Come experience the magic of Thailand by joining us for a 10-day yoga retreat (all levels welcomed !) on the beautiful southern island of Ko Lanta. Trip stops will include 2 nights in Bangkok upon arrival , 7 nights on Ko Lanta, and one final night back in Bangkok before departing for your home destination. Everyone has the option of adding on one more week of yoga, if your schedule allows !
Your yoga teacher will be Mona Haymaker (www.monayoga.com), a good friend of mine for many years and also one of the best yoga teachers around ! In 1998 , Mona left the corporate life and found her passion in a yoga class with well known LA teacher Bryan Kest. After completing Bryan's teacher training class and a Vipassana Meditation course, Mona began teaching at Bryan's studio, Santa Monica Power Yoga. Mona teaches a Vinyasa style (also called flow yoga), instructing on the technical aspects of physical alignment and offering modifications and variation for each pose. Her classes create a gentle, rhythmic flow through the body, designed to match movement with breath. Mona now passes on this gift of yoga to locals, ex-pats and tourists from all over the world here on the beautiful island of Ko Lanta.
here are just a few testimonials from some of Mona's students :
"Mona is a jewel of a yoga teacher. Her presence, wisdom, and openness of heart make it one of life's great blessings to be in her class! " Govindas
"Her class is tremendous ! But her true gift is not in what she does, it is in who she is! Mona is the first and only person i have ever met who's heart is bigger than her body. since yoga at it's core is about love .You could see why she is the master." Bryan kest
"Mona's class is an excellent mix of strong flow and gentle meditative movement. Her attention to detail helps beginners find their way into the poses and intermediates settle into their body. Beyond yoga, Mona's personal energy and vitality she brings to class continues to inspire those of us who know and love her."
Katherine
TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1 Arrive Bangkok- transfer to your centrally-located Bangkok hotel room for a good nights sleep ! Enjoy all the facilities in the hotel, including your air-conditioned room (with kitchen !), and the rooftop gym and pool to help you recover from your flight.
Day 2- Free day in Bangkok to explore the many sites, sounds, and spas !
Why not enjoy a riverboat trip down the Chao-Praya river, the main river of the city of Bangkok. Here, you will get a very quick sense for how amazingly diverse and exciting this international city is. Feel free to get off at the various number of river stops to enjoy the beautiful temples of Wat Po, Wat Arun (temple of the dawn) and get your camera ready to be within feet of the world's largest reclining golden Buddha . Getting a thai massage (or 2!) is also a must - our hotel is walking distance to some of the best massage spas in the city !
Day 3- Fly to Krabi (south of Thailand), then tranfer to a private van for your first afternoon and evening on the beautiful island Ko Lanta, home to the Chao Lay sea gypsies, amazing deep sea diving, and dozens of jungles and beaches to explore ! A sunset yoga class will be available this evening if you are ready to get started !
Day 4-9 Morning and afternoon yoga classes provided throughout your stay. Free time during the day to explore the island, take a cooking class, go diving, or just rest around the pool or in your hammock ! Beachside massage is always available, footsteps away from your bungalow...
You will never be far from the ocean as your bungalows are all just a few meters away from the beautiful (and warm !) Andaman sea. There are also plenty of other beaches to explore around the island during your free time and elephant trekking and motorbike exploring await you if your heart so desires !
Tour Cost:
$1695 *- includes 3 nights hotel in Bangkok, 7 nights hotel (oceanside bungalow) Ko Lanta, all breakfasts, airport transfers, 2 yoga classes a day (while in Ko Lanta), domestic flights to and from Bangkok to Krabi (south thailand), and the services of a local guide.
(*international flights to and from Bangkok not included in this price but can be easily arranged ! Currently, flights from Honolulu to Bangkok are at around $1000 roundtrip. I will work with my local agent to find you the best possible price and make your flight arrangements for you if you need. You can always use your airlines award miles if you have a few saved as well ! )
Looking forward to seeing you in paradise soon !
ABOUT YOUR HOST
MELINA LILLIOS has been conducting tours throughout the world since 1985. She conducted educational bus tours throughout England and Southern Europe as well as worked as a tour director for Contiki Tours which took her all over the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Australia, and New Zealand. She first came to Hawaii to open up a worldwide office for Contiki and then later went on to become operations manager for the travel companies Globus Gateway and Cosmos Tours.
Melina has been traveling to Thailand and Bali for over 10 years and now lives on her beloved island of Ko Lanta for 4 months of the year. She just completed her first official "Live Laugh Love Tour" to Thailand and Bali just a few weeks ago and is looking forward to sharing this part of the world for many years to come!
While on Ko Lanta, Melina teaches her university courses online, volunteers at various schools and orphanages and makes a point of exploring new countries in SE Asia with every visit. While living the rest of the year in Hawaii, Melina teaches intercultural communications at Hawaii Pacific University, teaches private voice and piano lessons, and is a musical-director of locally-produced theater in Honolulu.
(recent picture of the last Live Laugh Love tour group...taken on our last night together in Ubud,Bali. We met as friends, we left as a family...)
Come be a part of this magic....
some testimonials from past Live Laugh Love customers :
“I could not be happier with my decision to Live, Laugh and Love with Melina’s tour. From the moment I cut my check, I didn’t worry about a thing as the communication was clear and thorough and every detail – from accommodations to activities to food to everything else – was well thought through and perfectly balanced, enabling us participants to sit back and just drink it all in. We all returned extraordinarily relaxed and enriched as a result. Melina is tops and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone wanting a seamless, truly restful vacation.” Diane B.
" I feel like I've just had a big dose of that beautiful 'One' energy. Thank you for that, Melina- you created the space for us, (strangers but now brothers and sisters) to do just that. It was an unforgettable tour. The Epic Thailand/Bali Adventure leaves me changed... and charmed. I am still lost in Ubud, and have never been more in love with life." Sandra B
"Melina is the tour organizer and guide you want to set things up for you! She knows and LOVES the places she visits, has lots of insider experience and information, knows how to pace a trip. We covered a tremendous amount of world in a relatively short time, yet I never felt rushed. And There were plenty of activities to include myself in—or not. I loved the ‘of you choose’ aspect of the trip. Plenty to do and plenty of not-doing time and space as well. I would recommend this trip—or any LLL tour—to my friends and colleagues based on this one, extremely memorable, enjoyable journey! Thank you for everything Melina! We WILL travel together again!"
Rea Fox,Honolulu
