Raksha Rao - The Roving Heart
Raksha Rao

I am a passionate traveler, photographer and an engineer by profession. I have always loved new travel experiences. However, it reached a whole new level when I took off for a Himalayan trek in May 2015 - it made me realise how totally gratifying travel can be. Since then, I have traveled near and far, as much as I can,  always looking for new and immersive adventures.

Be it trekking on snow in the mighty Himalayan range, bungee jumping with a river view in Rishikesh, cliff jumping or scuba diving in the emerald blue waters of Thailand, high-altitude river rafting at the freezing cold rivers of Zanskar in Leh - my propensity for new experiences is ever growing as is my wishlist.

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Thailand, Travel Guides, Travel Stories

A Great Girly Getaway in Thailand

posted by Raksha Rao
Last updated on Apr 19, 2018, 4507 16
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A Great Girly Getaway in Thailand

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. PLEASE READ THE DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION


I had just received some exciting news and, here I was in a dilemma.

The good news was that I was one of the three girls who won a trip to Thailand organized by Tourism Authority of Thailand as part of the Great Girly Getaway promotion campaign. And, evidently it was just a week away.

However, I was going to join a group of total strangers, travelling solo for the first time in my life. As much as I love meeting people from different walks of life, I was sceptical travelling on this occasion. This may turn out to be bitter and I was going to be bound for the duration of the travel.

I had learned the hard way that travel companions can make or break travel from past experiences. So, I was sceptical about it.

Table of Contents

  • Great Girly Getaway in Thailand
  • Stay at Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach
  • Blue Elephant cooking school, Phuket
  • Banana Beach, Phuket
  • Ziplining at Flying Hanuman
  • 3D Trick eye museum at Phuket

Great Girly Getaway in Thailand

Nonetheless, determined not to shy away from a learning experience, I put my apprehensions aside, braced myself for this trip, packed my bags and headed off to the catch the plane.

At the airport, a girl came up to me and said, “Hi, I am Sahana. I’m a UX designer by profession and also a fashion blogger.” She was wearing the white Adidas shoes, which was a popular fad then. “Do you want a chocolate?”, she asked. It was salty, dark chocolate with a hint of caramel. We talked about our shared love for travel, adventures, our trips to Singapore — a place we both love, and we instantly hit it off.

After what seemed like a lengthy journey, we were finally in Phuket. Me, for the second time in the year. But, this time on a mission to go off the beaten path in one of the most commercialized tourist locations in Thailand. Something told that it was going to be an epic adventure.


Additional Read: Offbeat Guide to Phuket

The other girl was waiting for us in the hotel lobby.

“Hi, I am Hesha. I’m a social media consultant, and a fashion and lifestyle blogger on the side”, she said. She was chirpy, enthusiastic and was always smiling. She claimed that, like me, it was her second time in Thailand that year, albeit, the first time in Phuket. And also, she was planning to come again to Thailand in October. “You should make me the brand ambassador of Thailand”, she cheerfully said to Rashna — who handles trade relations and marketing for TAT Mumbai and was going to accompany us for the rest of the trip.

Consequently, the brand ambassador of Thailand from India — Anusha Dandekar — an Indo-Australian MTV VJ, was also going to stopover in Thailand for a few days and join us in between her shoots. We parted ways and reached our hotel rooms for some leisure time.

Stay at Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach

Phuket Marriott
Insides of the hotel room

Can you guess the first thing I did after reaching my hotel room? Let me give you a hint. They have a gorgeous infinity pool overlooking the ocean. That’s right. I went for a quick swim. I was exhausted from the long flight, but how could I resist?!

swimming pool marriott phuket
View of the beach from the Infinity pool

Have a luxurious and indulgent stay at Marriot, Phuket, Nai Yong Beach. Meandering pools through the property, languorous breakfasts, and exclusive Quan spa – what’s not to like? Book your stay at Marriot, Nai Yong Beach now.

Blue Elephant cooking school, Phuket

Blue Elephant cooking school
The entrance of Blue Elephant cooking school

The four of us, Hesha, Sahana, Rashna and I, took off together to Blue Elephant cooking school that evening, where we prepared some mouthwatering Thai dishes under the guidance of a friendly cook, somehow managing to not devour on the dishes (even when we were famished) meant for dinner (but only munching).

Even, Anusha joined us to gorge on the sumptuous meal. She expressed her views on being vegan — detailing how cows are tortured for milk their whole lives and the reason behind why she doesn’t have dairy anymore.

“One day, the animals are going to take their revenge on us”, Anusha added.

Marriot Phuket Thailand
From left to right – Anusha and her manager, I, Hesha and Sahana at breakfast

Banana Beach, Phuket

Immerse yourself in a day of kayaking, snorkelling and diving at Banana beach, Phuket.

I was eagerly looking forward to kayak and snorkel the next day but owing to choppy waters, that was not going to happen. “Isn’t it supposed to be hot, bright and sunny by the beach?”, Sahana exclaimed. “It doesn’t seem to be our lucky day”, I replied. “I’m shivering”, Hesha added. We all unanimously agreed on that. We were stuck on Banana beach for the whole day trembling in our beach clothes due to gloomy weather.

Banana beach Phuket Thailand
Banana beach, Phuket

“It’s a lot of work being a fashion blogger.”, Sahana said when I asked about her life as a blogger. She explained that it’s an elaborate affair. Finding new outfits, scouting good locations for shooting, editing photos and then blogging about it. “It’s tough. But then, I want to have the best of both worlds”, she added about managing it with a full-time job.

“Yes, I totally agree. It’s something entirely your own. Kind of like your baby”, Hesha complied. We ended up chatting about our lives back home, our jobs, relationships, adventures, and travel. We laughed about our expectations from that day and how bleak it ended up being. The day didn’t start on a good note, but it sure ended up on a merry tone. Maybe, it just deepened our connection as travel companions.

Ziplining at Flying Hanuman

Flying Hanuman is an eco-adventure located in the dense forests of Phuket. Ziplining through the dense forests under the canopy of trees, assimilating the greenery all around and at the same time feeling like a miniature toy left me speechless.

Reserve at least half a day at Flying Hanuman.

flying hanuman
Hanging in mid-air!

3D Trick eye museum at Phuket

Unleash your inner child at the Trick eye museum. The 3D art installations let the viewers engage with the artwork closely, making the visitors connect and participate in the artwork as the art itself. Reserve a couple of hours in a 3D trick eye museum.

From zip lining in the jungles of Phuket on a rainy day to goofing around in the Interactive 3D museum to retail therapy in the streets of Bangkok, it was a total blast.

Additional Read: If you’d like to spend more time in Phuket, then check out Offbeat Phuket – Beyond the tourist trail.

Probably, it’s our shared love for travel and these adventures and misadventures, that strengthened our bond as great travel buddies, in what was otherwise a short span of time. After all, travel is more than ticking locations. Ultimately, it’s all about the people you come across and the experiences you share that makes it worthwhile.

It indeed was a Great Girly Getaway.

Flying Hanuman Phuket
Ziplining – check!

Sometimes, it turns into a lasting friendship when you have so much fun travelling with strangers. Also, at other times, travelling with close friends surprisingly may not be as much fun as you think! Have you ever experienced that? And, did you have similar apprehensions while travelling? How did it turn out to be? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Originally posted on medium.com

Great Girly Getaway Pinterest

 

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Hola! I’m Raksha Rao, the founder and Chief Editor of The Roving Heart and I heartily welcome you to this blog!

I’m perpetually in search of the next trip, next adventure and forever aching to fly far away to a land of strangers.

Come follow me on my journey and I promise you to take you on an adventure!

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Comments

16 Comments
  1. posted by
    Deepak Acharya
    Sep 11, 2017 Reply

    That infinity pool looks gorgeous 🙂

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 11, 2017 Reply

      It sure is. I could stay in the pool all day 🙂

  2. posted by
    Anna
    Sep 13, 2017 Reply

    What a wonderful trip! I totally agree with you that the people you travel with can absolutely make or break a trip but it looks like you got lucky with your girls!

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      I know right. It is so much better to travel alone than travel with the wrong kind of people. And, I totally lucked out on this trip 🙂

  3. posted by
    Jemma
    Sep 13, 2017 Reply

    I’m really planning to go to Thailand next year to visit ethical elephant sanctuaries and Phi Phi Island. Now I might add the Blue Elephant cooking school to my itinerary.

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      That’s great Jemma.Blue Elephant Cooking school is actually amazing. It’s totally worth it. And have loads of fun on your trip. 🙂

  4. posted by
    Gabby
    Sep 13, 2017 Reply

    The infinity pool is gorgeous! The one thing I didn’t get to do on my trip there was a cooking school, so I’m jealous!

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      Try out cooking school the next time. I don’t enjoy cooking, however I loved the experience. I’m sure you will too 🙂

  5. posted by
    Anna
    Sep 14, 2017 Reply

    That’s so cool you got to go on this trip! I’ve been meaning to go back to Thailand as an adult. I used to always go as a kid in the summer, so I really want to experience it now.

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      Oh that’s great Anna. Thailand has so much to offer. I would love to plan to go to the north of Thailand next time!

  6. posted by
    Ali Dunnell
    Sep 14, 2017 Reply

    Love this – just looking at the photographs made me feel like spending a few days relaxing with my friends 🙂

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      You definitely should! I’m sure you will have a wonderful experience.

  7. posted by
    Emma
    Sep 15, 2017 Reply

    Thailand is always a good idea for a Girls Gateway !! Would love to go back sometime soon again.

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      Totally agree with you. Thailand is always a good idea for a Girls getaway!

  8. posted by
    The Travel Captain
    Sep 15, 2017 Reply

    First of all, congrats on winning the trip and overcoming your apprehensions! Looks like you had a lovely time and met some great girls. I agree with your travel mate, animals will take revenge one day 🙂 they already are by passing on the poison thats fed to them on to us. okay, enough with the PETA talk.. great post!

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Sep 24, 2017 Reply

      Haha. True. You make a valid point. There’s always a time for everything. And thanks, I indeed had a great time. Glad you liked the post 🙂

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