Koh Samui, baby!

Well, you get what you pay for. And the Amari Reef Resort is worth every penny. We have very nice adjoining rooms in a smallish building right next to the pool and a stone's throw from the beach. Aside from the amazingly attentive service (ALWAYS with a smile--Niko and Kaya are an especially big hit with the staff), an extravagant breakfast buffet and dinner menu, wonderful beachside views, and excellent weather to date (only one short shower to date, knock wood), we're still pretty sure that our segment of Chaweng beach is paradise.

The typical routine: rise at 7:30, or later, if the gods will it; engorge selves on assorted eggage, pastry, fresh fruit, breads, cheeses, sashimi, meats, exotic juices, and bottomless cups of instant coffee--okay, so even paradise isn't perfect. Then it's a brief respite to choose reading materials before selecting the most appropriate lounge chair for the day's goal. Mine has been to pursue ideal views, and avoid the intense heat of the sun, not to mention Russians. The kids opt for poolside but rarely emerge from the pool. Jen moves with the sun, as always. Then the day just seems to whoosh by until late afternoon, when an opportune high tide allows for sea kayaking and snorkeling unimpeded across the bay to an ancient exposed section of reef that the hotel must be named for. Nearby, the corals begin about 30 yards off the beach, quickly erupting into huge heads covered in a wide variety and color of corals and attended by dozens of species of fish. Niko and Kaya usually choose their afternoon ice cream from a trawling beach vendor who seems to know just when to show up for them. Of course there's also plenty of general lolling about in the soupy warm, clear waters of our sandy edge of the sea. A walk on the beach sets the afternoon just right. That gets us to dinner.