Desert Island Birthday

Our lovely day of celebrations for Sue's birthday has finally drawn to a close...

Hannah, Kate and I worked hard with little surprises for the birthday girl throughout the day, aided and abetted by the wonderful staff at our little resort: Dee, Aimee, Guru and Patrick.  We were so touched by the way they wanted to be included in creating a memorable day.  From the special delivery of hard boiled eggs at breakfast, along with a napkin on which the chef had written a birthday message, to the playing of "Happy Birthday Princess" (from The Little Mermaid). The morning was lovely, then we  had our boat trip to Makut followed by a long rest on the sun loungers, before we got ready for dinner.

With help from the girls, we took Sue on a beach walk by torchlight.  It was magical as fireflies danced around our lights and a large monitor lizard stomped disgruntledly into the undergrowth!  As the waves lapped the shore, Sue and the girls were distracted by using a star chart app to identify constellations and also Mars and Saturn.  Meanwhile, my bright idea to light some candles gave me burnt fingers as the lighter flame flickered in the breeze!

 

Finally we made our way back to Melina Beach where Sue was escorted to her birthday table - decorated by Aimee, Dee and Guru - with a white cloth, balloons, menus and place names.  A sheet with birthday wishes in English, Malaysian and Indian was presented before our orders were taken and we soon tucked into our second main meal of the day!!

The final surprise was a beautifully decorated chocolate cake being carried towards us by the staff followed by all of the other guests singing "Happy Birthday".  I'm not sure whether Sue cried as I was wiping away my own tears!

Earlier Hannah had given out handwritten invitations asking fellow guests to join us in singing happy birthday to Sue after dinner.  She had even written one in French, bless her, and given it to a young couple who were completely charmed by it.

What a lovely end to the birthday celebrations, washed down with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc in the balmy night air as we giggled and shared highlights of the day at our table on the soft sand.