Last Day in "Paradise"

We started our Thailand journey in Koh Chang on Monday, Oct 20. We stayed at the Amari Spa and Resort in Koh Chang. After our whirlwind tours of pagoda's and temples, we were definitely ready to finally get some R&R. With a cold beverage by our side and a good game of Scrabble...this is how the Ham's relax! :P The three days we were at Amari were pretty uneventful.... just the way we wanted it. We experienced some pretty gnarly afternoon thundershowers, that cracked ear bleeding thunder over our heads, and dropped rain by the bucketful. Good thing they came as fast as they went. A quick jaunt back to the hotel room for shelter and we were right back where we started 30 min later, poolside, with a cold beverage in hand and another round of Scrabble. I guess we also got a few games of Uno in too. One of the highlights of Koh Chang was meeting James Brown. No, not, "I feel good...Oww!" James Brown, but this little guy....
A shih-tzu at a tailor shop near our hotel. It was the perfect time to meet him as by this time (2 weeks in), we both miss our little Feefy so much. The shop owner and I compared notes on our shih-tzu's and realized they are all so much alike in so many ways. This guy has got to have one of the cutest names ever! Farewell James Brown!
We left Koh Chang for Phuket on a 5:30am wake up call on Friday, Oct 24.
If paradise really exists, some may call Sala Spa & Resort on Phuket Island "it". This resort is truly a modern form of paradise. It is peaceful, calm, gentle, and relaxing; the perfect place to end our honeymoon. Even though it rained pretty consistently the first two (of 4) days we were here, we both agreed it was certainly the one place we didn't mind being "stranded" at. From the moment we drove up to the lobby, we knew this place was special. Here is a picture of the outdoor lobby area, where we were cheerfully and respectfully greeted with a cold refreshing towel (its muggy here!), a chilled cup of herbal tea, and a sweet smelling wrist garland.

This has definitely been the best "hotel" i've ever stayed at. The food has been amazing, the service impeccable, and our villa.....well, a picture speaks a thousand words.
Yup, that's right....our own private pool! How awesome is that? Luckily we are here during the low season, because come November the rates triple, and we would never have been able to afford this. It is our last night here in Phuket and we're off to Hong Kong for a full day of shopping before heading home. There hasn't been much to buy so far, so we are looking forward to getting our shop on:P I must say, it is the perfect place to stimulate the economy. We took a peek at the hotel we are staying at in HK, and I don't think we could have planned this any better. I'll leave today with a link to the supermall/hotel we're at in HK. Cheers!