22nd January 2016: Sarojin, Phang-Na, Thailand

Our short flight (1h 20m) from Bangkok arrived in Phuket airport at 7pm and we then jumped into a transfer car for the 1.5 hours journey back onto the mainland and north along the coastal road.  It was dark when we finally arrived at The Sarojin Hotel which was to be our home for the next seven nights.

We had a little beach hut – perhaps the word hut doesn’t do it justice!  A private gate opened onto a small private garden complete a plunge pool and sun-bed.  The room itself was a spacious open plan area with a bed and lounge area and behind a small divide, a bathroom with an outdoor shower and large bath.  It was decorated simply and tastefully and our hosts had filled the bath with hot water and petals so we could refresh after the journey.

23rd January 2016: Sarojin, Phang-Na, Thailand

The next day, Breakfast was served in a lovely shaded restaurant area beside a large pond.  The staff were very friendly and said we could pretty much have whatever we wanted for as long as we wanted which I was delighted with!

We decided not to go too crazy and opted for a healthy selection of fruits, cheese and meats.

Rachael had already been out to reserve one of the four poster pool side beds and that was our destination once I’d finally had enough to eat and drink over breakfast!  We didn’t really need to reserve since there was no one else there and it stayed that way until mid morning so we just enjoyed the pool and the warmth of the sun.

In the evening, Rachael had organised a special dinner for us.  It was dark by the time we left and after a car journey, to a nearby stream, we met our chef and waiter for the evening.  They took us for a walk up the river bed which mostly dry boulders that had beautifully lit up by many candles tucked into the rocks and even hanging from nearby trees.  Ours was the only table and it was set out beside a small plunge pool into which waterfall fell and all around us was just forest and all the night noises that came with it.

Our chef showed us what he would be cooking for us that evening and he had a little cooking station not too far away.  The food itself was amazing – lots of interesting and tasty little dishes that just kept coming!

After dinner was finished, our waiter gave us a couple of towels and they left us by ourselves to enjoy the plunge pool and come back down the river whenever we liked.  We made full use of the time and jumped into the warm, clean waters.  Eventually, after an all round amazing and romantic evening, we returned for a lift back to hotel.

24th January 2016: Sarojin, Phang-Na, Thailand

After yesterday’s exertions by the pool – today we wanted to explore the beach front.  After another amazing breakfast where we were joined by a friendly Monitor lizard, got changed and set out.

A pretty winding path which took us through the palm trees, over a small bridge, through another restaurant area (which we thought looked nice for dinner that evening!) and onto a white sandy beach.  The bay stretched in a long flat curve for a long way in both directions and ahead of us, the calm waters of the Adaman Sea.  A floating pier had a little sailing cat attached which was something I wanted to introduce Rach to but for now, we went to find a couple of sun-beds and enjoy another spot of relaxation!

Our day continued to be generally relaxed.  I took Rach out for a sail in the cat which was nice except the wind was a little gentle for any real excitement.  We had several swims in the sea which was warm with sand underfoot and shelved off gently into deeper waters.

In the evening, Rach had booked ahead in the restaurant we passed through earlier and as a result, despite my protestations to ‘be free and go with the flow!’ we got a very nice table and enjoyed some more amazing food.  Some of the dishes were just divine – I could have kept eating the little prawn wraps until I exploded!

Tomorrow would be my turn to organise a surprise for Rach but I’ll include that in the next post.