Hamelin Bay Jan 2024 visit: Days 1-2 Ranger Redz Zoo and Cosy Corner Beach

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Mel

This is our second year visiting Hamelin Bay over the new year period! Once we got the first booking in a 6 sleeper ocean cabin we have been able to adjust it for the year following and are hoping to adjust again for next year…. now that we are one of the in crowd with a repeated booking! The first year we got 2 nights mid January through the public ballot, this year we got 6 nights early January and next year I’m hoping to stay over new years.

We drove down on Day 1 via Ranger Redz Zoo in Pinjarra. I had bought the kiddos animal experiences for Christmas as they were moving house so didn’t need yet more crap to stockpile and we had booked the “treetastic tour” with sugar gliders, squirrel gliders and possums! The zoo were also very nice and let us sneak a 5th person in so B didn’t have to miss out like he usually does for stuff with the kids haha. The experiences was AWESOME and although the zoo is small it’s worth a visit. Note there is no food on site but the Pinjarra Bakery is only a 2 min drive away.

We arrived in Hamelin bay around 4pm and then proceeded to go on a scavenger hunt left by friends who had stayed in the same cabin 2 weeks before! The kids enjoyed finding the clues although did brute force the cypher…finding things is more exciting than solving them apparently.

We then visited the famous sting rays, watched a movie and had an early night after a long day.

Day 2 started with a sleep in and then a trip to Cosy Corner beach. The wind and climb down are a bit nuts here…poor me trying to climb back up an insanely steep sand dune! The beach scenery is spectacular though.

It was very windy with rough conditions not suitable for the kids to swim so we did some exploring and then headed back to the car. Last year we had lunch at Hamelin Bay Winery and it was very quiet so we thought to do the same this year…to discover they were completely booked out! We stopped for a drink instead and made a note to book next year before having lunch at the Karridale Tavern instead. Wifi was enjoyed by all.

The afternoon saw us head back to no wifi/phone reception at the cabin and attempt the first use of our cool cabana on the windy beach. Overall opinion: It lives up to the hype. Hamelin Bay is a very windy area and the cabana coped well and did not fly away….although it is definitely not a one person set up in wind. It also packed away easily.

Dinner was sausages and kebabs on the BBQ (with wine for adults) and some Cards Against Humanity family edition as well as taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza. Both were winners but the youngest in our group was definitely a fan of all the butt references in CAH haha.

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My first attempt at “one bag”

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Mel

This Thailand trip was 9 days all up and I only took a 7kg nag plus personal item. My bag is a rolling suitcase (carry on size) as I struggle with backpacks due to spinal issues. I have just ordered a similar sized bag with wheels and backpack straps…the goal is to wheel it 95% of the time but have a back up plan as well for next time. Below are some comments on what I took and how it went…feel free to learn from my mistakes!

Original 1.8kg case for this trip:

New one with laptop sleeve, wheels and handle and backpack straps for the few occasions wheels may not be my friend. This one weights a tiny bit more than the suitcase (2kg) but is actually slightly larger if you consider litre capacity a useful metric.

Things I will definitely change next time:

  • Must sort out the pants / skirt situation. Need something quick dry but still nice! People keep saying cotton and linen as it is cooler but…monsoonal rain is an issue as nothing will dry
  • About to do a test run on a 125gsm merino / tencil blend top from icebreaker and also looking further into what combos of Airism singlets and an over shirt I can do. Cotton tops were good because I could wash them locally however the sweat and water retention was real
  • A bra is an issue. I need one…but they get so sweaty!
  • Teva sandals are the bomb. They are a definite win! My tropicfeel sunset sneakers were a great idea – quick dry, water flows through, excellent grip, super light but the lack of ankle support means they are unstable. Apparently croc literiders have all of the above plus proper foot support.

CARRY ON SUITCASE
1 x loose cotton pants (black) – way too hot, turned out I’m an idiot and these were not cotton but 100% cheap polyester…I won’t make that mistake again!
2 x linen blend skorts (floral) – excellent to wear, comfortable and looked nice but heavy and hard to dry after caught in rain
1 x midi skirt (colourful) – for fancy dinner. I wouldn’t bring this again, the place we were going to had a strict dress code though

**I need comfy pants to wear that are also easy to dry but don’t swish! Argh. Trialling two things in the coming weeks – travel skorts and title nine capris

3 x cotton tank top with built in bra – would not dry, no good in rain or when sweating like mad
1 x crop top (polyester) – too hot, insane sweat
1 x long flowy singlet (white) – matched pretty skirt, would not bring unless fancy dinner

** the shirt situation is an issue. Currently leaning towards merino / tencil crops with a white over shirt (Eddie Bauer departure shirt L) to control modesty and sun exposure. Also doubles as a sun cover up

3 x Airism travel undies- quick dry was amazing. Yes they get sweaty but then you wash them in the sink and 3hrs later they are dry
2 x pj merino undies – would not dry, this was a fail in a humid climate. I can’t sleep in normal undies and need something with a longer leg cut. Hubby pointed out they make men’s boxer briefs in airism fabric at Uniqlo – duh! These are great and I have been comfortably wearing them at home for a few weeks now
1 x pj merino singlet – excellent purchase, wore to bed 10 days with minimal smell
1 x cotton pj 3/4 pants with pockets – if I can get proper pj shorts/long enough undies I won’t need these next time.
2 x sneaker sockettes – once wet these were useless. Need to reconsider sneaker options

1 x bikini set – 2 sets of bathers was good as ladies stuff tends not to be quick dry
1 x one piece bathers
1 x swim shirt /dress cover up – used at beach a few times and around resort but being cotton, this also took ages to dry. Will think carefully about this next time but I do love that it can convert to a dress and has huge pockets

1 x teva hurricane 2 travel sandals – excellent

Paclite cross body bag – excellent purchase, light but as it is cross body I felt secure with it
Cheap Sunnies
Packed toiletries (non liquid): hairbrush, hair ties/scrunchies, laundry bag, Medications travel container
International adaptor
Travel Hair straightener (weighs 200g)

MINI BACKPACK PERSONAL ITEM

  • charger pack including multi head cable, iPad connector for tv
  • iPad
  • Ereader
  • Headphones (AirPods)
  • loop ear plugs
  • Paperwork
  • Passport
  • Money/travel wallet
  • Liquid Toiletries bag: shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, cleanser, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, rosacea cream, mini sunscreen

Plane clothes: merino loose lounging pants , bra, merino tshirt, tropic feel sunset sneakers, 1x thicker socks, merino light jumper – i swear by all of this 100% merino stuff on planes! Doesn’t smell, is comfortable and adjusts from hot plane walk to freezing cold plane air easily.

We are going to try and do 7kgs carry on for 4 weeks mid next year in a similar hot, wet, humid climate. This was be interesting trial so was a good first run.

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Phuket Day 7-9: L’Arôme by the Sea and home time

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Mel

On day 7 we visited L’Arome by the Sea which is Michelin recommended fine dining location in Kathu (10 min taxi ride from Patong). It’s not a cheap experience but we have dined in places similar to this in other countries too, so we were prepared for sticker shock.

We had the nine course degustation with paired wines. The French food with a Phuket twist was amazing with only a few other couples in the restaurant. Definitely a romantic / couples vibe.

The view was also pretty next level.

Our last few days were spent visiting lots of food places in the markets, laying down at the beach or laying on our day bed next to the pool. We also visited Bangla Road for some people watching in the pouring rain one night which is always good fun.

I also got a photo with this super smiley beach attraction haha.

See you again soon (I hope! ) Thailand. Next stop….Vietnam somewhere in the middle of the year. I’m going to do a separate post about my one bag attempt for this trip as well.

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Phuket day 4-6: Old Town Food Tour

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Mel

Day 4 and 6 were very much just about relaxing. Day 5 was a new experience and something a bit different!

Days 4 and 6 were mostly spent at the Burasari Resort lazing in the pool or reading next to it. We also swam at Patong Beach. We went for a walk to the well known No 6 Restaurant where there was no lines…we are noticing it’s not very busy here currently but expect that to change in the coming week as peak season approaches. Already on Day 5/6 we noticed a lot more drunk and loud aussies at the bars.

On Day 6 we had a lovely “Burasari signature massage” at the hotel spa. More expensive than the street but 100% worth the cost! I got a pretty hair braid from my massage lady.

Day 5 was my first ever food tour. B recently went on one of these in Canada and was very keen to find a Thai equivalent, so I chose this one which is the most highly rated option in phuket. We got at least 15 food tastings and a walking tour of Old Phuket Town which has been on my list of things to do for ages. They do state they can’t support severe allergies (eg shellfish, peanuts) as street food is not controlled, but as my shellfish allergy is minor – and I eat street food here all the time – it was no issue for me. It was a southern flavours tour so explored some of the regional influences in southern Thailand food including:

A walk through the fresh food markets

Breakfast from Myanmar at Mingalar Coffee. Turns out I really like sweet tea!

Aunties street food cart which she has operated for over 30 years…the chicken skewer and waterfall pork salad was amazing

Baba coffee shop (now a restaurant) serving Chinese influenced Thai pork belly. Totally different flavour to anything else, very peppery. We also had honey lemon ice for dessert

The next place was a no name noodle shop informally called “3 siblings noodle” that made amazing egg noodles. We got to try them plain and then with different condiments added to create different flavours.

A shortcut took us to some authentic coconut crepes that apparently don’t cut any corners eg no use of yeast to quicken certain processes. These guys are in the Michelin guide!

We found an icecream bike which has been operating for 70 years!

We then finished off by sampling 5 curries and the best beef soup at Aroon Restaurant to round things off with the Muslim regional influence.

I may have had to be rolled out of the taxi coming home!

We also got to check out some of the great architecture around Old Town. Originally settled by traders from China, India, and Portugal in the 16th century, Old Town is the areas bustling trading hub. The fusion of these different cultures is evident in the town’s architecture, cuisine, and traditions, creating a unique blend of distinctly Phuketian.

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Phuket Days 1- 3: Poolside room, day trip with driver and food glorious food

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Mel

Since we have been here quite a few times now I’m consolidating my posts. There’s also only so many photos of me relaxing I can share haha. I will say this has been a well earned trip after an extremely busy year!

Day 1 and 2: travel, eat, pool!

We did a 6am flight from Perth this time via Singapore which was a lot better than the 1am one. Our 4hr Changi stopover was spent at the rooftop pool in terminal 1 airside (follow signs for transit hotel) which was lovely. Costs $27 SGD to enter but a really good way to spend a few hours on a longer stopover. We only brought carry on this trip (one bag life!) so just made sure we had a dry bag to put weather bathers in after a swim – they give you a towel.

We arrived in Phuket at 5:15pm local time and our pre booked Phuket Shuttle transfer had us at the hotel by 7pm. We have once again stayed at Burasari in Patong due to it hitting everything we want in a relaxing trip: pool, close to the beach, walkable to many food markets and they make great drinks. This time I spent a bit more and got a pool access room though with private entry point. Aaaaaaaah bliss.

Day 1 dinner was at Chino Yard which is a 2 min walk away facing the beach. We had pad Thai and a pineapple smoothie.

Day 2 was spent doing relaxing Patong Beach things. Sleeping in. Eating the included buffet breakfast. Swimming. Poolside reading. Food. Drinks. Dinner was at the attached restaurant to the hotel (Kantok) as they have a buffet, charcoal grill and Thai dancing on Friday nights.

Day 3 started with breakfast where I have made friends with a Deaf server at the hotel named Suu…and she gave us sign names! Sign names are a big deal in the Deaf community and are not something you just make up, someone who is Deaf has to give it to you. So we both now have one! Mine is an M/E mix in thai sign language and then an L. Bs is the Thai sign for bread haha…amazing because our niece calls him Uncle Bread-Bread.

On Day 3 we booked a 4hr half day trip with Phuket Day Trip. This meant we had a private driver and were able to work with them to build an itinerary of where we wanted to visit which was all sorted out via whatsapp. I spent ages researching this because I didn’t want a group driving tour and there are certain things I wanted to avoid – island trips are out due to Bs motion sickness and I won’t engage with any of the unethical animal programs. I knew I wanted to see a few things (the big Buddha, promthep viewpoint) but let the driver make some other suggestions as well. I specifically chose this company as the driver was also a guide – I read a lot reviews where they were only a driver and people were left to their own devices.

We started with Big Buddha. This was about an hour drive from Patong and the roads are nuts, I was very nauseous by the end. You also drive past Tiger park and an elephant camp where there is a baby elephant on display – I found it distressing so just a heads up.

We then went to Wat Chalong temple which is beautiful and learnt some history about the monks.

After this we stopped at 2 view points on the way back – promthep cape and Karon viewpoint. Both had wonderful views of different areas of the coastline.

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Sydney – 2 day girls trip!

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Mel

I headed off at 5:30am on a Friday morning to catch a flight to Sydney! The plan for the weekend was to meet up with 4 girlfriends from Canberra, watch a play and then have dinner before flying home Sunday.

I flew Qantas and the trip over was uneventful. On arrival I saved the Uber fare ($35-$40) and instead caught the train ($19) from the airport to central and walked 5 mins to Ultimo Hotel. The hotel is okay…it’s very, very noisy as it is opposite paddy’s markets and Chinatown. From 8-10pm I listened to buy racers and party people shouting, then at 10pm I realised my room was above an all night karaoke bar. I asked to be moved (to their credit, they did this in under 10mins) and then had a much smaller room above a laneway full of restaurants throwing out trash, an alarm that never turned off and drunk people. So ear plugs are your friend in this place!

The family room (my first room after an “upgrade” which was above a karaoke bar )
My queen room after I got moved over an alley /above an alarm

Of course the plus side to being that close to Chinatown is…dumplings for dinner!! I was on my own for the first night as the other girls all caught the bus up Saturday morning. That didn’t work for me as the time difference would have meant a red eye – no thanks.

I met up with my friends at midday and we headed off to the matinee of “The Dictionary of Lost Words” at the Sydney opera house. Absolutely amazing play, some of the best staging I’ve seen in any production!

After the matinee we had a drink at Whale Bar on circular quay in the beautiful sunshine. Couldn’t resist your standard tourist photos of course.

Dinner was at Bar Patrón which also had a bridge view. The food here was absolutely amazing but the venue and service left a lot to be desired. We ended up with free dessert due to poor service and lo me wait times. The cocktails were also very good and I’m saying that as a non tequila fan!

We got around during the trip using the light rail and in Sydney you can now just tap on and off with your phones pay wave. So easy! I had an opal card from a previous trip which I was able to load up with autopay and that worked too.

An 8:30am flight on Sunday got me home at 10am Perth time. Lovely weekend!

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Injidup Spa Retreat – long weekend trip

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Mel

It’s our 10 year anniversary – yikes we are old!

So we headed down to Injidup Spa Retreat for a winter weekend get away (cheaper due to winter). We started with a stop at the Crooked Carrot Cafe for lunch. This was our first visit and I can see the attraction for families as it is half way, lots of play equipment and fairly quick food – 20 min wait at a busy time. The food was quite average though.

After the Crooked Carrot we stopped at Gabriel’s chocolates for some snacks and then checked in. There is no on site food here so we brought lots of snacks, sausages, steak, salads etc ourselves to make the most of the gorgeous views from the deck and heated pool. They also gift you an arrival platter!

We spent the Saturday of our long weekend visiting the day spa for an amazing massage.

Then, we walked a section of the cape to cape track down to the Injidup natural spa. You can access the track from the accomodation and it’s only a 1km or so walk along the trail. So we did 2kms return and it was gorgeous!

We had a late lunch at Swings and Roundabouts (very busy but if you go at 3pm it’s possible to get in without a booking) and had delicious pizza and wine. Then another gorgeous sunset while floating in the heated plunge pool followed by wine by the fire.

On the last full day of our stay we had booked the degustation lunch at Voyager Estate. So both of us could join in with paired wines, I ended up booking a taxi each way with south west taxis who were on time and very reasonably priced. I did book ahead though as a long weekend means they are verrrry busy and needed a lot of notice! They arrived exactly as scheduled both ways. The lunch was DELICIOUS and we highly recommend this place for another visit!

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Phuket – Singapore – Perth: Day 8 at Changi Airport

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Mel

Leaving Phuket we used an airport transfer with Phuket shuttles which all went fine. We arrived early to Phuket international (because I’m me lol) and I had arranged for us to use the Coral Executive Lounge before our flight. The lounge had good food, drinks and comfortable chairs – definitely much better than sitting in the uncomfortable airport chairs.

We had a 4hr stopover in Changi (3hrs really as you have to be at your gate 1hr early) and opted to explore this time! I had a list based on a blog post I found online https://trevallog.com/jewel-canopy-park/ so I knew I wanted to go to canopy park, the discovery slides, Butterfly garden, crystal garden and eat some Hainenese chicken at the hainan story chapter 2 restaurant in jewel. It is really hard to find info about Jewel and the Changi website just tells you it’s accessible from every terminal. Turns out, while that is true it’s accessible through arrivals. Which means you need a visitor visa and more time – I’m pretty annoyed it took random blogs and 40 mins of aimless walking to tell us this as the Changi info is so unclear.

Once we worked that out, we went to terminal 3 and visited the butterfly garden instead.

We also had lunch in T3 at “Singapore food street” which was delicious and I finally got my hainanese chicken I’ve been waiting for. It was also well priced at $7.50 Singapore dollars.

By that point we only had 1.5hrs to go so we just sat near the gate to wait for departure.

I will comment that every single time I’ve told someone we are flying Singapore air this trip I got the “oooh fancy” reply which I’ve found fascinating as I don’t think I’ve every experienced worse service! On the 5hr flight coming over (1am departure) it took them 2hrs to serve food and another 40 mins to clean it up so cabin lights were dimmed for about 90 mins in total on a very late flight. We thought maybe that was a one off but last night it was the same! 2.5 hrs to serve food and they ran out. Plus they moved our seat last minute and kept trying to give me someone else’s meal the whole flight. I wouldn’t be paying their full price to fly them again.

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Patong, Phuket: Day 5 -7 including La Gritta Restaurant

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Mel

We started day 5 with the included breakfast (of course – Omnomnom eggs) and then some pool relaxation time again. Just before 1pm we headed off for another Burasari signature Thai massage – no cocktail happy hour today due to what came after the massage! This massage is a 2hr treatment that costs around 4x nearby street massages but we both agree it is the best massage we have EVER had. They also accomodate my injuries extremely well so I feel totally comfortable and not anxious at all. Each massage starts with a 30 min purification ritual which is very relaxing.

After the massage, I had a short work call to attend to (a lecture actually – my students were not impressed I was in Thailand while they prepare for teaching placements next week lol) before we headed off to watch the sunset and have dinner at the markets again. Then we drank in the bar at the hotel for….about 4hrs. Oops.

Day 6 started with epic hangovers haha. We basically spent the whole day in bed watching TV. I was able to make it out of bed at 5pm to wander up to the otop markets and have the best Panang Curry ever and a pineapple smoothie for dinner….just.

On Day 7 (our last day) we went to the beach and spent 5hrs relaxing on the sun lounges, swimming in the ocean and eating pad Thai for lunch. The lounges cost 200 baht for 2 and you can stay as long as you want – they serve you food and drinks too. You do have to deal with the street sellers approaching you but we worked out ignoring them meant they stopped coming back.

For dinner today, I had booked “La Gritta” at Amari Phuket Resort. It’s about a 15 min walk from us (including going up a small hill) and has a view out over the Patong Bay. Beautiful!! Not the cheapest dinner option (especially compared to 100 baht satay or 150 baht curry at the markets) but well worth the booking ahead for the view and amazing Italian food options. It’s not often we find a 5 course degustation for under $100 AUD!

Home tomorrow. I’m going to do a separate travel home post about our trip home as we are going to try out the paid lounge at Phuket international and explore Changi air port a bit more.

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Patong, Phuket Day 4: Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Mel

Today we visited the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Last time we came to Phuket we went to what is referred to as an elephant retirement village in search of ethical animal tourism. Those places absolutely do rescue them and look after them and give them freedom…but there are also usually a lot of human interactions expected from the elephants. They aren’t hit or forced to do it but they also aren’t exactly free to roam. Which brings us to PES!

This rescue have a 600-metre-long and 6-meter-tall canopy walkway which is the only one of its kind in Phuket. It provides the elephants with maximum freedom to naturally roam, forage, bathe and socialize in the jungle below. Visitors observe them from above as well as from a safe and respectful distance whilst hiking through the 30-acre sanctuary as part of our guided tours. The elephants are free to move around wherever they like and there is no pressure for them to approach or interact with people in anyway.

We paid for the private half day tour which meant individual transport, private jungle walk and feeding for the elephants (if they felt like it) and then private vegetarian lunch. Well worth it for people like us who….don’t like other people haha.

After our walk and visits with the elephants, we went up into their canopy walk and watched them from above for awhile. Then it was lunch time! Such an amazing vegetarian feast….we were stuffed. Over lunch we were able to see the “not social” elephant in the background who has her own poolside villa. She has been at the sanctuary for 3 years but doesn’t like to leave the sleeping pen at all, she’s very scared. So they built her a big pen with her own pool.

After lunch we went back to the resort and I had some poolside reading during happy hour again.

For dinner we went up Bangla Road to the food markets there and then I finally got to go into Tiger Night club and drink! We also saw beach fireworks. Bangla Street Eats is very pushy – much more pushy than other markers we have been to for food – so I think this is a one time visit for this trip.

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