating establishments have in house entertainment for those people that cannot eat without some music.

Ideas about Where and What to Eat in Koh Samui

Breakfast

For breakfast, one should go to the Bophut beach area where there are several restaurants that serve both vegan and non-vegan diets. While there, one can also try the local breakfast which includes pad Thai, some green curries, and sticky rice. It can be quite a treat if one is not used to eating heavy meals for breakfast. Traditional English breakfast made up of eggs, sausage, tea, juice, and some bread is also available in some restaurants. For those that must have a fully vegan breakfast, they can go to the Chaweng or Lamai beach area where restaurants serve vegan breakfast buffets.

Brunch

Brunch in Koh Samui is a big deal, and many restaurants compete for customers. Sunday brunch at Sunday Sessions, Beach Republic is a popular place for this kind of meal. Beach republic offers a variety of brunch options for the diners; from waffles to indigenous Thailand fruits to lobsters and other types of fish. There is also a grill section for those that love barbecue. And to top it all off, there are a variety of drinks offered during and after meals.

Lunch

Being an island, it comes as no surprise that most of the restaurants in Koh Samui serve seafood. The restaurants serve some amazing lobsters, crabs, prawns, clams, and other types of fish. With most eateries located next to the beach, those who visit these restaurants have wonderful views of the ocean. Another place with amazing food and a magnificent view is Chaweng beach. This restaurants found in this area allow visitors to marvel at the captivating hill ranges overlooking the area as they have their meals. For those on a budget, they can try Koh Samui’s street food, which often includes fried chicken, corn on a cob, banana pancakes, and crunchy insects.

Dinner

For dinner, Chaweng beach is still the preferred destination because of the numerous restaurants that are lined up along the shores. The setting makes for a romantic candle lit dinner by the beach as one stares at the stars and the moon. Most eating joints also have live band performances to create the mood for the evening. Interestingly, despite being a fishing town, there are some restaurants that actually serve pasta and pizza. One can also eat burgers and fries if they are not for the local delicacies. However, even if one has their doubts about local food, they should try the famous Tom Yum or Pad Thai which have a unique taste due to the various indigenous spices and herbs used to make them. A quick word of advice, if someone wishes to try out the European cuisines, they have to book days in advance because the space in those restaurants is limited.

Nightlife

After a satisfying dinner, one can visit a number of beach clubs around Chaweng and Bophut beach area. The drinks are not expensive, and the music is good with most clubs playing popular western songs. Some entertainment spots hire international djs from Europe to make the party experience memorable for visitors. The bars also serve a number of cocktails for those eager to try out new drinks. The streets are well lit at night so that revelers can easily move from one club to another. Interestingly, most joints have an ‘open plan’ layout that makes the place seem bigger than it actually is.

Eating out in Koh Samui can be fun if one knows the right places. This article contains a list of worthy places to eat in Koh Samui. For the first time traveler, they will be amazed at how simple foods like coconut can be used to make a really tasty meal. For the return traveler, the food always tastes the same if not better.

A Day Out at a Waterworld

July 17, 2013 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

With the summer holidays coming up, why not plan a day or two at your nearest waterworld, for a fun treat? Bigger and better than your average local pool, a waterworld boasts exciting features to make a swimming trip into a brilliant day out. Add to the fun factor the health benefits of getting active as a family, and it makes sense to seek out the nearest splash fun near you!

Waterworlds are also just as good for warm weather days (a cooling dip!) as they are on the summer days when the sun doesn’t want to play – making them an ideal alternative to your usual outdoor activities like the park, theme parks or seaside trips when the great British weather is falling short of the mark.

So what can you expect from a waterworld? Not your ordinary swimming pool, that’s for sure. Splash Landings at Alton Towers, WaterWorld at Stoke on Trent and the Butlins Splash Waterworlds are all great examples, and you can visit the Butlins pools as day visitors, so don’t have to worry about not being a hotel guest. Here’s what to expect:

Wave Pool – Wave pools are fantastic fun and offer a real seaside experience. At selected times of day, floats, rings and inflatables may be added to the pool for extra fun.

Bubble Pools – Whether it’s a Jacuzzi, a ‘bubble mountain’ or surprise bubble areas in the main pools, you need a good amount of bubbles to make a really great waterworld.

Flumes – If you have family members of different ages and heights, check which flumes are suitable before you head off. The Space Bowl, Black Hole and Master Blaster type rides are examples of fast-paced thrills that will get the adrenalin pumping, while the whole family can enjoy tamer flumes, raft rides or lazy rivers together.

Shallow Play Area – Those with tiny tots in tow should look for a play area for little waterbabies. The tots pool at Butlins Skegness, for example, boasts tiny slides, water cannons, fountains, bubbles and even a captain’s rope bridge

Rapids – Allow the current to carry you around indoor or outdoor rapids for brilliant family fun.

Outdoor Areas – Some waterworlds, Splash Landings at Alton Towers for example, have outdoor areas which are fantastic for sunny days.

As well as great fun attractions, consider what facilities your choice of waterworld needs to have make your trip as easy and enjoyable as possible. For example, spacious family changing rooms, cafes and spectator areas. You’ll also find the pool areas dotted with seating at Alton Towers and Butlins Skegness pools, for when you want a little rest from the water play!

If one day of splashing good fun isn’t going to be enough, why not try to win a Butlins family holiday with Cushelle? Simply fill in the online form to be in with a chance – and if you are a lucky winner, don’t forget your swimsuit!

Family Holidays in Paradise

July 2, 2013 by Painter Mommy 2 Comments

There is so much to love about holidays to Goa, especially when you’re traveling with the family. Naturally, most visitors choose to stay by the beach and soak up the sun on Goa’s glorious exotic beaches, which gives you the chance to kick back and live life in the slow lane. Of course that doesn’t always work when you’ve got the kids in tow, but fear not – once they’ve tired of building sandcastles or splashing in the shallows, there are plenty of other ways to keep them entertained.

Based on India’s beautiful west coast, Goa is a simply stunning part of the world that’s enriched with culture and alive with a fascinating heritage. You’ll find a distinctive Portuguese flavour in this area of India that stemmed from old colonies based here – you’ll find it in everything from the local architecture to the cuisine, which is a tasty blend of Portuguese fare and spicy Indian creations. And if the kids aren’t too keen on trying new tastes, there are always alternatives available – many of which cater to British tastes!

In Old Goa you’ll discover a truly authentic version of this holiday paradise which is worlds away from the holiday resorts near the coast, however this is a trip best reserved for the grown-ups as the kids could get bored. If that’s the case, you can always book into a family hotel and let them while away a few hours in the local kids’ club while you wander off to discover the ‘real’ Goa.

A great way to entertain the kids outside of the hotel and the resort is to head off to explore some of Goa’s natural wonders. Visit the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, take a tour along Goa’s winding river to see animals in their natural habitat, or head off to the stunning Dudhsagar Waterfalls in the middle of the jungle, where the kids can splash about in pristine waters and enjoy the spectacle of these magnificent crashing falls.

It might not be the most obvious place for a family holiday, but that’s exactly why holidays in Goa are so special. When will you treat the kids to a holiday in paradise?

Never Go On a Cruise When You are Pregnant!

September 7, 2009 by Painter Mommy 16 Comments

As many of you know, I just got back from my first cruise. Hubby and I had been planning this for quite sometime. We went because of the Social Media By The Sea Conference which took place on the cruise ship. I shared about the my speaking opportunity at the conference in my Previous Post. Be sure to check it out.

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Going on a cruise was definitely an experience. We cruised with Carnival Cruise lines on the Carnival Destiny. I did not realize until later on that Carnival is known for their fun ships where the focus is partying and having a good time as opposed to relaxing. I might not have minded it so much if I wasn’t pregnant and feeling exhausted throughout the whole trip. There was only one quiet place to go on the ship and that was on the lobby floor outside decks on either side of the boat. My husband and I spent a lot of time there on the comfy lounge chairs. We even saw a bunch of dolphins swimming next to the boat on our last day at sea. It was breathtaking. I think there must’ve been 50 of them. And of course, that is the day I don’t have my camera with me! 🙁

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Here is a picture of our room. We were on the 8th floor, mid-ship. It was really a great place to be as far as not feeling too much motion from the boat. I heard that you can feel more being closer to the ends, especially if the water is rough. We had 2 double beds that were put together. It was quite comfortable!

Here is a picture of the bathroom. It was pretty small, but the shower was surprisingly big. And for the life of me, we could not figure out what that machine was attached to the wall. It said something about being a shaver. Anyone have a clue what it does? I totally forgot to ask.

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Our first full day was spent at sea. That was the day I had to speak at the conference. There was so much anticipation and planning that when it was finally done, I wound up falling apart emotionally. I know that it was because of being pregnant. I was just exhausted from all the travel to Miami, hotel, shuttle, first night sleeping on the cruise, being terrible home sick, and then the conference. Everything came down on me pretty hard and all at once. I drove my husband crazy because I could’nt stop crying for over an hour. We wound up getting into a huge fight. Once things finally blew over and we made up, I got a migraine headache that wouldn’t go away for a couple days. It was crazy.

The second day, the ship stopped in the port of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was not ready for what we faced there. We had set up an excursion with Carnival to go to the Dunns River Falls and also to Dolphin Cove. They were both nice places, but the people were just crazy. The second we stepped off the bus, we were bombarded. One guy walks up to me and hands me these Jamaican beads made out of beans and says “Welcome to Jamaica… Free, Free..” I said thank you and started to walk away. He stopped me and said “Donation, donation” and then tried to take the beads back. I was pretty shocked. It is kinda funny thinking back on it now. And that is the way it was the entire day. Every person we came in contact with was trying to sell us something. I got approached at least 10 times to have my hair braided, at least 15 times to buy these hand carved pipes that people make there, and the funniest thing was being approached to buy pot! We just ignored them, but I felt like saying “Do I look like I smoke pot?” I mean come on!

Here is a picture of my hubby that I shot really quick as we are fleeing the shopping market maze.

I really wanted to buy stuff as souvenirs, but because of all the pressure we faced, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t buy anything. 🙁

The area was beautiful though in most areas. Here is a picture of us on the beach at the Dunns River Falls.

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Here is a picture of the falls. A part of the excursion was to actually climb the falls with a group. The treck looked dangerous, so of course we opted out. I didn’t want to kill myself out there. LOL

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I enjoyed seeing several Jamaican music groups randomly playing throughout the tourist area. They wanted money of course, but they were really good, so I did stop to give to them.

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Dolphin Cove was nice as well, but nothing is free so we did not get to swim with the dolphins as we thought we were. They wanted us to pay an additional fee for almost everything there. So we walked around and saw the dolphins from afar. We sat for a few minutes on the beach and then decided that we can eat for free back on the boat so we went back.

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That night we were so worn out that we skipped the shows and went to bed right after dinner. I think that really helped me because the next morning my headache had gone away almost completely. I was so hesitant about the day at Grand Cayman after such a crazy day in Jamaica. But our day wound up being really great. It was definitely the highlight of our trip. I had 3 excursions set up in one. We started out on a small bus tour checking out the island. The bus driver / tour guide was really awesome. He brought us to the town called Hell where there are these crazy rock formations. There was even this little post office in the town. Check out the pictures:

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Then we got to go to a really cool Turtle Farm. They had hundreds of turtles there. My favorites were the HUGE ones. They were like 3 or 4 feet long. Each of us got to even hold a turtle. The tour guide there was great too.

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Our last excursion of the day was Swimming with the Sting Rays. And guess what? We actually got what we paid for! We were brought to a boat and our group was boated a couple miles out in the ocean to a sand bar in the middle of nowhere. We anchored down and then got out of the boat where they were lots and lots of sting rays, all different sizes. We could pet them, hold them, and whatever else. I just stood watching everyone. I was a little grossed out because the sting rays were so slimy. I did touch one and several of them brushed up against my legs. But I did not hold them like some people were doing. There was one woman who was letting them lay on her stomach while she floated in the water.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get any good pictures of our sting ray experience because my camera is not waterproof. Next time I am going to get one of those water proof case for my camera so I don’t have to worry about it getting wet.

This is us in the boat going out to the place they call Sting Ray City.

This picture is the only one that I got of all the people that were already out swimming before we got out of the boat to go swimming too. You can’t see the sting rays, but they were all around the people’s feet. Once we got out of the boat, they came to us from all over.

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The rest of the trip was nice. I finally got adjusted to living on a huge boat. The last day was nice. I attended the last conference sessions, had a really nice dinner (even tried escargot, which I didn’t like) and ended the night with a great show at the ship’s theatre. The dancer’s were great!

We pulled into Miami at 5am the next morning. We were all packed and ready to go. After a quick breakfast we headed downstairs to the lobby to get ready to get off the boat. We had just gotten off the elevator when someone called my husband’s name on the loud speaker asking him to go to the information desk. I went to the desk first and asked what they needed. They told us to wait there and made a call. A minute later there were 4 police officers surrounding my husband and telling me they were taking him without explanation. They almost left me standing there with 3 suitcases. I refused. I told them point blank that I was not leaving my husband. They got mad and said that I could not do that and that I can be arrested. I had no clue what was going on and I started balling and freaking out.

They were totally going to leave me there and take my husband off the boat without me. Finally they agreed to take me too. I am telling you, I did not care about being arrested. I did not want to be left alone. They probably gave in because I was pregnant. So I guess there were some advantages. 🙂

So they escorted us off the boat and to a building where customs was located. I was still balling. They left me in this waiting room with the luggage while they took my husband to an interrogation room (at least that is what it said on the door). The cops came back out to me, pretty pissed, saying that I should be arrested for what I did. But I still didn’t care. They made me freak out even more. Finally some immigration police came over and they were nice to me asking if I was ok and if I needed to go to the hospital, etc. After a while I calmed down. It was hard though because I really didn’t know what was going on. I just knew we had a plane to catch in a few hours.

Finally my husband came out with the officer who explained that there was a discrepency in my husband’s past record history. My husband is not yet a US Citizen (we are working on it). But that immigration office did not have his updated info so they practically treated him like a criminal which was totally unnecessary. I was relieved that everything turned out ok, but also angry that they could not just wait for us to go through the normal customs line and pull us aside there instead of causing so much embarrassment.

So, there ya have it. Our crazy first cruise experience. Looking back, I definitely would not go on a cruise again being pregnant. The cut off to go on a cruise being pregnant is 24 weeks. I was 22 weeks. I had to bring a doctor’s note and everything. It is just too much (without all the drama I went through). But with the drama, it nearly pushed me over the edge.

I came home so utterly exhausted that I could not get along with my mom who was also exhausted from watching my 3 little ones for 6 days. I just didn’t have anything left to give. I feel bad about it for sure (sorry mom).

Cruising is really fun. I would love to go on a cruise again and next time I will make sure I am NOT PREGNANT. Too many hormones!!

But we are home now – safe and sound. I am recovering and resting as much as I can before my work week starts.

So, how about you? Have you cruised before? Any drama? I would love to hear all about it so I can feel better! LOL

Planning for my First Cruise / Conference Speaking Engagement

August 22, 2009 by Painter Mommy 11 Comments

I have been planning the details for our first cruise, next week, going from Miami to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman Islands. I am one of the speakers for a Social Media & Blogging Conference (Social Media By the Sea) that is taking place right on the cruise ship. It should be interesting.

This is my first speaking engagement. I am not a speaker by any means, but I am sure I will do fine. I have spoken several times in church. And I also run a Mommy & Me group where I often have to speak to the ladies. I guess a part of me is still nervous though. Any advice on how to keep my nerves calm? And don’t say Valium. LOL

But I’ll tell ya, the planning has just about been driving me to the edge. I have been putting together folders with a 15 page presentation of what I will be speaking on, a powerpoint presentation, and even prize coupons. Here are are few pictures of what I am doing.

I am the type of person that goes all out when it comes to my work, but I don’t think I realized what I was getting into when I started. The presentations alone were a $150 project with the cost of the folders, ink, paper, and sticky tabs. They have also taken me DAYS to put together (I am still not done). 🙂 In the folders are tabbed sections – 3 are on my speaking topics and 1 is a section that tells all about me, my company, my services, and rates. I also had beautiful pens made with my company name & website. They are individually boxed and I am adding bows that match the blue color in the folder. I guess I just need some assurance. If you were going to a conference and one of the speakers presented you with this, would it make you want to work with the company?

Another part of the planning process has been packing in preparation for traveling 2 hours to my mom’s house, staying there for a night and leaving the kids with her, then flying to Miami and staying overnight in a hotel, then going on the cruise, flying back to my moms after the cruise, staying for a few days and then driving home. WOWZERS! I am a planner and being pregnant actually makes it worse and causes me to be even more neurotic.

I have typed out a daily schedule for my mom with specific instructions for each child. She will know what to do from the time they wake up till the go to bed. I have also created a list of meal plan suggestions. I just want to make it easier for her because I know that it will be difficult with 3 small children. I know that I will also feel better, being so far away and out of control, knowing that my mom can know exactly what to do by referring to my list.

Going somewhere alone without our children is not a usual thing for us. My husband and I have never gone on a real vacation without them. I am really looking forward to the down time, but a bit nervous as well. This is my first cruise and I am really hoping that I will not get sea sick.

As you can see, there is a lot on my plate and I am just glad that I still have time to work through it all. We are leaving Wednesday of this coming week.

Well, wish me luck or blessings or whatever you want to do. I am definitely going to need it. Oh, and I would love to hear your advice as well! Comments are always welcome. The things I need advice for are in bold within this post. Thanks so much guys! You are the best. 🙂