ROBIN EDWARDS
London

Glengarry Glen Ross

As my main job when I’m not blogging I work in property as a buying agent, so when my friend Bernard, a massive theatre fan who goes several times a week, sent me a list of shows that he had a spare ticket for I chose to join him and see Glengarry Glen Ross, a play about corrupt Chicago real estate agents. A show that because of my work definitely peaked my interest, not that any of the estate agents I deal with are corrupt I should add!

Quite a short play of just over an hour, so no interval. This particular version has an exceedingly good cast including several well known actors – Christian Slater, Robert Glenister, Kris Marshall and Don Warrington to name but a few. I really enjoyed this, it was over so quick though. Afterwards we went for a lovely dinner at the Club at the Ivy.

Koh Samui

Namu, W Hotel Koh Samui

After more than a few cocktails we started to get a bit hungry so we got the hotel staff to book us a table at the W Hotel’s on site restaurant Naam. From the bar the hotel staff arranged us a chauffeured golf cart to take us through the vast estate to the stunning beachside restaurant. It’s a Japanese style restaurant and we had wonderful sushi. The waiter took this lovely photo of us together at the table. After I posted into Instagram everyone kept on saying what a beautiful couple we made and when we going to get married. Well sorry to disappoint, Andrew is very dear friend to me, but definitely not my boyfriend! I loved this restaurant though, if you’re in Koh Samui I really recommend either staying at or visiting this restaurant and hotel.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Koh Samui

W Hotel, Koh Samui

My friend Andrew’s favourite hotel group is the W, so while in Koh Samui he insisted we must visit. The W is famous for their quirky modern design and the Koh Samui location is no different. A stunning entrance with their signature oversized W. Then through the chic lobby to a stunning infinity pool overlooking the ocean with another oversized W. The pool here is purely for visual effect though, it’s only about a foot deep (there’s a proper swimming pool elsewhere in the resort). On the edge of the pool there’s these sunken round pod booths for sitting and relaxing in, lovely to have a few cocktails in while admiring the amazing views. The whole think is really cool and very instagrammable.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Koh Samui

TropOut, Koh Samui

After the intensity of White Party Bangkok on January 2nd Andrew and I flew down to Koh Samui to go to TropOut, the official after party event for White Party. To be honest we were were pretty shattered after all the White Party events, so we were looking forward to a bit of R&R. While in Koh Samui we stayed at the TropOut host hotel, Casa de Mar. 
TropOut involves more parties, but as we were still recovering from White Party we decided to be a bit more selective about the events we attended. We went to a couple of the pool parties and also did the daily morning yoga sessions. The main TropOut event was the boat party though, which we both really enjoyed and let ourselves go a bit wild at. Apart from that we just spent most of our time lying by the pool or on the beach with little trips out each day for lunch and dinner.  It was really chilled and just what we needed after the intensity of White Party.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

White Party Bangkok

After a very cold couple of months I was really in need of some winter sun and so when one of my best friends Andrew suggested Thailand and more specifically White Party in Bangkok for New Year I jumped at the chance. Andrew and I have known each other since uni, now a fully qualified doctor he moved to Australia several years ago to continue his medical career so unfortunately I don’t get to see him very often. Thus a cheeky break in Thailand. seemed an ideal chance to catch up with him and also have a fun holiday.

 

I flew to Thailand just after Christmas on December 27th. The only non ridiculously expensive flight I could find to arrive in time for the first party was with Kuwaiti Airways. I didn’t know much about that airline, but it was cheap. Like most Middle Eastern airlines I realised the chance of getting a bacon sandwich on board was pretty unlikely, what I hadn’t reckoned on through that it would be a completely dry airline. Big mistake. I wasn’t looking to get wasted on the flight, but I do like a pre-meal G&T and maybe a glass of wine with my food, particularly as I was stuck in economy. Emirates, Ethiad, Qatar and Oman all serve alcohol so I was pretty surprised that Kuwait didn’t. The rest of the flight was ok, but pretty basic, so I was glad when I arrived safely I’m Bangkok. 

I was tired, had all my bags with me and the taxis are super cheap in Thailand compared to London, so I skipped public transport and hailed a cab to the hotel. I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, my friend booked the hotel and chose if mainly based on the proximity to the White Party venue. It was a pleasant enough hotel if a little non descript.

The White Party is actually a series of parties over four consecutive days, all with different themes (military, jock, all white, New Year’s Eve) so I only arrived literally the afternoon of the first party so I didn’t really have much time to relax or unwind before hitting the club. From landing til New Years Eve it was pretty much eat, sleep, rave, repeat as the song goes. By the final party I was shattered. Apart from the hotel and Central World, the convention centre where the parties were held, I pretty much saw nothing of Bangkok. Thankfully I’d been before and was also planning to spend some time back in Bangkok later in my trip.

The White Party really was amazing though, the parties were brilliant and the production values of the events was stunning. I had so much fun, so worth doing if you have the chance, I’d definitely go again.