Within the first five weeks of my arrival in Thailand, I had already spent two weekends at the beach. It’s just too easy and too fabulous. Four hours door to door, and I can be lounging on a beachside beanbag on the lovely little island of Ko Samet.

The first beach getaway was organized for teacher families from my school the weekend of August 11. It was a long weekend after our first week of school, and I felt super stressed that I should use that time to plan my lessons and get a grip on my new position as a middle school English Language Development (ELD) teacher. As the weekend approached, I repeatedly wrote and then deleted texts to the organizer with the intention to bail. Instead, I climbed aboard one of the vans, which took us to a speedboat, which buzzed across the Gulf of Thailand to deliver us to the island. There, we piled into songthaeos, partially enclosed pickup trucks with bench seats that serve as taxis, for the short ride to the hotel.

I joined another teacher for dinner by the water and then headed to bed. Rising before the sun, I walked down to the beach and let the surf roll over my feet. Each wave seemed to wash away another level of stress. I couldn’t believe I almost hadn’t made the trip!

My daily walk and sunrise scenery.

I spent most of the weekend here, reading my book on a beanbag lounge chair at the Reef Bar & Restaurant. I only had to stand up and turn around to order food, a fresh coconut, or cocktails from the bartender.

A few steps from my beanbag, several ladies had set up beachfront massage tables. Here, I’m getting a foot massage.

After three nights, I felt rejuvenated. What a treat! As the saltwater spray kissed my face on the speedboat trip back to the mainland, I felt deep gratitude for such a special weekend.

Despite knowing how restorative this was, I felt the same anxiety creeping in as the next scheduled beach weekend approached. A bit overwhelmed with the minutiae of my new life and job, I toyed with skipping. However, this was a ladies weekend, and I was still trying to find my tribe. I knew FOMO would rule the day. And so, I jumped in another van for another trip to Ko Samet the weekend of Aug. 25.

Check out the gold and bling of this van’s interior.

Sure enough, my sunrise walk replaced my stress with bliss. I landed on the same beachbag lounger and essentially repeated the previous weekend, only with a few different faces. Sunrise strolls and then: read, eat, chat with new friends, swim in the sea, get a massage, repeat.

One night, we popped over to the other side of the island for the sunset. It was a little anticlimactic thanks to the overcast skies, but it was fun to hang out with this lovely group.

At the pier on the way home, I saw this unusual lady. Not sure who she’s meant to be, but she cracked me up.

Now that I know how easy and rewarding it is to treat myself with an island getaway, I plan to do this more often. And I’ll take Tony with me next time!