Photography – Helen Janneson Bense | Lisa Hamilton

Drone Photography/Editing – Helen Janneson Bense

Location – Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand

Imagine flying on a private plane overlooking an ancient rainforest paradise surrounded by turquoise seas as far as the eye can see. This is Soneva Kiri; one of the most unique locations I’ve ever visited in Thailand. It has it’s own micro-climate and it’s own time zone. This way you will always have so much time to enjoy the the glorious sunset.

Soneva Kiri is an inspirational, eco-friendly, and sustainable resort that grows it’s own organic produce, recycles it’s own waste and reuses and repurposes it’s own waste to create the very building blocks required to maintain the resort. It’s setting the highest standards for resorts on every single level. The food quality and options are endless. The staff are always happy to accomodate any dietary need. There’s an all you can eat ice-cream and chocolate room, including a whole range of vegan sorbets that are just so refreshing in the Thailand heat.

I had the absolute pleasure of traveling here with fellow travel blogger, Lisa from @seewantshop. This is why I love traveling so much; connecting, creating precious memories, and forming beautiful friendships. Lisa and I shared so many hilarious moments on this trip, and found it so refreshing to have some real and honest chats about the ups and downs of blogger life.

The highlight of our day was our lunch trips by boat to North Beach. This beach is one of Soneva Kiri’s most hidden jewels. It’s the clearest, most beautiful, picturesque paradise that has everything you’ll ever need for a day of total relaxation, adventure and mermaiding. Head out for some stand up paddle boarding, snorkelling, kayaking, or hang on the beach for some badminton, table tennis and the most delicious array of culinary delights. Lisa and I spent many days here sipping on coconuts and enjoying the views from the swings. The water hammocks were probably the most relaxing spot on the entire island. Imagine being gently rocked by the soft waves as you cool down under the hot sun. It’s so relaxing, refreshing and it almost put me to sleep like a baby!

A must do at Soneva Kiri is book the Treetop dining in the Tree pod. It is hands down the most unique way of enjoying high tea. You can book it for any meal, though I loved the afternoon light overlooking the beautiful turquoise water. While we sipped on rose, our waiter brought our meals via a zipline! It was crazy cool how fun and exciting this was.

And when you’re tired from all the snorkelling, dining, mermaiding, and sunset cruises head back to your luxuriously appointed private villa. We stayed in the most grand 4 bedroom residence with our very own waterslide! I couldn’t believe it! It was unreal! It definitely made it hard to leave and explore the island when our room was this amazing. And when you do decide to explore again, you have your very own buggy to drive around! How fun is that! If you want to book the exact villa we stayed in check out Villa 18 :)

I’m so grateful for time in nature like this….to explore this world and live my passion capturing beautiful moments. I’ve realised how much my perspective of this world has changed since my blogging journey began. I notice so much beauty everywhere I go. I see the world through a magical lens that truly brings me into the present moment where I can deeply feel my connection to nature.

With love and gratitude,

Helen xx

All text and images copyright © Helen Janneson Bense 2021