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.
Hidden in the secluded Kata Noi bay, Katathani Phuket Beach Resort is a private paradise. If an unspoiled beach or turquoise ocean isn’t your thing, the resort has you covered with six swimming pools, four kiddie pools and a mini water park that provides endless fun. The kids’ club offers activities from kite making to mini Masterchef, giving grown-ups time to enjoy the spa or try a cooking class of their own. For those looking to explore, staff can help you organise an unforgettable experience from trekking through the jungle to island-hopping. Otherwise, kick back and relax at the resort.
The Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket sits on beautiful Karon Beach, offering a quiet and relaxing holiday away from the bustle of Phuket Town. Ideal for families, the resort has a lazy river and water park in addition to several pools and a dedicated ‘cliff jumping’ platform for adventurous guests. There are dive lessons, windsurfing and kayaking on offer as well as a kids’ club with a dedicated teen zone to keep all ages entertained. Enjoy a meal together at one of the many restaurants the resort has on offer, or make use of the babysitting service for a romantic evening together watching one of Phuket’s famous sunsets.
With beachfront views and lush tropical surroundings, this Mövenpick property was always going to be a winner. The resort’s promise to put family first means a holiday here is fun for adults and kids alike, with a Little Birds Club to keep kids occupied as well as opportunities for parents to join in. Activities include Thai boxing and a resort eco-trail adventure. The resort covers all the bases when it comes to younger guests with a kids’ menu, strollers and night lights on offer to keep everybody smiling. With a beautiful spa, four restaurants and several swimming pools, guests are simply spoilt for choice.
A resort holiday destination is often judged by its pool – if we use that measure for Angsana Laguna Phuket, it’s a strong indicator that the rest of the resort is incredible. This free-form pool winds through the resort along 323 metres, complete with a lazily flowing river, an activity zone and an artificial beach. If your little ones finish exploring this watery wonderland, drop them off at the Treehouse Kids’ Club where they can play all day and even visit their kids’ spa.
Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles’, and this resort has decided to weave that into the fabric of its design. The kids’ club facilities are completely free and include a TV, Xbox360 and an arts-and-crafts area. Children aged five to 12 are able to join in on three daily sessions of specially selected activities, although some will incur an additional fee. The club is open three nights a week so a romantic dinner, or a few hours of extra sleep, are definitely on the cards.
The five-star JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa more than does its location justice, with beautiful villas, tropical gardens and sparkling outdoor pools to revel in. Families can take their pick from a range of fantastic activities available, ranging from a visit to the on-site turtle shelter to a culinary adventure learning the secrets of Thai cuisine. The treatments on offer for kids, couples and families at the Mandara Spa show the resort has thought of everything, offering the perfect excuse for some R&R after a busy day.
Tennis courts, swimming pools and golf facilities are all on offer at Club Med Phuket, a gorgeous resort with 320 rooms and suites to reside in. The list of activities to participate in is seemingly endless, but some cultural favourites are the Thai boxing classes and the Thai night, an evening performance which follows a day of immersive experiences such as Thai markets around the swimming pool. If you love a good green curry, perhaps a cooking class is the thing to do; learn how to create authentic Thai dishes and flavours, for ages 12 and up.
Meet Lollo the giraffe and Bernie the bear, the two popular characters that roam this resort and entertain excitable children. You’ll find them around the family friendly pools, at breakfast in La Tasca and of course, in Miniland, the Sunwing Resorts playground and playhouse. There are children-specific and family shows to enjoy through the high season, but if you want a night off, book in with the babysitting service and check out the local scene – there’s lots to explore!
Boasting one of the best panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand, InterContinental Koh Samui remains one of the best five-star beachfront accommodation offerings on the island. With numerous pools for guests to choose from – including an infinity pool with views of the surrounding mountains and a beach pool with a swim-up bar – and surrounded by azure seas and private white-sand beaches, this resort is as idyllic as they come. Guests can choose from cliffside or beachfront villas, and mum and dad can enjoy some free time while the little ones are at the Planet Trekkers Club, which puts on quirky activities such as Thai language lessons, umbrella painting, Thai boxing and batik painting.
Steps away from the Andaman Sea and the prized Surin Beach, beautiful sunsets and blissful relaxation await at this Novotel property. Designed to impress the whole family, it boasts a spa for you and the Siam Adventure Club for the kids. Take advantage of Kids’ World, an exclusive kids’ clubhouse, or visit the arcade, a state-of-the-art cinema room or the delicious ice-cream shop. Twice a week, the hotel hosts an hour-long foam party in the pool, with dancing encouraged – it’s guaranteed to tire out even the most energetic of children.
Deserving every one of its five stars, the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin offers up a 315-metre beach, a spa, a fitness centre and 213 rooms and suites. However, the real highlight of this luxe resort is the pool system, where large free-form pools interconnect through the resort and separate into three distinct areas. Adults might prefer the waterfall and Jacuzzi, while little ones will want to check out the beach pool or the seven-metre-high waterslide – there is something for everyone.
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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