Our readers might remember Snigdha whose “Bongyali” fusion wedding we had covered here. Today, Snigdha is describing her memorable honeymoon to the East-so grab you chai dear brides-there is tons and tons of input for you here….
“Once you are done with all the wedding celebrations, the first thought that strikes your mind is packing up for your honeymoon! My wedding was a horrendous task! With all those grooming sessions and dietary plans, I kind of lost sanity by the time I tied the knot! But after I regained all that lost energy, I looked forward to flying away for a much awaited honeymoon. Like everything else in my life, my honeymoon has a story too and I wish to share it with all of you.
Both, my husband and I are extremely fickle-minded and can never concur on anything ever! We had been planning our honeymoon way before we even started with our wedding planning, but till the final moment, we didn’t know where to head to. Planning like this can end up being way too expensive but thanks to some research on budget friendly honeymoon destinations, we found our dream ‘vacay’ spot with much ease.
Like any other couple, we started listing out places and the kind of things we would want to do! But yes, we both love to travel so we decided on visiting not just one but a couple of places. I am fan of rocky beaches and always wanted to visit an isolated one all my life. My husband on the other hand loves hills and landscapes. So-after reading and referring to the info available online, we decided on Langkawi, Borneo and Sapa.
Trip 1: Hyderabad to Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur
With our bags packed with several hundred clothes and Oreo packets, we flew to Kuala Lumpur from Hyderabad with Air Asia. We landed at the airport at 4 in the morning and our next flight to Langkawi was at 7 am. We simply relaxed at the airport and picked up some martini from the duty free shop for Langkawi.
By 8 am we were in Langkawi. Wow! What a place to be! Lush green hills and a serene beach by the side of the road- it truly felt like “Paradise On Earth”. We checked into the Sheraton Beach hotel in an exclusive tree house villa (Btw-that was a total surprise!). The view from the balcony was surreal! We stayed here for 3 days and also indulged in some crazy adventure sports including snorkelling and scuba diving. Did I mention- my husband went fishing too! He caught some real good ones and the best part is that we even cooked it by ourselves.
Among the places we visited in Langkawi, my favourite one was the Langkawi Sky Bridge. An aerial view of the island made us feel as if we were on top of the world. If you are visiting Langkawi, do take the Sky Bridge ride. It is a must!
Trip 2: Langkawi to Borneo
From Langkawi we flew to Borneo. Well after Langkawi, we didn’t think Borneo would be anything better. But Borneo was a shocker! We checked in “Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa Hotel” on Gaya Island. This deserted island is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. So for the 3 days we were there, all we did was sit by the beach, sip our Bacardi and enjoy the pleasant breeze. We had a great time at the hotel, a beautiful place to visit. Everything seemed to be done for the pleasure of the guests and I must mention the attention to detail the staff put in. Everyone was so kind and cooperative. The hotel added to the liveliness of the island and gave us memories we will surely cherish all our lives.
After 2 days on this beautiful Island, we set off for our final honeymoon destination Sapa.
Trip 3: Borneo To Sapa Via Kuala Lumpur
On the way back from Borneo, we halted at Kuala Lumpur for some time. We took a cab to visit the twin towers and did some street shopping. We enjoyed some street food at China town and picked up replica perfumes (which were as good as the original!). Packed with those, we headed back to the airport and boarded our flight. In less than 3 hours, we were at the Hanoi Airport in Vietnam. We took a car and drove 400 kilometres to Sapa, – dead tired by the time we arrived. We checked into Sapa Paradise hotel and took a well deserved rest that night. Next morning, we awoke to a beautiful view from our hotel room. The air had the fragrance of flowers and the concoctions of Sapa. We just had one day here, so we couldn’t visit too many places. We went to the Thac Bac Waterfalls and the Sapa Market. Walking down the by-lanes of the market, we realised the market was crowded with Indian visitors-it was like mini India in Sapa. We had a list of gifts we had to buy, so we purchased those and packed them up. We were actually pretty exhausted by now and were eager to get back. We flew to Ho Chi Minh City and took a flight back to Hyderabad with a brief halt in Singapore. We chose to simply rest in the airport waiting room looking forward to our flight back to India.
Finally, after a 7 day trip, we were home with beautiful memories and awesome experiences, ones which we will cherish all our lives.