Fun in the sun at Sheraton Krabi Resort

We celebrated our daughter’s 7th birthday recently in Krabi. We booked the Sheraton Krabi Resort as we thought it would be an interesting experience for our daughter to celebrate her birthday with Sheraton’s resident baby elephant.

The drive from Krabi airport to Sheraton took about 30 minutes through quaint little villages framed by limestone cliffs.

Sheraton Krabi is situated on the exclusive Klong Muang Beach. The lobby was wide and airy and affords guests a view of the beautiful sparkling blue sea. We were welcomed with glasses of chilled lemongrass tea and cool towels folded into the shape of a flower.

Our room is located on the E block which is just a short walk from the lobby but we were ushered into a buggy to be taken to our room nevertheless.

The room came with a king-sized bed and a daybed as well as views of the garden and sea and came with all the amenities which I’ve come to associate with Sheraton.

There are two infinity pools at the resort with deck chairs for guests to lounge in. We were there during low season so there were not many guests at the resort which was great for us! I thought the shower stations at the poolside were cute coz the shower head came in the shape of a crab! I especially loved the hammocks at the beach. It’s wonderful to just lie on the hammock and let the sea breeze lull me to sleep!

The beach was very clean and the sand, white and powdery. The waters were clean and clear too. There’s a Mandara Spa in the resort for those who likes a relaxing massage during the holidays. As Sheraton is also located in the middle of a mangrove forest we had an interesting time looking for crabs, bats, fireflies and fishes!

We even found a puffer fish which was washed up during high-tide! As always, the Kids Club at Starwood Resorts don’t disappoint. Our daughter had her hair braided by the Kids Club Shift leader, Ms. Panda Areechon who was very friendly and professional. I’ve emailed the hotel ahead that Ashley will be celebrating her birthday there, so they arranged for a nice chocolate cake and presents for her. She was surprised with all the attention and absolutely thrilled! It was her best birthday celebration ever and we have Sheraton to thank for it. I am really glad we chose the Sheraton Krabi Resort for our holiday. It’s one of the best we’ve had!

Westin Nusa Dua, Bali

This is our 2nd resort in Bali – the Westin Nusa Dua Resort. It’s located within the secluded Nusa Dua enclave of luxury hotels and great beaches! Security is tight due to the bombings in Bali so at the Nusa Dua checkpoint, security checks are conducted before our car is allowed to drive in. At the entrance to the hotel, we had to go through another security check with sniff dogs. Once we’re dropped at the lobby, we had to go through a security scanner. Phew! 3 checks just to get into the resort. We definitely could not complain about lack of security!

The lobby at the Westin Nusa Dua is expansive and brightly lit. There is an elixir counter where specially made drinks are available to soothe away the stress and refresh and re-energize the guests.

Our deluxe room comes with a view of the ocean! Every Westin room is fitted with their signature Heavenly beds and bath. The beds are so comfortable it feels like we were sleeping on a cloud. It makes waking up so much harder in the morning. And then there’s the shower. The shower heads alternate between massage and rain showers. If that’s not good enough, Heavenly coffee powder are also available in the room so we had our very own cups of freshly brewed heavenly coffee. Ah! It was sheer indulgence!

The pools are the best part of the Westin Nusa Dua. Westin has a free-form freshwater pool with water slides and saltwater pool. The area surrounding the pools were beautifully landscaped with waterfalls, grottoes and lotus ponds.

Nusa Dua has one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali and the Westin’s stretch has white sandy beaches dotted with very comfortable beach cocoons.

There are many activities for guests at the resort such as Westin Kids Club, traditional handicraft making, aquacise and pool volleyball. Our daughter loves the Kids Club activities. One of her favourite Kids Club activity is fishing. The minders take the kids fishing at one of the ponds surrounding the pools and boy, do they have a lot of fun!

However, the best part is the daily procession that takes place during Westin’s Unwind evening ritual. We got to witness a procession to the temple which was both colorful and interesting. Lovely Balinese maidens dressed in traditional costumes balancing offerings on their heads and local musicians took part in the procession from the lobby to the beach. For the shopping addicts, there’s an open-air shopping mall 10 minutes walk away from the resort called Bali Collection. Another security scan and bag check is conducted before we’re allowed into the mall! Traditional Balinese dances by elaborately clad Balinese dancers are performed nightly in the mall. The mall is especially popular at night with diners due to the many restaurants.