Where in Phuket for a family holiday - Oct 2013?

[J381]

Going to Thailand in October this year with my wife and 18 month old son.
Both of us have never been to Thailand before.
We'd like to be fairly close to beaches and also somewhere there is a bit to do at night. Obviously won't be out partying but just somewhere with nice restaurants and other attractions we could see at night if we were out for a walk after dinner.

Where would be our best bet in Phuket?

Been having a look at this
http://www.phuket.com/hotel/recommendations-family...

[HonestIago]

Probably not Patong...

EDIT: For a family holiday are you sure you want to go in October? Probably one of the wettest months. I was there Sept 2011 and was very lucky with the weather but apparently Sept/Oct are very wet normally.

Edited by HonestIago on Tuesday 22 January 14:02

[Zod]

Difficult to recommend without a budget.

[J381]

I read that mid October onwards is very pleasant there as rain season is just ending? We're going mid October onwards...

Budget... £2000 for two weeks accommodation. However I could go more if need be.

Open to suggestions like going to Chiang Mai for 1 week, and then down to Phuket for 1 week.
Or any other places that would be worth us visiting?

Edited by J381 on Wednesday 23 January 06:16

[SimonMaidenhead]

Stayed in Kata, which is in the south of Phuket last time I was there. No wild night life but very safe to go out for a stroll and a beer in the evening.

[anonymous-user]

Any where, the seedy bits won't bother you if you don't bother them. Living in Asia my kids have gone Puckett since they where 5. A few years ago my son and I went together without Mum and sister, and we went in a few places he had never been, he actually said he was surprised as he had heard about these bars but never seen them, I said of course he hadn't he had always been there as a family before.
Phucket is what you want it to be great for families, and for a lads weekend away, I will be ridding up to Phucket bike week again this year, we will go into a few bars the wife will never see the inside of.

[C997]

Indigo Pearl is fantastic. I've been twice over the last few years and both times it was out of this world. Nice relaxed atmosphere and a gaggle of bars, restaurants and shops along the beach outside the hotel.

[J381]

C997 said:

Indigo Pearl is fantastic. I've been twice over the last few years and both times it was out of this world. Nice relaxed atmosphere and a gaggle of bars, restaurants and shops along the beach outside the hotel.

Is The Indigo Pearl near town and other attractions that we may want to visit?

How far is it from Phuket town?

[J381]

Has anyone been to Burma?

Is there anywhere else worth visiting, Cambodia etc?

Would flying to Chiang Mai, spending a few days there and then driving down to Phuket to be a good idea for a first family visit to Thailand?

Any other suggestions welcome.

[audidoody]

Dusit Thani Laguna at the Laguna Beach Resort is pretty good. Kid-friendly and excellent beach and facilities.

[robwilk]

quote=J381]Would flying to Chiang Mai, spending a few days there and then driving down to Phuket to be a good idea for a first family visit to Thailand?

Any other suggestions welcome.
[/quote]

I think that drive would be to much with a little one better to fly.
Another place we like is Hua Hin its a family type of place, no go-go places etc.
Its a bit quiet though and the beach is not that good if thats what you like .

[Nobby Diesel]

Putting wether conditions to one side, Chiang Mai is great and so are parts of Phuket.

I would avoid driving at all costs. It's a long way and there will be nothing to interest you or your child for many, many miles. It's about a 750 mile journey.

If you feel the need for some adventure, cosider using the rail network for some of your travelling. I've done it a few times and it's a great way to see the countryside and meet fellow travellers.

Phuket has some good areas. Kata, Karon, Bang Toa, Surin and Kamala to name a few.
Laguna is good for a family visit.
Le Meridien is pleasant and only a 10 minute tuk tuk hop from Patong and Karon. Very private beach.
Also consider Khao Lak, about an hour north of Phuket airport. It's got some great hotels, beautiful scenery and is on the up.

PM me if you want more.

[J381]

Thanks for the replies!

Anything else worth doing while we're there?

Will PM you just now.

[J381]

Thought I'd update this.

I've changed flights from October to mid November so we're now missing the worst of rainy season.

Still undecided on where to stay. I think we're going to take Chaing Mai out of the equation since we're travelling with our 18 month old son.

We're flying in to BKK so will be spending around 4-5 nights there, and then heading to Phuket for around 13 days.

Any suggestions on hotels, in Bangkok & Phuket? It must be of an extremely good standard since we'll have our son. I know accommodation will cost me a lot more than it has to, but the standard of the hotel is not something we'll skimp on.

I've read that the FairFX card is something to consider for money over there, but also cash is king.
Also I should avoid Bangkok train station toilets as well.

Any other general information that could be invaluable to a young family visiting Thailand for the first time?

[audidoody]

Any five-star hotel in BKK will be luxury beyond dreams!

The Skytrain is the easiest way to get around BKK. Air conditioned, cheap and carriages clean enough to eat your lunch off.

[cheddar]

A lot of Thailand's best areas have been spoilt by over commercialisation - I'd still pick Koh Samui or the quieter parts of Koh Phangan over Phuket, especially with a baby.

How about a villa - http://www.kohphanganholidayhomes.com/index.cfm?ac...

Or I've stayed here, nice beach, great pool, away from madness but only 15 mins from crazy Chaweng - http://www.santiburi-hotel.de/index.php/en/

And try this website for accommodation deals - http://www.sawadee.com/

[thehawk]

J381 said:

Would flying to Chiang Mai, spending a few days there and then driving down to Phuket to be a good idea for a first family visit to Thailand?

No, it's actually a very long way and the roads are challenging to say the least especially for a first timer. Not that the quality of them is bad, it's the other drivers, the weather, animals, the lack of freeways, police checkpoints etc.

For a family visit to Thailand my itinerary would be something like this.

Bangkok for a 2-3 days to get acclimatised, but also see temples, river cruise, shopping, aquarium for the kids etc.
Fly to Chiang Mai for a few days, markets, elephants, tiger farm etc
Then to a beach area.

We've always gone to Hua Hin, but this may be too quiet. I don't like Phuket at all (in particular Patong), far too expensive, too many foreigners and it's hard to find nice restaurants etc.

But if you go in October you should be able to get very good value accommodation, way below your budget.

This is a very good site to look for hotels on

http://www.sawadee.com/hotel/phuket/

[J381]

I'm thinking that 4 nights in Bangkok will be enough for us. Been looking at these two hotels last night;

http://www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com/ 700GBP for 4 nights.
http://www.oriental-residence.com/ 450GBP for 4 nights.

Both are a high standard with good location.

Chaing Mai looks great. I might put that back on the list. Checked flight times... 1 hour to Chaing Mai from Bangkok. 2 hours from Chaing Mai to Phuket.
What's my best bet with flights; book before I go or buy them when we're there?

[thehawk]

J381 said:

I'm thinking that 4 nights in Bangkok will be enough for us. Been looking at these two hotels last night;

http://www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com/ 700GBP for 4 nights.
http://www.oriental-residence.com/ 450GBP for 4 nights.

Both are a high standard with good location.

Chaing Mai looks great. I might put that back on the list. Checked flight times... 1 hour to Chaing Mai from Bangkok. 2 hours from Chaing Mai to Phuket.
What's my best bet with flights; book before I go or buy them when we're there?

Bangkok Hotels are generally amongst some of the best value in the world. Hard to go wrong with the more renowned ones. I'd definitely recommend looking at :

http://www.kempinski.com/en/bangkok/siam-hotel/wel... (beautiful pool area, great for kids - I think one of the best hotels in the world full stop)
http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/b...

Both the above I've stayed in for as low as 80GBP per night, you need to keep an eye out for deals.

Also can recommend the Renaissance, Centara at CentralWorld and the Pulman (the last two can be had for 60GBP per night)

For flights just keep an eye out for specials on www.thaiairways.com or airasia - you won't have any problem buying them when you are there at that time of year.

[Mankers]

cheddar said:

A lot of Thailand's best areas have been spoilt by over commercialisation - I'd still pick Koh Samui or the quieter parts of Koh Phangan over Phuket, especially with a baby.

How about a villa - http://www.kohphanganholidayhomes.com/index.cfm?ac...

Or I've stayed here, nice beach, great pool, away from madness but only 15 mins from crazy Chaweng - http://www.santiburi-hotel.de/index.php/en/

And try this website for accommodation deals - http://www.sawadee.com/

^ good advice here, phangan is far superior to Phuket, a real night and day difference. I would also reconsider spending 4 nights in Bangkok. I have been over 20 times. For a first visit 2 nights is more than enough, especially with a nipper. If it was me I would head to ko lipe, but the little one is prob too young to make that journey. Bkk > hat yai 1.5 hr flight > 1.5 hr taxi > 2.5 hr boat .