visiting damai laut again - part 1

the drive:

we left our place with a sunny weather. halfway through the drive, it started raining heavily. so we decided to take a slow drive. it took us 4 hours to reach the place... which would have taken us for only 3 hours if it didn't rain. but we enjoyed the ride. both the kids were asleep. so hubby and i had a peaceful talk while driving. it was a cozy ride coz it was raining. we knew then that our trip was blessed.

the seasoned travelers:
here they were, sleeping almost through the trip (both of them are used to traveling now so it's easy to travel even with two kids in tow).
the monkeys by the road:
one of the highlights in going to damai laut was to see monkeys by the road. there would be monkeys waiting to be fed on the way to the hotel at a certain time and we were timely to pass them by on our way. good thing the kids were awake by the time we got to reach the monkey place. we saw them too last year when we went to the same place. so i was hoping to see them again this time.

the hotel:

it's called swiss garden golf resort and spa. it's a 4-star hotel, in damai laut. damai laut is not a famous place it seems coz there are still malaysians that don't know where it is or if there's such a place (which made me wonder also coz there were some westerners who stayed there also.). if you know pangkor island... it is on the way to pankor island, situated on the coast of lumut. there you go.

the excited kids:
you can tell the kids were very happy when we reached the place. they were very excited, especially the boy coz we told him we were going to the beach. so after settling down in our sea-view room, we went straight to the beach.

more on the beach on my damai laut trip - part 2. will post about it tomorrow. for now, i'm gonna lay down my head and get a good sleep. zzzzz...


posted june 1, 2008

Swiss Garden - Damai Laut - part 2

... continuation

When we woke up the next day (which was very late), both of us smelled so creamy... hahaha! Actually we smelled like babies. And we were so hesitant to shower coz we wanted to relish our body scent. But we showered anyway.

Then we went to the pool.

Met the Snyders there.

Viv got her heel cut while playing at the beach with her kids... Poor woei... she was limping the whole time. Our boy was very shy... Didn't wanna shake hands with Sophie although she really wanna grab his hands and kiss him. She looks so gorgeous and adorable with those two huge eyes...

We went to recreation centre afterwards and discovered that the children playroom was next to the jaccuzzi and sauna rooms. So convenient... So Peter and I took turns to use the jacuzzi and sauna. That completed my spa.

It rained in the afternoon so we stayed in our cozy room.

Our Schenker boy watched a kids' movie in Disney Channel called "James and the Giant Peach." It was his first time watching the whole movie at once (including the ads)! He loved seeing the animated worms, ants and spiders. Hahaha! He was fascinated by the spider singing a song. The movie was a mix real and animated characters. So I think it was different so he watched until the end of the movie. Of course, he has other faves too... like Hi-5 (which was given by his friend Tricia) and his all-time favorite is Barney.

We were really feeling cozy in the room... It was a nice feeling after jaccuzzi and sauna.

Since it was raining the rest of the afternoon... we didn't wanna go out even for dinner. So like what we always do when we're too lazy to go out (or cook)... we ordered ...

PIZZA! Yum Yum... Hehehe :)
Our holiday was only for 4 days... we requested for one-hour extension of stay coz we got up very late. So we checked out at 1pm only after our breakfast.

On the way, Peter bought some goreng pisang or fried banana (which I didn't like coz it was too oily), sugar cane juice for him and coconut water for me.

This pic really cracks me up... Doesn't she look funny and adorable? There's one cool boy behind.

Now, let's make a comparison:
Peter before:



And Peter after:



Can you tell the difference? ;)

Our best holiday so far... as a family... very fulfilling and yet... I want sommore!!!! Hahahahhahaha!!!Now I can't wait to go to Selesa in Port Dickson. They should have tubs too... 4-star hotel mah! I loved the milk bath. Peter loved the oil bath. So if we have time in between the conference... we'll do both. We're gonna stay there for 6 nights it seems...

So... what do I love in this holiday?

• I love the fact that we stayed in the apartment and in the hotel... tasted the best of two worlds.
• I love the fact that it was only 3.5 hour drive from home.
• I love the fact that we went with friends and yet not restricted coz we did our own things... and we met when we met.
• I love the fact that I could do spa for Peter (and for me).
• I love the time we spent with kids.
• I loved their room delivery pizza.
• I love the fact that they have tub, jaccuzzi, and sauna.
• I love the fact that it was a well-deserved holiday for Peter.
• I loved it when I saw the surprised look he showed when I took out all the things to be used for spa (candles, oil burner, essential oils, dried floral leaves, and other spa equipment).
• I love the fact that when we happily bless other people, God will use other people to bless us in return... with even greater blessings!

Looking forward to going to our next destination. Selesa.

Till next spa! errrrrr... blog! hahahaha!

posted june 21, 2007

Swiss Garden - Damai Laut

Swiss Garden - Damai Laut

The Drive

Damai Laut is a 3-hour drive from KL. The drive was very smooth.

Schenker and Samantha were asleep almost all of the time… Thank God we have 2 car seats now. I can at least rest and take photos in the car while traveling.

(The happy and comfy travellers)

(The Happy Driver)

Our friend told us we’re using the 1-bedroom apartment (2 units -the other one was for the Snyders). So we checked in straight to their Holiday apartments. When I saw the place, it was quite simple, with bungalows here and there… small pool, small playground for kids, and other small facilities. I was a bit dismayed actually coz I was expecting to arrive in a grand place… a 4-star hotel.

I told Peter “like this ah” when I saw the place. But of course was thankful coz we’re staying there for free.

But the amazing part was... when I went inside the apartment and looked out the window, I discovered we had a spectacular view from our apartment! There was a lake in the middle of the golf course and a huge river (?) that one could see from our view.

They have a tub! Hehehe. Every time Peter and I would stay in a hotel, the first thing that we look at is whether they have tub or not. If they don’t have… we really get disappointed. But this time, before we came here, we asked whether they have tub and they said all the rooms have one.

Father's Day
So the night I was waiting for: SPA! As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I brought along some ingredients for my d-i-y spa. I did an oil body soak, with mixed essential oils (orange and lavender) and mixed dried floral leaves (bought from Carrefour – marigold and lavender). It was awesome. One could fall asleep while in the tub. Actually, Peter fell asleep in the tub… for 2 hours! It was very relaxing. Good for Peter coz he badly needed this one. I am so happy I could do this for him… my father’s day gift for him.

The Monkeys

The next day, we drove to Sitiawan (another town, 25-minute drive from the hotel) to buy some groceries. We wanna make our own food coz we have cooking utensils (kitchen) in the apartment. And milk for the body soak and for drinking too.

When we went back to our apartment, here's what we saw:

(Monkeys waiting to be fed!)

The Beach

In the afternoon, we went to the hotel area to go to the beach. It was very beautiful. The boy really enjoyed his time at the beach, playing in the sand, running away from the waves and making foot prints.

The Hotel

Then we came back to the apartment lobby to connect to the internet. They have broadband. Peter has to be online coz of work. Then, here’s the twist. We found out we’re not booked in the apartment… But in the hotel itself. Should I be happy? Or frustrated coz we have to move rooms? Hmmm… I think I felt both, happy and frustrated. But then again, I was reminded to always be thankful in everything. After all, the holiday was already a blessing!

So we moved to the hotel room. And our room wowed me. Nice cozy room… and yes, bath tub!Hehehe

(The Seaview from our window)

So, I did another spa, this time, I included a yoghurt scrub. So I did a yoghurt srcub for Peter… and MILK bath!!! Now I know how Cleopatra felt when soaked in the milk bath. I added some dried flower. It was awesome. I asked Peter whether this was a luxury. He said yes straight away without thinking about my question. So I told him… maybe it’s a luxury… but cheap luxury... coz if we do this outside, it would have cost us hundreds of Ringgits!

There went our 2nd night.

The next day, when we woke up, both of us smelled so creamy... hahaha! Actually we smelled like babies. And we were so hesitant to shower coz we wanted to relish our body scent. But we showered anyway.

Then we went to the pool and met the Snyders. They were there for awhile already. Viv got her heel cut while playing at the beach with her kids... Poor woei... she was limping the whole time. Our boy was very shy... Didn't wanna shake hands with Sophie although she really wanna grab his hands and kiss him. She looks so adorable with those two huge eyes...

We went to recreation afterwards and discovered that the children playroom was next to the jaccuzzi and sauna rooms. So convenient... So Peter and I took turns to use the jacuzzi and sauna. That completed my spa.

After that, that thing that women-get-it-once-a-month came. Glad everything was over when it came. I felt so fulfilled.. and yet I want sommore!!!! Hahahahhahaha!!!

Now I can't wait to go to Selesa in Port Dickson. They should have tubs too... 4-star hotel mah! I loved the milk bath. Peter loved the oil bath. So if we have time in between the conference... we'll do both. We're gonna stay there for 6 nights it seems...

Till next spa! errrrrr... blog! hahahaha!

(still under construction -will post more photos next time)

posted june 20, 2007

for previous trips we had, see also:

• elephant ride in thailand
• mahkota parade, melacca
• avillion, port dickson
• philippine trip
• phuket
• genting highlands
• kuantan visitdamai laut visit
• singapore visit

Damai Laut, Malaysia

Weeee!!!! we're going to Damai Laut for our family holiday! I can't wait to go for holiday again. Last time we went for holiday was in February this year, during Chinese New Years Holiday. went to penang and hatyai, thailand. we drove then.

this time, we'll also drive. we're going after samantha's and schenker's sunday school classes. peter is actually going to speak at samantha's cradle roll class. and i'm quite excited about it. that means samantha's having her father speak in her class. isn't that awesome? i'm sure if she knows what's going on... she'll be proud of it.

the hotel (swiss garden - damai laut) got bath tub. so i'll make sure we bring with us some things for spa. i wanna do a body spa with peter! hmmm.... really can't wait.

swiss garden is a 4-star hotel... they do offer spa as well.. the semsara spa... but i guess it'd be expensive.. so i'll just d-i-y our spa. i wanna do the milk bath, the floral bath, the sea salt bath.. etc. hahahaha! i wonder if i could do all these. not sure. have to think which one i really really really like to do and then do it first... maybe do aother body spa in selesa hotel, in port dickson later in july. we're going there to attend a conference. not sure if we can make it... but it will be a priority in our things-to-do list.

okay lah.. have to feed samantha first. our boy is not eating well again. sad sad.

till next post!

posted june 13, 2007

our honeymoon destinations

A couple of friends gave us free honeymoon packages and we could choose where we wanted to go for our honeymoon. We preferred a cool place that time so we chose Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia as our first honeymoon destination. It's a beautiful and romantic place. Camerons is known for its tea plantations and its like the place is surrounded by them. I loved the idea of having tea and scones in the middle of the plantation. We stayed at Equatorial Hotel for 5 days. You know when it's cold you would crave for hot soups? Well then, steam boat restaurants were all over the town. So almost every night, Peter and I would go for steamboat food. And of course, we had tea and scones for tea time in the afternoon.

The second honeymoon destination was in Fraser's Hill, Pahang. It's another cool place. It's much quieter compared to Cameron's. It's a good place for retreats, trekking, and of course honeymoon. The only glitch with the place was there weren't a lot of things going on around. Restaurants and shops were scarce. But of course, it wasn't a problem at all coz as honeymooners, we didn't have to go out a lot often, right? So we had reasons to stay in our hotel most of the time. We stayed there for 3 days.

These were the most unforgettable places in our lives as a couple. These were the days of the unfolding, discovering and learning from each other. Oh, by the way, we also stayed for one night after the wedding at Cyberview Lodge Resort and Spa at Cyberjaya. But you know, one couldn't do anything so much on the first night, being so tired from the day's event (and a bit embarrassed). But what I appreciated most about staying there was... we were served champaigne and chocolate dipped strawberries. That was awesome. We unwinded at the huge bathtub which has a glass wall. So you can actually see everything outside from the inside. The image on the left is where my sister Jirah and I stayed on the wedding eve. My parents were in the next chalet. Peter and I spent our first night together on the image on the right.

So everything started from here.