Returning to island living was a delight! loved taking my life down a notch from tearing around – I even managed to detach myself from social media and my emails – so good for the body. The main reason for this trip was to attend my first Yoga retreat at Vikasa Koh Samui, Thailand hosted by YogaLyfe Melbourne, Australia. Through this blog I will unveil what life on a yoga retreat is like and the flexibility that we had whilst on this one.
My traveling companion was my yoga buddy and good friend wellness coach Laura Hahn from Thrive after breast cancer. We wanted to not only enjoy an interesting world class wellness experience but also celebrate life.
Getting to Koh Samui: Melbourne via Singapore was our easiest solution with connecting flights onwards. We chose Qantas Airways and then onwards with Bangkok Airline. This is a low budget airline which was sufficient for such a short flight and the staff were very hospitable. Changi Airport, Singapore hosts a wide variety of shops, beautifully styled, from high end to mainstream. We didn’t have long until our connecting flight and as our bags were checked through from Melbourne it was easy to move to our Gate and board. Arriving in the late evening to a warm still climate and no baggage was a little concern. Though was promised our bags would arrive the following evening on the same flight – not a great start to our zen retreat. Moving swiftly on…. we were met by our beautiful air-conditioned luxury cab (pre-booked through Vikasa). The journey was approx 35mins and it was interesting to view the local colour on the streets as driving by, from an abundance of Canabis shops, late night boutiques and bars, with lots of life.
Arriving at Vikasa: This multi-level 5* resort was beautifully designed, with panorama sea views. spa, Sala’s (Yoga rooms), infinity pool and an ice bath. The main restaurant closes early so we had arranged a light dinner which was very fresh and vegetarian. The majority of our healthy delicious food at the retreat was curated to detox the body and assist its metabolic function, recharge and improve our bodies to be able to power up and immerse ourselves in yoga practice. Onsite there was a raw food specialist Chef Boris Lauser who created colourful interesting dishes daily, which developed my insight of improving my body’s performance through food. I talked with Michael Murray, Co-Founder, Vikasa who shared the vision. He enjoys life on Vikasa with his Vikasa babies and wife who is also a Yoga instructor teaching the 100 hours course, quite a family affair.
(Interview with Michael Murray)
Waking each morning to the sound of birds chatting and watching the sunrise was delightful and a welcome start to the day. Then onwards and upwards to partake in the inspirational programme created by Yoga LYFE’s owner and driving force Denise Orloff and Tania Perry. This yoga retreat was to stretch my mind as well as my body and open me up to a world of questions and ideas whilst trying new yoga styles and have a reset. What was lovely about the retreat is that you could do as much or as little of the yoga and mindfulness programme as you choose. – Though if you have FOMO then attending at least 85% of the programme covers some wonderful practices and techniques. Added to this I included a sprinkling of extra events organised by Vikasa such as Sound Healing, Spa treatments and even an Ice bath – (some of these needed booking ahead and extra fees involved). We were encouraged to reduce our time on social media and using electronic devices on the retreat – This was a difficult task but I did manage to switch off as much as possible which was very therapeutic to quieten the noise that we seem to be subjected to in our daily lives.
In my interview below with Denise I learned a little about why she set up Yoga LYFE and there is a stunning offer which she has kindly donated to my readers for a 30 day pass either online or at Yoga LYFE. Click here for the link for INTRO PASS and mention the word Treat. (Any advice needed in enrolling please reach out to Denise).
Pictured with me below the Sound healers in their incredible space onsite in Vikassa.
Pictured below: Sunrise on the Secret beach to late afternoon Yoga was the game and it was exciting learning new poses and pushing our bodies. Meditating isn’t easy for everyone but it was a joy in this. Tania and Denise took a fabulous pose which highlighted trust and joy.
What to do: Sunrise meditations on the secret beach was rather wow and excursions to temples and local towns and villages gave me a deeper insight to this rather special island where they filmed the White Lotus. I particularly loved the rather challenging Hin Lad waterfall walk. For this do take a day pack with a small towel, mosquito spray (use before and after your swim) plus drinking water and your swimmers. The gentle massage when sitting under the waterfall is certainly worth the walk and clamber over stones/boulders to arrive at this slice of heaven.
Hin Lad Waterfall walk pictured below
The Night market is a must see, with live cooking stations, live music, lots of bargains from locally crafted goods to crystals, clothing and gorgeous bags (some counterfeit) but all beautiful and great quality. On the outskirts of the market there is a Fire show that extends for 1 km down the beach. The best place to view this is from Coco Tam’s a cool cocktail bar with your very own swing to drink from or you can lay out on the netted VIP areas to look down and view the spectacular show. The entertainers are superb (remember to tip and throw some baht in their tins at the end of the show, these entertainers work so hard).
Fire show at Coco Tam’s above.
Local beaches – There are many, I enjoyed Crystal Bay Beach and Silver Beach – their beach bars were cool and typical of island life with easy access and offering Thai massages at nearby beach shops. These beaches are located a 10min walk from Vikasa, they have boulders in the sea which are great to sunbathe on or just get that insta worthy pic. Nikki Beach this was an upmarket beach and resort experience approx 30 mins drive from Vikasa.
Silver Beach above.
Crystal Bay Beach above.
Shopping trips: Downtown Chaweng has a large western complex with mainstream brands such as Uniglow, RipCurl etc. Pharmacies, Supermarkets and food courts, indoor and outdoor markets.
Chawang below.
Travelling to Koh Samui has left me with a lasting memory, from the lovely island people to the fabulous fun you can have exploring the island.
Visiting temples are a must and in some areas they are grouped together. Take a look at some of the beautiful temples I visited below. From the Big Buddha temple to the Red Temple and more..
Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo is worth a look and if you feel brave you can feed a tiger (one of the highlights of my trip).
Pictured below: Weed shops (two of the many)
Top tips:
1. Taxi’s : Cut a deal before you get in. Grab taxi’s (you will need to download an app), Tuktuks these are not the cute Tuktuks from the mainland these are open air trucks.(you flag down or get from certain pick-up points where they stop).
2. Canabis /WEED Shops /Canabis oil. – Remember this is legal in Koh Samui but not elsewhere so don’t take any with you.
3. Buying alcohol – strict timings only for purchase after 5pm.
4. Mosquito’s – Use the local tiger balm you can buy it in a strip at the 7 Eleven. One side looks like a Vick’s nasal inhaler and the other side opens as an applicator to put on a bite.
5. Singapore airport – The Qantas Airways Business lounge is superb with live cooking stations and cocktail bar men. Use your Frequent Flyer points to prebook into the lounge – it is worth it.
6. Temples – carry a scarf/sarong to cover up your arms.
7. Travel – September is a good time to travel the weather is approx 31degrees C with occasional short showers.
8. Money Exchange – Shop around for the best rate. You can change AUD to Bhat in Australia which was the best route for me. I use TravelMoney in Melbourne as they don’t charge a commission. You can use your credit card on Koh Samui by tapping which was easy. If you have local currency you can often obtain a deal by bartering down a purchase in the markets.
9. Get ready to put your mobile on silent and just use it as a camera. You will truly benefit from this and feel complete and rested at the end of your stay on this beautiful island.
10. Before heading off to travel, check out PH Balance for life for Reiki energy work and crystal healing to balance your chakras and be travel ready located in Melbourne operating out of Docklands Health, book in an appointment with Petra.
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