Koh Samui with a Baby (Part Two)
So here we are. Three more days. Four, if you count our travel day back to Bangkok. It's incredible how quickly this whole trip has gone. Sometimes I worry I haven't really sat back and enjoyed it. We're trying to do that now.
We're back on Koh Samui, and after 9 days at The Spa, we found a great deal for a pool villa, at Elements Boutique Resort and Spa, a beautiful resort tucked far away from everything else on the south west corner of the island. It's quiet, it's peaceful, and it's pretty luxurious. We've only been here for a day, but in the past 24 hours I think we've managed to really unwind. We've sat with Melvin outside, shaded under the cover of a four poster sun bed, by a long infinity pool, with a cool breeze blowing over his naked little body. The temperature has dropped enough for us to do this, and it's bliss. It's how we imagined the whole two months. We sit and look at him, at each other, at him, at the palm trees, the ocean, the long stretch of white sand, and back to him. It sounds pukey, but it's true.
The last couple of weeks on Koh Phangan went by smoothly. We ended our stay at Cookies after 9 days - we just got bored. We moved to B52, a resort much closer to Thongsala, for the last 4 days on the island. We could walk into town for meals, and could get Melvin into the pool with no stairs or trouble.
Melvin turned 6 months while we were there, so we started him on solids. A first meal of mango and banana was mostly smushed, and the little bits that did make it to his mouth were grimaced at and spat back out. Baby steps.
We left Koh Phangan on the same boat we came in on, and our journey was just as smooth. A minibus at the terminal took us directly to Lamai, where we headed into the hills to The Spa. This would be our second time at The Spa, both times staying at their Village location, which is nestled in the lush hills of Samui. It's absolutely beautiful up there, but upon arrival, realised it's not really ideal for a baby. Not only is everything on a steep hill, our villa was far away from everything, and up even more of a hill and stairs. We spoke to reception and they said it was fine for us to move down to their beach location, which, while much smaller, gave us easy access to a pool, the sea, the beach, the restaurant, and to Lamai town itself. Our little room was tiny, and we barely fit on the bed, but it was incredibly cosy. We spent our days relaxing, swimming, walking into town, and watching Melvin go from sucking food and grimacing to gumming it and reaching for more. Our wee man.
And here we are. At Elements, not really doing much other than enjoying the space, our pool, and making the most out of the time we have left.
We've learnt a huge amount about travelling with a baby. I'll do a good summary when we're back home. Some of the things were obvious, but some we've been surprised about. Most - if I'm honest - have been facepalmingly obvious once we've realised them, but I suppose that's how it goes: you never really know until it's happening to you.
The fuse in the camera plug blew a while back, so unfortunately we've had to make do with our phones. I really regret not taking more photos before that happened. The camera has just been that one thing too many every time we've gone out, what with all the junk you need for a baby - not to mention navigating the pavementless busy streets.
We leave on Saturday. Our flight is in the early evening, and we arrive in Bangkok airport at 6pm. We spend the night in a hotel next to the airport, and head back to Copenhagen the next morning. How odd it will be.