There’s something special about walking along the streets of Oslo during summer time. You can hear children laughing and see families sitting in the sun eating food, drinking wine and having unlimited amounts of ice cream. People finally get to wear their skirts and short sleeves that has been tucked away in the closet for ¾ of the year. In that moment you realize just how precious summer time is for everyone in Norway.
There’s endless amounts of great places to eat in Oslo, but if you’re ever in the area please have some charcoal grilled burgers and beers at Illegal burger and also if you still have room for more food: the best Kebab in history (I’m not kidding) at Bislett Kebab House. Another must is to visit the 22 July Information Center. It’s located in the high-rise building in the government centre where the horrible bombings started on the 22 july 2011 and displays the timeline from that day. There’s also a room dedicated to the 77 victims. It’s very emotional but worth the visit.
We had the most amazing stay at Bhu Nga Thani in Krabi. I would give it a 100% overall score. The place is clean and beautiful and the staff super adorable and helpful. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful hotels on Railay beach.
This is the view from the East side of Krabi… No beach, but beautiful nature and Mangrove forests…
The hotel is located right next to Railay princess on Railay East side meaning it will be just at the end of the walkway that connects with the beach. It’s also right where the East side pier to Ao Nang is, so you get to chill at your hotel right until departure.
The view gets even prettier as the sun sets and the restaurant is placed right on the edge, meaning you can stare right into the deep for as long as you need to, hehe! The view is partly covered by longtail boats and mangrove trees which is picture perfect if you ask me.
Loved the private pool and outside area!
The hotel is just stunning!
If you walk even further along the East side of Railay there’s many restaurants and bars all ranged from backpacker style to luxury. They even have a super delicious pizza restaurant and many friendly reggae bars. If you walk even further into the woods there’s also nice night hangouts but keep in mind that you will need to cover yourself completely in mosquito repellent.
Birthday girl!! Someone “forgot” to bring make-up for the trip, hehehe 😀
The view from the bed overlooking the pool area
Cocktails with a view… this was their honeymoon cocktail and came with the room. So tasty!
The overall experience of the hotel will still be the same even if you go for the normal rooms, but if you want to make the most of it- I would recommend you to book the pool villa. We had the best time there! And OMG, the bed was super soft. There’s (obviously) a private pool but also a nicely sized jacuzzi to play around in and not to mention the nice inside and outside area to chill. It’s so worth it.
I’ll definitely stay here again during next visit.
I’m beyond excited for our trip to Norway. I think we’ve got everything planned so far. We are going from 6th to the 24th of July and are mainly focusing of travelling around Norway. There are so many nice places to visit, and since I’ve taken Tom to the North a couple of times now I thought the South would be a nice change for the summer.
These pics are from our last trip to Lofoten <3
We’re going to drive down to Åndalsnes to see the famous Trollstigen and Trollveggen. After that we are heading to Geiranger to do some fjord sightseeing. We are also going to try to do some kayaking next to the glaciers around Jostedalsbreen and maybe visit Stryn and see some lakes on the way. Then we’re doing a long drive down to Bergen and Odda to trek the Trolltunga. It’s going to be around 27 hours of driving on this trip so that’s going to be interesting. Agh, I can’t wait to see some beautiful nature and scenery and camp and chill out in cabins around Norway. That’s truly one of the best things to do there during summer times. If we do have the time I think we will try to drive through Lom on the way and trek Galdhøpiggen as well! We’re also spending a couple of days in Oslo at the end of our trip and are going to try to time it for a beer tasting event. I also really want to take Tom to Tusenfryd my favourite place during my childhood.
The last time we went during winter, we visited Lofoten and had only 4 hours where the sun was out. Can you imagine that? The sun was rising at 9 am and set at 1 pm. This time we’ll get to hang out in the midnight sun. <3
Have you ever been to Norway? What’s your favourite place?
Hotels booked for Krabi. I’m already dying to go back.I think Krabi is of my top 3 places in Thailand. I love the combination of beach time and activities and especially the fact that they have so many climbing spots. Not to talk about all the photo opportunities. I can’t wait to watch the sunsets or the sunrise and I’m not planning to miss any while there. We booked the Sand Sea resort which looks pretty sweet and has great reviews. I love that it’s located right on the beach. For the second night we booked Bhu Nga Thani. It’s also located pretty close to the sea, but looks newer and offers more view than the first one. Can’t wait to share with you guys!
My Krabi crew 2014 <3 at Railay beach
Poda island doens’t have a lot happening, but makes the best photos! Turquoise waters and clear blue skies…
We also booked our trips to Norway in July and are flying with Thai airways. Two and a half week of Europe summer. So excited! We might try to book a couple of small trips around Europe too, depending on the weather back home.
Now I’m off to the gym again. 2 weeks until we go… seriously, I want my old body back ‘till then! Unfortunately we’re having an after work at the office today. I’m skipping the beers and wine, but I can’t say no to pizza, hehe.
The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation is founded by Anantara golden triangle camp and Four seasons tented camps. The camp was primarily set up to help elephants, but after a visit there you can see that they are contributing with so much more. Helping out the locals, and especially mahouts all over Thailand together with their wives and families. I’ve always seen mahouts walking along the streets of Bangkok, trying to get people to buy overpriced bananas off them to feed the elephants. In my mind I’ve always looked at these guys as bad and that they have no right to have an elephant by their side doing things like that. In my mind, I always saw this as people who had acquired elephants as pets trying to earn money…Needless to say, I’m being prejudice and are pulling everyone under one comb… After visiting the elephant camp, I’ve realized that many of these mahouts are just trying to keep themselves and their elephants alive, doing what they know best.
This baby loves sunflower seeds!!
You have to keep in mind that these guys might not even have an education, they grew up with their parents taking care of their elephants, so that’s pretty much all they know. At some point they just couldn’t afford feeding their elephants nor themselves anymore and were forced to seek other options. The Elephant foundation has helped loads of elephant villages around Thailand providing the kids with proper education and the wives with work and income instead of just sitting at home. Most of elephant stuff you see in the Anantara Golden Triangle hotel is made by the wives of the mahouts. They also sell some at their camp. Beautiful jewelry and silk scarf made out of butterfly cocoons. Obviously they also provide work for the mahouts and their elephants making it a great little community.
It makes me so happy when I see a place where the humans and animals seem to be working together and actually care about each other. That’s how the world should be… Elephants should have space in the wild and not in some circus tent or a little field. That goes for a lot of other animals too. It costs over 15.000 USD early to keep an elephant fed and healthy, so if you would like to make a contribution check outhelping elephants. Or even if you just want to get more educated about the elephants or see other of their amazing projects. <3
SO Sofitel just opened a new hotel in Cha-Am and we were super happy to get invited to check it out. There’s no secret that we love the SO brand and the chic, playful and sophisticated elegance they have to offer. It’s perfect for the younger crowd with monthly held pool and beach parties. The location of this SO Sofitel is simply amazing. At first we thought it was a bit far away from Hua Hin, but the private clean beach you get in return makes it worth it.
Got myself a new friend… I swear after the freshly prepared welcome tea, the animals talk!
Loved our Arty room
Is spent a lot of time here…
Their rooms are large with tall ceilings and carefully chosen details from around the world. There’s two different themes to choose from; SO Arty or SO Nature. It’s definitely the imaginative escape they promise you. All the way from check in to check out. We stayed at the Arty room and fell in love at first sight. The bathroom was taken out of my dreams and the bed was just as soft and comfortable as they are in all the So Sofitel hotels. I always know I will get a good night sleep staying there.
The perfect beach bar… just like Greece.
The finger food at the So beach party was delicious. We also ordered a burger and pizza back to our room… I have to say the food there is amazing!!!
After the fun started…
I need to find out what wine they had… it got me drinking for hours 😀
We were so lucky to go there on the first week of the month and got to join the SO beach party. The drinks were delicious and the DJ played the best tunes ever. Not to mention their chef who made some serious finger licking good food. I pretty much never eat french fries, but the large bowl we were served was gone in 5! I’ve been missing a proper beach party since my days back in Spain and SO Sofitel definitely nailed that feeling! It was like we were back at the islands again. Make sure you go there early to get a good seat and have time to eat before the sun set and your legs feel like dancing. I think EVERYONE was up and dancing by 9 o’clock which is very rare in Thailand.
This girl was overly excited for her treatment
The cocoon <3 love!
We’re big fans of the SO Spa so we try making it there once in a while. This one was the most special one we’ve been to. It was so calm and relaxing and the service was amazing. Everything was on point. The details, the comfort… we all know how disappointed you feel when the treatment is over. I mean, obviously you feel fresh and renewed but… there is always this feeling that you wish it could last longer. So at this SO Spa, when the treatment is finished, they have this beautiful cocoon covered with twinkling stars on the inside and beds you can relax on, watching the stars while being served with yummy energy balls and tea. I love the idea, and we’ve actually agreed we’re getting one of these for our bedroom when we get a house!
Safe to say, we’ve found our new favourite beach holiday destination not too far from Bangkok. It takes around 2 hours to drive here. No need to take days off work to go to the islands.
Check out their facebook pagefor upcoming events and deals!
