Friendly and fun-loving, full of history and culture, Thailand is a great holiday for families. Read our list of the best resorts in Thailand to start planning your next getaway.
Friendly and fun-loving, full of history and culture, Thailand is a great holiday for families. Read our list of the best resorts in Thailand to start planning your next getaway.
Standing directly on lovely Karon Beach, this resort offers a whole heap of fun for families including adrenaline-pumping water sports and its very own water park. Kayaking, windsurfing, water slides, dive lessons and a cliff-jumping platform, as well as the resort’s kids’ and teens’ clubs, ensure days on the resort grounds are filled with fun. Nearby, you’ll find some of the world’s most coveted dive sites and the vibrant local life of Phuket Town. Backed by lush green hills, the entire resort offers a feeling of seclusion, with luxurious villas offering the ultimate in privacy.
With four kiddie pools, three Jacuzzis, two bubbly water springs and a mini water slide, this luxurious resort, commanding the entire 850 metres of stunning Kata Noi Beach, is well-equipped for a splash-tastic getaway. The kids’ club can take care of your little ones from 9am to 5pm daily, offering a great program of activities and a menu specially curated for little tastebuds. Alternatively, grab the kids and organise a tour of some of the neighbouring islands with resort staff for a great day out. The resort’s spacious family suite offers a private balcony, views of the Andaman Sea and fun ship-shaped beds for little pirates.
With its lush tropical setting, this beachfront resort is just five minutes on foot from Jungceylon Shopping & Leisure Destination and right around the corner from Phuket’s busy night markets. In addition to a kids’ pool, there’s a dedicated toddler pool with fun slides and teens will love the Xbox 360 zone. The kids’ club caters for those between five and 10 years old across four different areas with arts, crafts and games on offer and three activities scheduled daily. Three nights a week, the club even runs late so that parents can enjoy a romantic evening together (perhaps a beach picnic?).
The highlights of a family stay in this luxe Khao Lak resort are the 20 pool-access studios designed just for families, where you’ll find individually controlled air conditioning, a DVD player and a mini fridge made all the better by 24-hour room service. The pool itself is lagoon-inspired and one of the longest in Southeast Asia, and the pool-side swim-up bar is best enjoyed in the solitude afforded by the resort’s babysitting services. Outdoor escapades include beach volleyball, tennis, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, mountain biking and snorkelling, and authentic Thai cuisine is a delicious wind-down. a main pool and separate kids’ pool, three tennis courts and poolside table tennis. Choose from five restaurants and bars, either as a family or make use of the hotel’s babysitting services to go solo.
This resort specialises in families, with a kids’ club running daily activities, three pool areas complete with three children’s pools, water slides and pool games. While they’re busy, parents will enjoy lounging beside (with perhaps a trip to the poolside bar). The hosted pool parties, football games and tennis matches help little ones make friends and take the pressure off parents, or in case of a rainy day, the E-zone is ready and waiting with fun video games. Take advantage of babysitting services to enjoy a Thai cooking class or yoga session.
Angsana Laguna Phuket is part of Asia’s first integrated resort, Laguna Phuket, and is perfectly placed along the shores of Phuket’s Bang Tao Bay in the island’s northwest. The 300-metre free-form pool winds its way through the resort for splashing fun, and the beaches are clean with pristine waters. Its laid-back atmosphere is perfect shelter from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet still close enough for action-packed expeditions. Rooms and suites can accommodate anywhere from two to eight guests, perfect for large families and small, and a range of restaurants, bars and in-room dining services leave you spoiled for choice.
This tranquil retreat is perched on the headland over the Andaman Sea and offers families rest, rejuvenation and connection in a beautiful setting. Age-grouped kids’ clubs cater to youngsters from four to 12 years, and babysitting is available on request for some adults-only time. Outdoor pools come in unheated and heated, or perhaps sweat out some stress in the sauna. Hire a few bikes and explore the region’s natural wonders, or spend a day speeding along on jetskis nearby.
Bangtao Bay is among Phuket’s most coveted addresses, and Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort boasts a premier beachfront setting. A variety of rooms and suites offer beautiful vistas, some looking directly onto the lagoon’s peaceful water. Balconies and black-out drapes are welcome luxuries, and essentials like a crib can be provided on request (as can video games, although you don’t necessarily need to tell the kids that one).The Koh Kids Club runs daily sessions in the mornings and afternoons with lunch provided, with pool games, painting and even Thai dancing on the menu. There’s also a dedicated kids’ pool, complete with 55-metre water slide.
The Phuket Beach location of Sunwing Kamala Beach is specially curated for families, fully contained with its own restaurants, entertainment programs and activities for all ages. More than 300 studios and family suites accommodate for families large and small, and beyond there are seven different pools to choose from with water slides. From the Royal apartments, you can even dive straight from the terrace into the pool, although parents might like to enjoy the sun lounges instead. The on-site restaurant Fino Restaurant & Grill loves catering for young ones and offers beach views, too.
Kids up to six years eat free and those from seven to 12 eat half-price in the on-site restaurants at this ultra-family-friendly getaway, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket. There’s a dedicated kids’ area in the main pool, daily water activities and special kids’ menus available. For tiniest tots, the resort will provide essentials like a crib and baby bath. Stay in the Family Plunge Pool villa for a really special getaway, or two- and three-bedroom family suites offer plenty of room to breathe with separate living areas ensuite bedrooms.
This resort is a charming blend of traditional Thai culture and modern, well-appointed comfort, its buildings sweetly acknowledging the area’s heritage but surrounded by pristine pools, connected by pathways that cleverly segregate the water. Activities and excursions abound in this island getaway, with everything from Buddhist temples for a touch of education for your littlies to traditional Thai dancing shows. Choose from Deluxe or Superior rooms, and the suites can even be connected to a Deluxe room for larger families. The ease doesn’t stop here, with archery (ages six and up) or flying trapeze (ages four and up) school included, taking pressure off parents to jam-pack itineraries themselves.
Hua Hin is which is famous for its for its royal legacy, beautiful beaches and golf courses, and this hotel is known for its great recreational facilities, including the region’s most enjoyable array of swimming pools, a giant water slide and the award-winning THE BARAI Spa. A 315-metre beach is all yours, and the resort’s Tour Desk can help families to make the most of their holiday here. 24-hour room service makes life easy, and a movie night invites families to cuddle under the stars with some fresh popcorn. Hyatt Regency Hua Hin is three hours by car from Bangkok, and an effortless luxury getaway for families.
It’s a tremendous achievement to have your property recognised by the people who matter most: the families who stay there. We love seeing how many wonderful options there are for travellers with kids in tow all across the world, and every year the list is expanding.
As you can probably imagine, it’s a massive job to compile the Top 10 each year, and the Holidays with Kids team has been hard at work for the last few months compiling all the survey responses and sorting them into categories.
Holidays with Kids was the first travel magazine in Australia to do readers’ choice awards all the way back in 2001, our editors are pretty much certified experts in this field.
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