Thailand's been somewhere that I've wanted to go for many years, partly because I love Southeast Asia so much, and partly because we spent some time in Bali when I was a kid, so it was definitely a priority when it came to choosing a destination for our long-awaited honeymoon.
We got married in August last year, but we didn't immediately jet off on holiday because we were so busy with upcoming food festivals, which tend to come around July and August - we just couldn't do it.
Sophie Michell and husband Eoin honeymooned in Thailand
We had a little mini-moon instead where we stayed at the Limewood Hotel in Hampshire for two days after the wedding and that was very luxurious; we just needed a little time off from the wedding stress, if not a fully-fledged honeymoon holiday.
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Then when this two-week honeymoon finally came, it was kind of a great mixture of relaxation and adventure for us. We had a little hiccup at the start; we got to the airport and my husband Eoin managed to lose his bankcard immediately as soon as we got there - he had left it in the cash machine...
The newlyweds spent two weeks in an idyllic location
From then on, thankfully, it was smooth sailing. Eoin loves to do things all the time, so with the Trisara resort, courtesy of Mr and Mrs Smith, we had our own private pool where we did a lot of sunbathing and lots of swimming. The hotel did all the lovely honeymoon stuff of rose petals in the bath and champagne on arrival as well, which was really sweet.
We did things like Thai boxing and yoga, and Eoin loves surfing so we did a lot of that. We went around the food markets and had a lot of street food, which was great as well - the flavours are so much more exciting, strong and interesting out there.
I love cooking, and I do cook almost every night at home on top of all the events and work and pop-ups, but I didn't miss it when we were out there. We ate all the classics, proper Thai food done well, so pad Thai, tom yum etc. I also ate deep fried insects at the local market - I thought I'd give them a go in the name of being adventurous but I wouldn't necessarily go for that again!
Their wedding, which took place last year, was featured in HELLO!
If I had to choose a favourite dish I would probably have to choose one we had at the hotel restaurant, PRU. One of the chefs had a really interesting signature dish, it was just a carrot slow roasted under soil for 20 hours which was served with fermented carrot hollandaise, and it was quite amazing.
It was all - from the food to the relaxing evenings - fabulous. But having our own private pool there in the villa and being able to swim out at sunset topped it for me. The whole vibe of having the amazing, balmy fresh air - you can't beat it really.
Celebrity chef Sophie says Thailand was 'the holiday of a lifetime'
Thailand was great because it's got all the different components it's got absolutely amazing food, it's got really lovely heat and temperature and the service is so good too, so I won't be shy to admit - it was definitely the holiday of a lifetime.
For honeymoon accommodation like Sophie's (Instagram: @sophiemichell) visit mrandmrssmith.com
