They are not pleased about going home tomorrow!
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| Mackenzie...poolside picnic |
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| Georgia |
Showing posts with label Team Somerville Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Somerville Travel. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
{Team Somerville TraveL} Last day in Langkawi
We kept our promise to Georgia and Mackenzie and spent our last day at the resort. A morning at the kids club followed by hours running between the pool and the beach.
They are not pleased about going home tomorrow!
They are not pleased about going home tomorrow!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
{Team Somerville Travel} Life's a beach!
On today's agenda ... the pool, the beach, followed by a bit more pool and a bit more time on the beach! With only 2 days left we decided to spend the rest of our holiday at the resort.
After a few hours at the pool we booked a boat to take us across to Anak Datai Island for a picnic.
It was high tide so there wasn't a lot of beach to sit on, but it was goregous and secluded and we felt like adventurous explorers!
That is, until the clean up crew from the resort next door dropped onto the island for the daily clean up! They were nice enough to stay away from our picnic spot.
After a few hours at the pool we booked a boat to take us across to Anak Datai Island for a picnic.
It was high tide so there wasn't a lot of beach to sit on, but it was goregous and secluded and we felt like adventurous explorers!
That is, until the clean up crew from the resort next door dropped onto the island for the daily clean up! They were nice enough to stay away from our picnic spot.
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| On the boat to the island |
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| On the island |
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| A view of The Andaman from the island |
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| Mackenzie the Explorer! |
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| Setting up the picnic |
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| Georgia |
We spent more time at the resort pool in the afternoon exhausting Georgia and Mackenzie so we could leave them to terrorise a babysitter for the evening while we went to the resort next door (The Datai) for dinner at the Gulai House (a Malay Indian restaurant). Delicious!
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| Dining at The Gulai House at The Datai |
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
{Team Somerville Travel} The monkeys of Langkawi
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| Our little monkeys...breakfast at The Andaman Langkawi |
Review after review on Trip Advisor mentioned an abundance of monkeys, as well as lizards, squirrels and flying lemurs.
Last night as we went to bed we realised that, aside from a few monkeys playing by the roadside on the drive in as well as a squirrel and a lone flying lemur as we ate dinner at the Beach Bar, we hadn't exactly been overrun by wildlife.
Were we missing something? We were just not paying enough attention to our surroundings?
This morning after a late breakfast we spotted our first resort monkeys on the way to the kids club!
Being several metres away up in the trees (i.e not within grabbing distance!), Georgia and Mackenzie quickly lost interest as the toys beckoned.
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| A dusky leaf monkey |
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| Mackenzie in the kids club |
According to the hotel guide there are two breeds of monkey roaming the resort - the shy dusky leaf monkey and the more aggressive (i.e. will steal your food kind!) crab-eating macaque.
While eating a late lunch at the main restaurant, the hotel chef alerted us to a group of dusky leaf monkeys playing low in the trees near the pool.
So cute! This time the girls defintely paid attention as the monkeys came swinging down from the trees onto the ground to forage in the garden in front of the restuarant.
At dusk as we relaxed on the balcony waiting for Georgia and Mackenzie to wake up from a long afternoon nap (bliss!) the crab-eating macaque made an appearance.
They came in numbers, watching the tourists on the balacony to suss out whether any of us would be stupid enough to offer them food.
Once they realised that no food would be thrown their way, the cheeky buggers started jumping from the trees onto the balconies hoping to find an open window or door!
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| Monkeys at dusk...the came in a pack! |
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| The crab-eating macaque - makes a nasty growling noise! |
Monday, January 31, 2011
{Team Somerville Travel} Langkawi - our little slice of heaven!
A quick 55 minute flight from KL and we were in Langkawi. Stepping off the plane we were greeted by sunshine and blue skies - hurray!
We got sidetracked at the airport haggling with a car rental company, only to find when we got to the car park that the 2010 model car we had signed up for looked like it was 10 years old!
Thankfully we hadn't paid the money (they wanted cash!) so we told them to rip up the invoice and booked an airport taxi to the resort instead (60 MYR).
It was a 25 minute drive to The Andaman Langkawi. Winding our way up the mountain surrounded by rainforest we entertained the girls by playing spot the monkey.
The resort is set amongst the rainforest, cradled between the Mat Chincang Mountains and the Andaman Sea. As we drove down the long driveway towards the hotel it was easy to see straight away why this place gets so many rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Absolutely stunning!
Walking into the massive open air lobby set amongst the jungle, the concierge staff beat a traditional wooden drum four times to announce our arrival (a cute touch!)
We were offered welcome drinks, cold towels and lunch in the lobby lounge while we waited for our room.
We checked into our room, quickly unpacked and dressed for the pool. The girls could see the ocean from our balcony and were keen to get down to the sand.
The room was great. A decent size, with the sofa made into 2 single beds for the girls (here's hoping they sleep there and not with us in the big bed!).
We booked a room on the ground level of the hotel which has an extended balcony. A great spot for viewing the wildlife.
We had a giggle at the sign stuck to the balcony door warning us about the monkeys, but having met some guests this evening who have experineced the monkeys breaking into their room...apparently it's not so funny!
The resort is just gorgeous. The girls loved the pool, especially the waterslide. We had a pizza dinner at the Beach Bar and despite promising ourselves an early night we didn't manage to get to bed until after 9pm.
The original plan was to hire a car so we could explore the island. I am starting to wonder whether we'll bother leaving the resort at all this week! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...
We got sidetracked at the airport haggling with a car rental company, only to find when we got to the car park that the 2010 model car we had signed up for looked like it was 10 years old!
Thankfully we hadn't paid the money (they wanted cash!) so we told them to rip up the invoice and booked an airport taxi to the resort instead (60 MYR).
It was a 25 minute drive to The Andaman Langkawi. Winding our way up the mountain surrounded by rainforest we entertained the girls by playing spot the monkey.
The resort is set amongst the rainforest, cradled between the Mat Chincang Mountains and the Andaman Sea. As we drove down the long driveway towards the hotel it was easy to see straight away why this place gets so many rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Absolutely stunning!
Walking into the massive open air lobby set amongst the jungle, the concierge staff beat a traditional wooden drum four times to announce our arrival (a cute touch!)
We were offered welcome drinks, cold towels and lunch in the lobby lounge while we waited for our room.
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| Georgia...relaxing in the lobby lounge |
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| Rob...lunch in the lobby lounge |
The room was great. A decent size, with the sofa made into 2 single beds for the girls (here's hoping they sleep there and not with us in the big bed!).
We booked a room on the ground level of the hotel which has an extended balcony. A great spot for viewing the wildlife.
We had a giggle at the sign stuck to the balcony door warning us about the monkeys, but having met some guests this evening who have experineced the monkeys breaking into their room...apparently it's not so funny!
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| Beware the monkeys! |
The original plan was to hire a car so we could explore the island. I am starting to wonder whether we'll bother leaving the resort at all this week! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...
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| Our home in the jungle! |
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| Through the rainforest... |
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| ... and onto The Andaman's private beach |
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| The pool was a huge hit... |
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| ... as was the waterslide! |
Sunday, January 30, 2011
{Team Somerville Travel} KL Day 2
We woke to miserable weather this morning and it continued all day!
The best thing to do with kids in KL when it's raining ... shopping! (oh yes, and a visit to the aquarium - but more on that later).
Sadly our planned visit to the KL Bird Park was abandoned due to the bad weather, so after a leisurely breakfast we hit the shops ... again!
Before we left the hotel we checked out the infamous Sky Bar on level 33 - an indoor/outdoor pool area that turns into one of KL's funkiest bars in the evening i.e. kids, casual dress and flip flops are discouraged after 7pm!
In wet weather Traders Hotel is the perfect base to reach the Twin Towers shopping mall. There is an underground walkway linking the KL Convention Centre (next to the hotel) to the Suria Shopping Cenre at the base of the Towers.
The shopping highlight for Georgia and Mackenzie was the visit to Toys R Us in the basement and the Video Ezy store selling dvds (i.e. "real" ones!) for $8 each. They stocked up on Dibo the Gift Dragon, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears!
Back into the KLCC tunnel, Rob and the girls stopped at the Aquarium while I went back to the hotel for some "quiet time!"
Unfortunately I don't have photos of the Aquarium to post as Rob says it was too dark inside (hmmm, I think it was the photographer's fault!), but the girls had fun in the underwater aquarium tunnel.
At 35 MYR for kids over 3 years and 45 MYR for adults (i.e. around $40 for an adult and 2 kids), it was a relatively inexpensive way to entertain Georgia and Mackenzie for a couple of hours!
This evening we weren't organised enough to arrange a hotel babysitter in time (for future reference Traders Hotel charges 50MYR per hour for a minimum of 3 hours) so we bravely dragged the girls to the fine dining restaurant on level 6 of the hotel.
Gobo Upstairs - Lounge & Grill serves up imported steaks and sides, at pretty reasonable prices. It is also the choice of venue for many loved up couples, so we took a risk taking our room-service fed, tired toddlers there to watch us eat dinner!
Thankfully we had a window spot, so we settled the girls on the floor (hidden from view under the table!) with dessert and the laptop so they could watch Strawberry Shortcake while we ate in peace!
As I post, it is almost 10pm, the weather is still crap and Rob is out at the shops buying Georgia and Mackenzie's birthday presents at Toys R Us.
Tomorrow we're flying to Langkawi for a 7 night stay at a resort on the beach. We're keeping our fingers crossed for sunny weather!
The best thing to do with kids in KL when it's raining ... shopping! (oh yes, and a visit to the aquarium - but more on that later).
Sadly our planned visit to the KL Bird Park was abandoned due to the bad weather, so after a leisurely breakfast we hit the shops ... again!
Before we left the hotel we checked out the infamous Sky Bar on level 33 - an indoor/outdoor pool area that turns into one of KL's funkiest bars in the evening i.e. kids, casual dress and flip flops are discouraged after 7pm!
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| SkyBar pool and cabanas |
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| SkyBar view |
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| Mackenzie and Georgia - Traders Hotel SkyBar |
In wet weather Traders Hotel is the perfect base to reach the Twin Towers shopping mall. There is an underground walkway linking the KL Convention Centre (next to the hotel) to the Suria Shopping Cenre at the base of the Towers.
The shopping highlight for Georgia and Mackenzie was the visit to Toys R Us in the basement and the Video Ezy store selling dvds (i.e. "real" ones!) for $8 each. They stocked up on Dibo the Gift Dragon, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears!
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| Suria Shopping Centre - at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers |
Unfortunately I don't have photos of the Aquarium to post as Rob says it was too dark inside (hmmm, I think it was the photographer's fault!), but the girls had fun in the underwater aquarium tunnel.
At 35 MYR for kids over 3 years and 45 MYR for adults (i.e. around $40 for an adult and 2 kids), it was a relatively inexpensive way to entertain Georgia and Mackenzie for a couple of hours!
This evening we weren't organised enough to arrange a hotel babysitter in time (for future reference Traders Hotel charges 50MYR per hour for a minimum of 3 hours) so we bravely dragged the girls to the fine dining restaurant on level 6 of the hotel.
Gobo Upstairs - Lounge & Grill serves up imported steaks and sides, at pretty reasonable prices. It is also the choice of venue for many loved up couples, so we took a risk taking our room-service fed, tired toddlers there to watch us eat dinner!
Thankfully we had a window spot, so we settled the girls on the floor (hidden from view under the table!) with dessert and the laptop so they could watch Strawberry Shortcake while we ate in peace!
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| Rob - Gobo Upstairs |
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| Me at Gobo Upstairs |
As I post, it is almost 10pm, the weather is still crap and Rob is out at the shops buying Georgia and Mackenzie's birthday presents at Toys R Us.
Tomorrow we're flying to Langkawi for a 7 night stay at a resort on the beach. We're keeping our fingers crossed for sunny weather!
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