Reviewed By:
Raewyn Jones
Travel Date:
November 2005
Two adults (mother and aunt) and two children (13 year old girl and 11 year old boy) went to Thailand for around two weeks from 29 October to 11 November 2005. After a long and rather arduous flight (on Thai Air, which was good, although it didn't have individual entertainment for kids), the Amari Airport Hotel was a good overnight stopover at Bangkok being conveniently linked to the airport by an airbridge.
Bangkok Airport is big but reasonably easy to navigate. Then an hour's flight north to the Royal Princess in Chiang Mai for five nights. While this hotel was of a lower standard than the Amari, the service was good and it was right in the middle of Chiang Mai. It has a small pool and good restaurants for the whole family. The famous and huge night markets are just outside the hotel, which made for easy shopping (huge variety of items - knick knacks, silk items, carvings, cheap DVDs etc etc). Adults and both children really enjoyed the shopping. Chiang Mai is quite easy for a family as it has numerous Western and Thai eating places, (watch for hygiene) and internet cafes. The foot massage place (enjoyed by all) was also a convenient laundry. Transport is easy and everyone laughed themselves silly on a wild (though slightly dangerous) tuk tuk ride through the streets. The Royal Princess-arranged driver was really pleasant and drove everyone around on two day excursions, one to the zoo and Doi Suthep temple, and secondly to the Mae Sa Valley to see an elephant show. Everyone enjoyed the two pandas in the zoo and Doi Suthep buddhist temple at the top of the hill is extremely impressive, with lovely carvings and a chedi covered with pure gold. The elephant tour was a real highlight, with the elephants, which are well cared for, putting on a show including dancing, acrobatics and even painting. Chiang Mai is recommended although even younger teenagers might need to be overseen at all times.
After that through a chaotic Chiang Mai airport two hours flight south to Phuket, to Laguna Beach Resort for eight nights. This is a very large resort, part of a complex of five hotels set around a lagoon near Bangtao beach, some 40 minutes drive from Phuket town and Patong. Because of this one is partially captive in the resort. However there are some cheaper restaurants on the beach and the restaurants in the Resort were good and not too expensive. Laguna Beach Resort has huge pools and a great slide, ideal for kids. There are plenty of free activities for families such as canoeing, and windsurfing and sailing lessons on the lagoon and archery lessons etc. There is free transport on the lagoon (which it is noted sometimes smelled a bit). There is a kids club though we can't advise much about that except to note that it had $15 per hour playstations! The cocktails at the resort were not as nice as in Fijian resorts. A real highlight of the hotel for the kids was a charming three year old (but 500kg!) elephant which they fed and rode each morning. The kids found the full day tour to Phang Nga (James Bond Island) too long, as was a day trip on a very hot day to Phuket town and dino park minigolf (the latter though being a good course for the kids). Everyone enjoyed the "Hongs by Starlight":trip with John Gray's Sea Canoes, where they were taken in canoes through tunnels to internal island lagoons, during daylight hours and at night. The Disney Style show Fantasea was also really enjoyed. Unlike Fijian resorts the kids had stayed at, one didn't feel comfortable to allow the kids the run of Laguna as there were various hawkers in and around the resort, and consequently the stay at this resort was not as relaxing as might have been hoped, but still good.
In conclusion there is quite a bit to recommend Thailand as a family destination, given the combination of Thai culture (temples and architecture), Thai food, shopping, and a friendly and helpful people combined with a westernised infrastructure for tourists. On the other hand it is a long flight which the kids mainly did not enjoy, the weather is warm to hot and rather humid in early November, and it is overall a less relaxing place than eg a Fijian holiday. Warning: On returning one of the adults found that a scam had been perpetrated with $9,000 being illegally withdrawn by some Thai merchant from their credit card. The highlights for the kids were the shopping and the elephants for the older girl, and the elephants and the waterslide at the Laguna for the younger boy. Overall an expensive but well worthwhile holiday.
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