Day 6: New Levels of Relaxation Unlocked

December 25, 2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Krabi! Today was another stunning day at our resort, Banyan Tree Krabi. We kept the plans minimal and the zen levels high today. Here are a few highlights!

We started the morning off with another round at the Naga Kitchen breakfast buffet. Today's specials included eggs Benedict for me, an open-faced Thai omelet for Max, and a made to order roti with condensed milk and banana for us to share!

After our leisurely breakfast, we grabbed a spot by the pool (beach seats are highly coveted and were claimed early) and settled in for a long day of laying out and tanning. I finished my book (third one of the trip, Chain Gang All-Stars if you're curious) and Max caught up on his Wikipedia research about Thailand and Krabi (he says everyone should read about the former Thai Prime Minister who was exiled from Thailand but is now back and his daughter is now Prime Minister!)

Have we mentioned how great the service is here? The press of a button gets you anything you need practically instantly! Plus, they're always coming around with little treats and helpful items, like cool eucalyptus towels and refreshing sorbet. The staff is never more than a few feet away, ready to attend to our every need, White Lotus-style.

We took a little walk along the beach over to a sandbar where some people were swimming. It was picturesque!

As mid-afternoon hit, a staff member came by to let us know that "aqua exercise" class would be starting soon! The music was pumping and the moves were...unique. We joined in for a few minutes but broke off just before the conga line began. So fun!!

Next, it was time for our massage! I was excited to see what Max would think of his very first massage experience, and the spa at Banyan Tree did not disappoint. Before we even entered the massage suite, we were served delicious iced tea with fruit in it. Then we headed inside to change into our matching robes and slippers. After we were all ready to go, the staff led us into a small room for a pre-massage foot scrub, where we also got to select our choice of massage oil scents.

Finally, it was time for the actual massage! We both thought it was amazing and we were feeling extremely zen-- even more so than before if possible. After it ended, we went back to the little room for some tea and fresh watermelon. This was Max's first massage but certainly will not be his last!

After massage time, we headed back to the room, where another little treat was waiting for us- mini tarts with mango and blueberries. Yum! The food here is so good. We showered and got ready for our dinner on the property at Saffron.

Saffron is Banyan Tree's signature Thai restaurant, but we went in not knowing too much about it. After taking the gondola elevator thing up into the trees, we were greeted with flowers for our hair. So tropical! We ordered drinks and settled in as the sun began to set. It was extremely picturesque.

The food at Saffron was outstanding-- we were really pleasantly surprised. Everything we ordered was delicious and fresh (and relatively reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant, too). Here's what we got:

• complimentary mung bean crackers and dips plus vegetable tempura to start

• an appetizer sampler including summer rolls, chicken satay, shrimp wrapped in something crispy, and an extremely flavorful and texturally interesting salad

• a fruity palate cleanser sorbet (they love palate cleansers here)

• a special fish dish called Pla Chuk Khrueng that's only available twice a week

• chicken with cashews, which came with 4 different types of rice (they all tasted the same but were fun different colors)

• sautéed Morning Glory (a type of vegetable) with garlic and ginger

Everything was SOOO GOOD!!! We were too full for dessert but I'm sure it would have been excellent also. Max especially loves that every restaurant puts toothpicks on the table at the end of each meal. Yay Thailand!

By the time dinner was over we were pretty wiped out, so we headed back to the room to relax. The staff left us a cute little Christmas card. We're not sure if "Marry Christmas" was an error or a cute play on words but it was adorable. Also, we love that the TVs here let you cast from your device to watch anything you want-- we chose Nate Bargatze's new standup special on Netflix. Would recommend.

It was another perfect day! Tomorrow we head off-campus to Railay Beach. Can't wait!

Hope your Christmas and Hanukkah were as magical as ours! Leave us a comment and let us know :)

Love, Em