As I am typing this entry, I had a sudden impulse to jet off for a beach holiday - relax my mind for a couple of things, doing nothing to rejuvenate both body and soul. Continuing from where I left off previously, the resort offers a wide range of activities to keep you occupied throughout your stay, ranging from yoga, zumba to bicycle tours. The sofa and beds were so inviting that we were tempted to take a short nap since we woke up very early to catch the flight. We struggled hard and in order to fight the zzz monster, we decided to head outside and chill out at the pool.
We changed into our swimming gears and headed to the pool. I had a proper bathing suit as I was prepared to swim laps instead of just chilling out at the pool. That was the best chance for me to practice swimming since I had been taking lessons for the past couple of months prior to the trip. Not an expert swimmer, but at least I can proudly proclaim that I know how to swim after decades!
A buggy ride, anyone? This could save us the few minutes from walking.
The infinity pool, which was pretty small given the size of the resort. Everyone pretty much chilled out at the pool instead of doing laps. So I had to abandon my mission and chill alongside with the rest.
I could really just sit here and relax with a book, with a glass of cocktail by my side! Even though the pool was small, but the view made up for it. It was really therapeutic to swim to the edge of the pool and just look out into the horizon, listening to the crashing of waves while enjoying the sea breeze.
With the girls, minus Jacq who was the photographer.
I can't believe that Miao actually brought her pink float along, lol! This girl super thick-skinned; she went to the swim shop and asked the shop owner if he could help her to pump air into the float. Thankfully, the shop owner agreed. We also pulled Jacq down by tricking her that she can lie on the float but we decided to capsize it instead.
Us having fun with the float :)
We chilled at the pool for a couple of hours and headed back for a quick wash up. Next on the agenda, massage and spa!
The escapade spa is located within the resort, within walking distance from the infinity pool. We made the reservation upon arrival, but do check with the hotel to see if you can pre-book for appointments. We checked in around noon and the earliest appointment that we could get was around 5PM.
We were greeted with the sea view upon entering.
Reception area while we decide on the type of treatment. The menu offers pampering from head to toe, which includes body treatments to give the skin a healthy boost, aromatic plant and floral facials for nourishing the skin or relax in a warm herbal bath to calm the soul.
Other beauty touch-ups include hair treatments, manicures and pedicures. They even come with express options for those who couldn't afford the time.
All of us went for the 2h full body massage.
We were ushered into the respective couple room for the massage. I left my body in the trusty hands of the masseur, who worked hard to knead the stress away from my muscles. My body felt so relaxed and recharged after the session.
Escapade Spa
Golden Palm Tree Resort
After the massage session, it was time to feed our hungry stomachs! We went to the pool cafe for a quick browse through of the menu. Afterwhich, the consensus was to head outside for more variety.
On our way out in search for more food, since I spotted some standalone restaurants/eateries as we drove into the driveway earlier.
This is the beach located outside the resort, named Smiley Beach. You can head down to the beach for a game of soccer, volleyball or petanque. The resort also organise volleyball matches everyday at 5pm, so if you are feeling competitive, you know where to go!
The sun is almost setting but we can still see a lot of activities going on. This is part of the bicycle path where you can get an awesome view of the beach.
We even got a gorgeous view of the sunset from our table.
Besides that, we also witnessed a romantic proposal on the beach. The girls all went "Awww" as the guy knelt down with a huge bouquet of flowers, asking his girlfriend to marry him. So sweet!
We went alfresco, but the downside was that you had to battle with flies constantly. Penang char kway teow and mee goreng mamak were the clear favourites as we gobbled it down. Part of the reason was not to share our food with the flies. We retired back to the villa for the next segment of drinks plus games before we finally collapsed in bed and dozed off to lala-land.
Leecher gets to select the car since he'll be the one behind the wheels. For this trip, he chose a SUV - huge, comfortable and stable. We had so much space to ourselves, dumping stuff on the back seats. Most importantly, Leecher wanted to have a feel on driving a SUV and the best way to test-drive this? 8 days of road-trip! 
