During two weeks I went with my wife and daughter to Doha (Quatar), Bangkok and Phuket (Thailand), and Sentosa (Singapore). An amazing trip!

On December 3rd we took a 12 hour flight Boston to Doha. After spending a few hours there (I know, World Cup and all, but still not exactly my favorite place), and eating at the Emporio Armani Caffé, we took another flight to Bangkok. Photos.

I know Bangkok quite well, and it’s a city I don’t get tired of. This time it was extra special, as it was my daughter’s first visit to the city, and my wife’s second. We stayed at the JW Marriott, with access to the Executive Lounge.

While they took tours of the palace and river, shopped, and relaxed in the pool, I had to work every day. But I joined them in the evenings, and we had a lot of fun (and did I mention shopping?). Photos.

For the long weekend (Monday was a carry over holiday from the previous Saturday), we decided to fly to Phuket. What a wonderful paradise! While my colleagues back in Boston were freezing, we were swimming in the Andaman sea and our villa’s private pool.

On Saturday, December 10th, we arrived in Phuket, rented a car, drove (on the other side of the road, as they do there) to Mai Khao, and checked in at the Anantara Mai Khao Resort, where they assigned us a private villa with our own pool. Our plan was to drive around to explore beaches in the vicinity, but the resort was so awesome, that we just stayed there all day! Photos.

On Sunday, after breakfast with the water monitor lizards and koi fish, we drove north to Boonchu Pier at the Sarasin Bridge, and hopped on a traditional long boat for a private tour of the Phang Nga Bay, that took us to the amazing island rock formations of Ko Sa Ang Yai, around the Raya Island Ring, stopping to canoe in Hong Island and Tum Lord, exploring the mangrove cave at Panak Island, swimming in Paradise Island (deserted, all to ourselves), and Khao Phing Kan / Tapu Island (เกาะเขาพิงกัน), also known as James Bond Island. Amazing photos here.

After that exhilarating day, we drove to Layan, to stay in the Anantara Layan Resort. And it happened again: we truly wanted to explore the nearby beaches, but the resort was so amazing, that we ended up staying the rest of the day and all day Monday there listening to the birds, watching parrots, swimming in the infinity pool and the beach, jet skiing… Finally a tropical storm told us it was time to go back to Bangkok. For more pictures of paradise, click here.

On Wednesday, December 14th, I had to travel to Sentosa Island (Singapore) for a business meeting at the W Sentosa Cove hotel and marina. It’s always nice to be able to take a little break from negotiations and walk outside to the marina. Photos.

On Saturday we flew out of Bangkok to Doha. Fortunately the World Cup was not over yet. We made it back to Boston exhausted but having enjoyed an amazing trip.