Thailand family holiday

extremedeal on 19/09/2013 - 17:43

So my family and I are staying for two weeks in Thailand in February 2014. Tickets already booked flying into Phuket ($390 per person thanks to ozbargain!). Now just have to find accomodation…

Looking to stay in a nice resort (doesn't have to be cheap), with the beach close by (no roads needed to cross to get there) and somewhere away from the nightlife of Patong , but perhaps still close to some shops. There will be four of us and as children are 17 and 14, we will probably need 2 rooms (perhaps connected). Multiple pools and buffet breakfast are also on the cards :)

Hoping this will be a holiday to relax, and do nothing but lounge around by the pool ;)

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Travel

Comments

  • Benicio on 19/09/2013 - 18:12

    Head on over to tripadvisor for answers to every and any question you could have for your trip.

    If you have young kids - get out of Phuket and into the Thailand countryside as soon as possible. Phuket is NOT indicative of beautiful Thailand.

    • extremedeal on 19/09/2013 - 22:17

      I realise that tripadvisor has lots of info, but tbh its really overwhelming! Any specific resort recommendation (less than $250 per night/per room as we are looking at getting 2 rooms)?

  • anna10 on 19/09/2013 - 18:28

    and keep the kids away from anything like this - a parents nightmare :

    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/aust…

  • letmecry on 19/09/2013 - 18:36

    I think you should stay in Phang-Nga or Krabi for a family trip, just check it out on the internet.
    Most hotels offer buffet so don't worry much about it. But street stalls might offer more variety and cheap food.

    Phuket is more tourists, party and night life.
    If you are going to spend most of the time in the hotel, you should find some places that not in the city like Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa.

  • battler on 19/09/2013 - 21:13

    try also khao lak, just a tad further north of the airport than patong is to the south.

    2 weeks in patong will drive you crazy. suggest possibly you look at 2 locations, week each.

    • extremedeal on 19/09/2013 - 22:15

      good idea, will look into this!

  • edisonAU on 20/09/2013 - 01:24

    I also recommend Khao Lak. We went there for honeymoon for a week in 2007. It is nice and quiet there away the hustle of Phuket. We stayed at Le Meridian Khao Lak and loved it. Price of the hotels there are cheaper than Phuket. But we also stayed at Patong for 3 nights afterwards just to see what Phuket is all about.

  • pebee47 on 20/09/2013 - 08:15

    No to Krabi: kids(?) will drive you crazy, not enough for them to do.
    Depends on what you want: The full 5 star "experience" or a place to crash at night with brekky thrown in. We stayed at Holiday Inn (part of deal) with 12 & 17yr old daughters. Very nice hotel, but small rooms and not a very "local" feel, and full of German sea-lions around the pool all day. We went out and about every day so didn't bother us.
    Other alternative: book 2 double rooms or quads for extra space at a good Back Packers. They usually have great little cafes for meals all around them, plus use the kitchen for coffee/tea. Big plus is you get to chat to b-p's from around the world and they certainly know where the good spots to go are. And lie on the beach all day if that is your thing.

  • ebosh on 20/09/2013 - 10:35

    Short answer = Phuket is great, Patong is not. The south end of Karon Beach is great, and so is Kata Beach (further south again). Plenty of nice hotels to pick from, plenty of nice restaurants at all price ranges, plenty of shops. Phuket is also close enough to other islands that a 2-3 day island hopping trip is not out of the question.

    Long answer…

    The wife and I have stayed at the Horizon Karon Resort 3 times over the last 7 years and each time has been great. Easy walking distance to nice little shanty-style restaurants at the bottom of the hill, and also close to shops and nicer places to eat (read: more expensive but still cheap in the grand scheme of things). Depending on the hotel policy, you could all stay in the Club-Wing (young children aren't allowed in the Club-Wing) which has a nicer, quiet pool and better rooms. If morbid curiosity gets the better of you, the hotel (and I assume most hotels that aren't in Patong) also has a free shuttle to Patong throughout the day. We have never been, but have not heard anything positive about it.

    Karon Beach isn't the best for swimming unless you are a confident swimmer, but a 10 minute walk gets you to Kata Beach which is where we spent the majority of our beach time. The water is much calmer, and the beach is much nicer.

    Typing this out makes me want to go back…would have pulled the trigger on the cheap flights myself if we hadn't just returned from 2 weeks on Koh Chang.

    Feel free to PM me for more info

  • kingofduck on 03/10/2013 - 01:55

    Have a look from here too (especially the first post told that you can use this deal up to March 2014):
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/118256

  • kimmylala on 08/10/2013 - 08:48
    +1

    I say for 5 days of your trip you should stay at phi phi island, It's a 2 hour boat ride from phuket (cost $30 p/p). I stayed at the holiday inn at phi phi island and there was soo much to do (scuba diving, snorkeling, island visit ect..), we hired a boat from jasmine restaurant (next to holiday inn) for a whole day to take us to different islands and the main village of phi phi (cost $50-60). Be sure to visit Jasmine restaurant run by the sea gypsies and go to the pad thai lady on the main village of phi phi.

    • pasey25 on 10/10/2013 - 22:24

      I also stayed here and if was the highlight of my trip to Thailand

      Absolutely no nightlife though

      • kimmylala on 12/10/2013 - 10:08

        Did you stay at the Holiday inn? At the end of the day I generally had a massage, went to either the sunset or beach front bar (where they generally have some entertainment) and fell asleep like baby

  • beejay1177 on 12/10/2013 - 15:16

    extremedeal - you have noted that you want that you will not need to cross the road to get to the beach. I am wondering what is your reason for this? You are severely limiting your choices in this regard. Kata Beach Resort may be one of your few options, as most resorts you will need to cross at least one road for. I also recommend the Kata Beach area for you, have travelled there 5 times now and love it.

    I am also a bit concerned that you have noted you only want to be around the pool, but as you have teenagers you may need to find things to do. You have stated money is no problem, maybe somewhere like Club Med in Kata Beach may be suitable? (Note I have not stayed there but have walked past many times).

  • MITM on 13/10/2013 - 23:38

    Bang Tao Beach (north of Patong) is full of Uber luxury resorts ON the beach and not too far by limo from the airport. There is a continuos shuttle bus between all the resorts, so you can go to a different hotel for dinners/lunch/swim etc or get a hotel pick-up from a local restaurant. (My tip is Tony Restaurant, on the beach)
    Look up Dusit Laguna Thani Resort and Google Earth to view the entire area - in fact the entire Phuket coastline from north to south is interesting from above.
    The southern beaches are a bit of a hike away and mildly polluted.

    Make sure you bget to launch a paper lanten one night, on most resort activities lists.

    Hire a car for the day (24hrs) when your ready (ie relaxed and brave enough), and drive down the coast road to Patong for a days shopping etc, and park undercover in the big shopping centre all day. (Free parking if you have a purchase receipt from a retailer) Here you get superb $10 facials etc. Stay into the evening to see a bit of the local night life in the laneways and the beachfront before heading back home.
    My tip: Firstly drop all your laundry at a local laundry and pick it up pressed next morning, along with supermarket groceries/supplies before the car is due back/expires.
    Arrange car to be delivered/picked up from your hotel.

    You might want to repeat in your second week - just for the shopping !! (and laundry run)

    You'll also want to get out for a day, either into the jungle with the elephants and monkeys or to James Bond Island for stunning scenery - not as far from the northern beaches (saving hours) as opposed to the southern beaches.

    And yes, changing resorts to mix up your holiday is a great idea - hire a private limo/driver for that day so you get some sight seeing in too. (He'll protect your luggage meantime) as you move from one resort to the next. Check with your limo driver from the airport or I can give you our drivers details.

    Wish I were you.

    • ryanlundie on 14/10/2013 - 00:00

      I also stayed at Bang Toa beach at the Movenpick resort, it was amazing. The only negative is there is relatively nothing to do in the area. My favorite restaurant was Lotus, it is a bit pricey but the food is absolutely amazing!

      • MITM on 14/10/2013 - 00:39

        Yes, we wandered through Movenpick - spectacular. DTL half the price currently.
        There's the new "Adventure Mini Golf" a taxi ride away at the south end of BT for a teenagers day out (parents day in) alas, it was closed when we found it.
        Agreed, a few days planned off-site is necessary - but, the bliss of repeatitive boredom with a new book.

  • ozf1 on 14/10/2013 - 00:28

    Clubmed, lots of activities for your kids, and you and wife can do as much or as little as you want, all inclusive (including basic spirits!), I would also recommend reconsidering the crossing road bit. Clubmed have 'sales' frequently, I believe they have one right now (advertised on the Sunday Herald Sun).

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join