It was a few hours before sunset and our first day in Ko Samui was nearly coming to an end. Although our stay on the beautiful island was supposed to be the most relaxing part of our trip we seemed to be off to a rough start. We had spent most of our day looking for a vegan restaurant that no longer existed, my butt was sore from riding around our moped all day, my cold was not subsiding and we were stuck in traffic due to road construction. My helmet made me sweat more than normal so I could feel my hair stick to the side of my neck and my feet had my slipper straps imprinted on them but I wasn’t sure if it was a tan or dirt. I placed my cheek on Eddie’s back as he put his left foot down to steady the moped and it was at that moment that I spotted the Four Seasons Resort across the street. “Oh em gee! I read somewhere online that they have durian ice cream! We HAVE to go.” I’ve never tried durian (and plus, ice cream) so I was thrilled. Instead of waiting in traffic we turned right and rode up the beautifully paved and perfectly landscaped entrance to the Four Seasons.
The loud rattling noise from our moped must have alerted the staff because the attendant at the top of the ramp looked a bit shocked. He kindly asked how he could help us and I’m sure he was holding back a few chuckles, it was clear we were umm, out of place? I mean, you remember the part where I mentioned sweat coming down my neck right? As much as I wanted to bust out a fake Pretty Woman moment and be all “pshhh, we are here to check in! And what!?” I simply couldn’t, the staff was so incredibly nice and sweet. They greeted us warmly and made us feel welcomed despite the sweat, dirt and runny nose situation I had going on. I explained that we were there to try their durian ice cream and although the woman that met us outside said she wasn’t sure they offered durian ice cream, she invited us into the lobby to enjoy the view while we waited for confirmation.
We skeptically followed her through the large lobby doors and immediately felt like we had stepped into another world. There were three other girls that greeted us with beautiful smiles but we couldn’t react, we were in complete awe. The open-air lobby was incredible (and when I say “open air” I mean no walls, a beautiful wooden deck that seemed to sit at the edge of a mountain with a clear view of the private villas scattered across the coconut palm filled hills *deep breath* surrounded by a white sand beach with turquoise colored water). And this was just THE LOBBY. I later learned that some of the rooms have their OWN infinity pools.
At that point I had forgotten about ice cream and Eddie quietly reminded me to breathe after he noticed I wasn’t taking pictures or saying anything. I was taken away by the beauty and reminded how fortunate we were to have experienced that moment due to the kindness of the women in concierge (and my never ending need for ice cream).
The woman helping us quietly informed us that they had other flavors of ice cream we could try and they would be happy to have someone drive us down to the restaurant (yea, the only way to get down to the villas and beach is via a golf cart because the resort is so big and basically on the side of a mountain. Luxury to the max right?). Moments before finding the resort I was on the verge of complaining about how uncomfortable I was but after standing on the corner of the open-air lobby I wasn’t sure I needed anything else. We skipped the ice cream, thanked the lovely staff and walked back to our dusty moped. I was more excited than ever to continue our exploration of the island and whatever other take-my-breath-away moments Ko Samui had in store for us.
Right when we thought the ocean views couldn’t get any better we ended up at Vikasa Life Cafe. My reaction was very similar to my reaction at the Four Seasons, complete disbelief coupled with silence. Once again, Eddie had to remind me to breathe…
Delicious salad at Vikasa Life Cafe, they had great vegan options!
We discovered Apples Family Style Restaurant while exploring Lamai Beach and ended up eating there three times in two days! Because I was still feeling under the weather I ordered their fresh immunity smoothie (pineapple, lemon and watermelon, I think) and immediately declared that it was one of the most delicious smoothies I’d ever tried. I couldn’t get enough of this cute & casual place… the photo on the right is at our hotel, mango for breakfast!
Give me fruit and pretty views and I’m all smiles…
More food at Apple’s…
I’m so glad we rented a moped while in Ko Samui, we never had to worry about parking when we found a new place to explore…
This water buffalo and the left photo above were part of our view at Centra Coconut Beach Resort, I loved it! 
More beach exploring…
Coconut harvesting… We got to see this all over Ko Samui, so awesome!!!
Centra Coconut Beach Resort Samui… 
An early morning swim after fresh fruit for breakfast, basically my dream schedule! 
Found the perfect place for a nap…
