Thailand, Laos & Cambodia

[Grenville]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

[Corona Man]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

Phuket

[Grenville]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

Phuket

Cheers CM, any resorts you can recommend?

[Corona Man]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

Phuket

Cheers CM, any resorts you can recommend?

Centara. Patawolonga Pirate can help you out.

[Wedgie]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

Think about spending some time up north near the airport if you go to Phuket. When I took my kids we stayed a week up there and they loved it as we were right near a water park that is almost empty for half the day.
We also stayed a week on the esplanade at Karon in the Moevenpick so the kids could do a bit of shopping.
Definitely don't take them to stay at Patong but worth a visit. Another good option is Kata Beach (the northern one).
Definitely don't take them to Bangkok or Pattaya.

[Grenville]

Cheers lads, much appreciated.

[Wedgie]

You can do heaps of awesome day trips from Phuket with kids that age too.
Speed boat to Phi Phi, canoeing around the Hong's in Phang Nga a must.
Only think I ****** up on was taking the kids on a white water rafting trip (mine were similar age to what yours are now) and my daughter who was the eldest fell out of the boat, the boat behind grabbed her out of the water quick smart though but was scary.
We only did it because when we did the same thing the trip before it was pretty tame and enjoyable but we got some kamikaze paddlers when the kids went with us intent on hitting every rock possible.
Trips to see monkeys, elephants, etc. Go Kart, Zoos, etc if that's your thing.

There's a bazillion other things to do with kids that age on Phuket but at the end of the day most kids that age are happy just with a pool in a resort so find a hotel that has a pool bar!

Only let them swim at the beach if you're there December to Feb.

The Thai people love looking after western kids, we had a bloke at our first resort who was happy to play snooker with my son for hours on end.

[PatowalongaPirate]

Thinking about the possibility of taking the family to Thailand next year (kids will be aged 9 and 11), any suggestions?

Phuket

Cheers CM, any resorts you can recommend?

Centara. Patawolonga Pirate can help you out.

We just had 8 nights at Centara Resort Karon Beach. Location is excellent with food, drinks, shopping, massage etc all just outside the front gate. The resort itself is a beauty. We stayed in a Cabana which had a courtyard with a plunge pool and sun lounges, very private. Junior Pirate (almost 4yrs old) had an absolute ball in the pool and down the waterslides. The kids club was awesome too and it's available all day around the resort doing various activities ie soccer, painting, craft, water polo. Food was really good whether it be breakfast or a themed buffet dinner. We found a couple of restaurants on the main street that do great local food at an even better price.

The resort also has an offer when you check in - pay them 10,000 Baht (about $400.00 AUD) for use as a resort credit and they will add an extra 5,000 Baht to your account. This could be a good thing for a family of four depending on how long you want to stay.