flip-flops-only-ro: collaborations

OZO Wesley, Hong Kong - the oasis in the concrete jungle

1:28 PM

At the end of January we had a short trip to the incredible city of Hong Kong.
While searching for where to stay in Hong Kong we had a few criteria in mind: we wanted it to be close to the hustle and bustle, the metro and maybe a few attractions, but we still wanted it to be quiet so we can get a good sleep at night, considering Hong Kong can get pretty loud.
We managed to find a quiet oasis in this concrete jungle at OZO Wesley.

The hotel is located on Hong Kong island close to the Wan Chai MTR station. This means that from here you are incredibly close to the main attractions of the city.
Although the hotel is located on a busy and popular street, the majority of the rooms are facing a quieter one, which was great for us as we are light sleepers.
Our room was at the 20th floor, so it's needless to say that we had a great view from our window. The hotel was very much aware of that, considering you have a bay window seating area in every room.

The breakfast offered a great variety, from the classic continental dishes to the traditional Chinese cuisine. More than enough to get you fuelled up for a busy day of exploring the city.

There is also a fitness room available on site, if walking 20+ km a day is not enough for you. We've seen it...it's pretty! :)
To sum up, we had a lovely stay at Ozo Wesley and it proved to be perfect for what we needed: location, comfort and a good night sleep.

xoxo,
O

-review-

Ubuntu by Lantern Collection - Mirissa, Sri Lanka

2:49 AM

Our trip to Sri Lanka was on a very tight schedule because we wanted to see the most important sights and we only had a very short time, due to this we had to change locations almost every day, sleeping in different hotels or resorts.
In Mirissa we checked in at the newly opened Ubuntu Beach Boutique Hotel by Lantern Collection.
We chose this hotel due to its unique look and mostly for its private beach right in front of it.
The hotel has a very modern and minimalist design that gives of more of a "private house on the beach" vibe.

The place is indeed a bit far from the Mirissa centre but it's a short and cheap tuk tuk drive away, around 2$, but instead you'll have a perfect sleep at night as it is really quiet.
In terms of activities, we found this to be a great place for relaxation, from either swimming in one of the two pools, to reading a book on one of the hammocks or just exploring the secluded and lovely beach. There is also a spa, which we recommend as we really enjoyed our massage there.

We also liked the breakfast here, which tried to put a modern spin to the traditional Sri Lankan cuisine and everything was delicious.
For us this was the perfect place from where to explore Mirissa and we will for sure choose it again if we return to Sri Lanka.

xoxo,
O

-review-

The Paradise at Amari Havodda Maldives

1:59 PM

Maldives has been very high on my bucket list, so when we decided to go there for my birthday we wanted it to be perfect. We had in mind the full Maldivian experience, with the lovely over water bungalows and the perfect blue water.
After a very long and thorough process our choice was the relatively new resort of Amari Havodda.
We went there with the highest expectations and I am very happy to say that this place exceeded them all!
I don't believe I was this much impressed with any place we have visited so far!

Getting there:
Considering the resort is pretty far away from Male we had to take an one hour domestic flight from there, followed by a 10 minutes speed boat ride.
However this was carefully arranged by the resort. Upon arriving in Male we were greeted by a very friendly resort employee who took us to the private airport waiting lounge where we had a nice buffet breakfast. Everything went smoothly from this moment on, and they made sure we reached the resort as scheduled.

The island:
For someone who has dreamed of the Maldives for so long, seeing this tiny island of not even 1 square kilometre surrounded by the most perfect turquoise water was a jaw dropping moment!
Although it's a small island, you only get to see other people during one of the meals, any other time the island feels secluded.
The island itself is surrounded by a lush reef full of exotic colourful fish, tortoises, lobsters and even small reef sharks, making this place ideal for snorkeling.
The resort has several types of accommodation, from garden villas to beach villas to of course the incredible overwater villas.

Our overwater villa:
We felt like the whole Maldivian experience would have not been complete without staying in an overwater villa.
The villa was perfect in every way: newly decorated and spacious with all the amenities you could desire. The bathroom with its outdoor shower was another big plus for this room. However la piece de resistance was by far the private deck having the most incredible view of the ocean.
Waking up in the morning and jumping in the perfect water was truly a great experience.

The food:
The food was absolutely delicious at Amari! We had full board included, which was more than enough for us, considering we are not big alcohol drinkers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all buffet style with a lot of Asian influence, seafood and continental dishes. A little bit for everyone.

Activities:
Even though it's a small island, the resort offers a lot of possible activities ranging from scuba diving, snorkeling, kayak and ski jet renting, private boat tours to secluded islands and dolphin watch cruises.
Having the reef only a few feet from your villa will have you in the water snorkeling for hours every day...and you will absolutely love it! We've never seen such a large variety of marine life before! Needless to say that the resort will provide the snorkeling gear throughout your entire stay.
The resort also has an infinity pool with a great bar area for socialising, a tennis court and a spa for relaxing, just in case snorkeling took its toll on your body.

The staff:
One of the things that made this island unforgettable was the nice staff. From the moment we got to the island we were met with smiles, warmth and kindness. Everyone there went above and beyond to cater to our every need. Their attention to details was also spot on and we really loved our bed decorations, mostly the one they made for my birthday.