Sunday
25th August 2018.
No
need to fuss with packing this time, just chuck it all in the suitcase because
it's all going in the wash when we get home anyway!
Our
last breakfast was interesting in that the wait staff have really started to
open up and be a bit more expressive and fun. They have gotten to know us very
well even without us actually realising it. Nat seats us, indicates to Trevor
and says coffee, milk and then me and says tea, milk, later, because I never get
my cuppa right at the start. I always go and get some juice first. And then
when I finally ask for a pot of tea, Laila says big pot, 2 teabags. They're
good!
I
go for the Asian noodle soup breakfast this morning, cooked to order, where you put
all the bits you want into a bowl and the chef cooks it up into a delicious soup. I had it the other day and it was a bit salty but today it was
just perfect! I've been pretty well behaved with the food, but today, seeing
it's the last day, I have to have a final Nutella crepe! Ok, 2! I see the chef again
who cooked my soup and he asked how it was and I told him how good it was and
also that we were a bit sad as we were going home this afternoon. He asked how
everything had been, the resort itself, the staff and the food. I told
everything had been amazing, oh, except for one thing, and I told him about the
fish at lunch yesterday. Unbeknowst to me, he is the head chef responsible for
the food at the Waterfront, the Beach Bar and Infinity Bar, so he was very
interested to hear my story. He pulled out a notebook and pencil and started
taking notes, saying he was very grateful for the feedback.
Back
to the room to finish packing and vacate. Normally checkout is midday but we
asked for a later checkout and managed to squeeze another hour. So at quarter
to, we head off to Reception to settle our bill and drop our bags in the
luggage store. There's a late checkout lounge, but unless you wanted to take a
shower, I don't know why you'd want to sit in there. It's freezing cold and there's
far better ways to spend the final few hours. Us? We head over to Pinky's on
the beach for lunch and I only wish we had found our way there sooner. It was
great. Right on the beach with a lovely breeze, great food at great prices. I
had the pineapple fried rice as recommended by Phil, and Trevor got some spring
rolls and we shared. Not a lot for lunch, but then, we weren't really hungry
after our big brekkie. I think it was 500 THB for the meals and 2 drinks,
alcoholic of course!
 |
| 5 min stroll along the beach |
 |
| Pink Lady |
Still
with some time to spare and not much energy, we find a spot in the adult's pool
area, right behind Ta Krai, Trevor had noticed that these 2 sun lounger spots
are pretty much always vacant. Turns out that's for a reason. There's
absolutely no breeze, it's blocked by the building and it's sauna-like, so we
don't last there very long. There's no other sensible choice. We have to go
back to Infinity Bar and have one last drink.
The
drink that Trevor had enjoyed earlier in the stay, the Rum Thai (aka Harvey
Wallbanger), was the 2 for 1 cocktail of the day, but he really only wanted
one. The barman said he could get his free one later if he felt like it, and of
course, a little later, he did. I ordered a Pina Colada. We had purposely sat
at the side of the table away from the placemat and cutlery that had been set
up for lunch. Out of nowhere, the manager comes out to move the placemats and
cutlery around to where we were sitting. We tell him we've already eaten and
were just there for a drink and I can't really remember how the conversation
started but he asked me if I was the lady who had the fish and chips yesterday
that wasn't good and I said yes I was. I was surprised that he knew about it
but the head chef must have spoken to him already. We got talking about the
different fish that they serve here and especially the sea bass which is caught
by fisherman just off the coast here. I really like it. I think he offers to
cook some but I say we've eaten and that we're leaving in an hour or so.
We
chat about how enjoyable our stay had been and how we hope to come back for
another holiday and then he leaves. When I go to pay for our drinks, the barman
says the manager told him not to charge me for my drink, it's complimentary.
That was very kind of him.
Finally time to go up to Reception and await our
ride to the airport. This time it's in a private car, very nice and it's a
comfortable ride. Of course we get to the airport too early to check in, so
have to sit and wait half an hour or so. Smooth process to check in and get
through security and immigration, the lines move well. There's an Aussie lady
getting very flustered, she's just left her uni student daughter here to study
and she's getting pulled up at every turn like we did on our way from Sydney. I have a bit of a
chat to her and try and calm her a bit, or she'll never get through. The
problem was an aerosol can in her carry-on, there's not much in it, so she goes
to town spraying it all over herself. I have one final joke and say I hope I'm
not sitting near her on the plane!
We sit next to a lady from Cairns and it turns out, she's flight crew
for Jetstar. This is revealed when the emergency info that you always hear pre
take off gets to the part about putting your phone into flight mode or turn it
off, she laughs and pulls out her phone, saying you think I'd know better! This
smooth ride can't last and of course, it doesn't. Our plane departs late and
our lay over in Singapore
shrinks by the minute. We only have an hour or so and we need to change
terminals. It seems there are a few others in the same boat, so we don't feel
too panicked but still scurry as fast as we can to the train that will take us
to our departure terminal. Thank goodness this is Changi and not Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok
or Dubai International. Those airports are huge and we would have needed one of
those golf carts to get us to the gate in time!
Our flight to Sydney is on an A-380, the
double decker, and we're booked upstairs. It cost $13 each to choose the seats
but it's worth it if you have the chance. It's still cattle class but the
configuration is 2-3-2 and the window seat has quite a large compartment under
the window which is very handy to put excess pillows and blankets in. Again,
there's too much food and I just pull down my eye mask and try to get some sleep.
We arrive back in Sydney
mid morning, head to the train station and home.
It's been a fantastic
holiday, as opposed to the expeditions we normally embark on. The resort was
lovely, the pool amazing and the staff and all the people we met have left us
with many happy memories.
