This post should have come long before this blog was even created, so in the words of Justin Bieber – Is it too late now to say sorry? Did I just quote the Biebs? What the hell is happening to me!
The apology is of course to our amazing honeymoon planner, Sangeeta Sehmi. We owed you this testimonial and thank you when we boarded that plane to our destinations 2 years ago. So to make up for the delay, I thought I’d write a blog post instead!
Now I’m not going to lie guys, I wasn’t even aware that honeymoon planners existed. I mean, you can just plan it yourself right? Bit of google, bit of Expedia, bit of Trip Advisor, bish, bosh, bash! Right? Probably, and I’m sure that works perfectly for most people.
However, if like me and the mister, you’re confused about where to go, or you’ve had a fairly full on time planning the wedding, or you work extremely busy schedules, or you just want to enjoy a luxury trip away and not worry about the nitty gritty details involved in planning transfers or booking multi-destination trips for once – then, this lovely lady is the only call you need to make. Phew.
I can’t remember how we found her, but I do recall sighing heavily with relief when we did. I was grateful that we could avoid muddling through uncertainty and disagreements with each other to book something we would love.
We had so many different ideas and it wasn’t until we spoke with Sangeeta over many patient discussions, ideas and itineraries, that we realised we actually just wanted to relax – (normally not the ‘sit on a beach and do nothing’ types so took us a while to realise and give into it!).
However, Sangeeta made it so easy. She was available on email and on the phone on evenings and on weekends (which was very helpful as I was working on A+E at the time) and she was easy to talk to. She sent us different options within the budget we pitched and it was as easy as choosing the one that was the best fit. A real personalised service based on our suggestions.
All the itineraries we discussed were tempting, but we finally agreed on a multi-destination love affair with Thailand (Bangkok and Chiang Mai) and the Maldives. Here are my favourite bits.
First stop, the Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok. A beautiful luxury hotel right in the centre with an absolute must visit rooftop bar and restaurant, whether you stay there or not. It also had its own spa and afternoon tea areas which we were able to access thanks to an upgrade organised by Sangeeta. My favourite part of this trip was the Apsara River Cruise, run by the hotel itself. A wonderful evening with incredible sights and the best Thai food I’ve ever had.
Next stop, the Shangri-La Hotel in Chiang Mai. This was a lovely hotel but we didn’t spend a huge amount of time enjoying the hotel as we had lots we wanted to do! We went to Tiger Kingdom, did some elephant trekking and the absolute must-do here, the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. Needless to say, I shopped till HE dropped. Oops.
Our final (and my favourite) stop, Conrad Island, Rangali, Maldives! Oh I can but dream that we will meet again,sweet Rangali. There is just too much to say so I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking. The resort is set over two islands connected by a footbridge and we were lucky enough to stay in one of the water villas. There were so many restaurants to choose from, including their most famous one, Ithaa – the underwater restaurant. Overall, it was quite expensive and I’m not sure we would have enjoyed it as much if we didn’t have the half board deal and the extras we had organised by Sangeeta. Highlights would have to be THE most incredible hot stone massage of our lives that we still talk about today. It was in a therapy room set on the middle of the ocean, I mean, imagine looking down through the face hole on the massage table and staring at the clear blue crystal ocean below a glass floor. It was the epitome of tranquility and sums up this trip perfectly.
Now, I often get raised eyebrows when I recommend a honeymoon planner to people (the bish, bosh, bash types, bear in mind this is includes me) but I can honestly say that I have recommended Sangeeta to my friends, my work colleagues and family and no one has been disappointed.
She booked everything for us, threw in a few classy extras and even included transfers. The latter was incredible by the way – no ringing around taxis, no need to chase our tails, we just turned up at the scheduled time and enjoyed being whisked away to our next destination. It really was smooth sailing and I’d pay it all again for that. Except wait, we didn’t pay. Her advice and expertise will cost you nothing. She was professional, accessible and not to mention super friendly and delivered an incredible service from our first consultation to our return trip home.
If the photos above aren’t convincing enough, or the wide grins across our faces, I hope my words are. She was responsible for the best trip of our lives and we are eternally grateful (especially, as we probably won’t enjoy another like it for ooo, I’d say another 25 years if we’re lucky!)
So what are you waiting for? Go and check her out (www.sangeetasehmi.com) if you’re planning any of the moons (honey/mini/baby) or you’re due a luxury holiday or you just want to treat yourself.
Happy travels!
Love, L
xxx