Page 112 - Holidays with Kids - Volume 62 (January 2020)

THAILAND

Thailand

Two Ways

While Phuket remains an Aussie My granddaughter Ellie is chasing crabs, chortling with joy
family favourite, Thailand’s original as she bolts along the golden shoreline, the tiny
crustaceans scurrying sideways before disappearing with
beach resort Hua Hin is equally a pop, back into the safety of their sandy bubbles.
alluring, writes julie miller. The simple pleasures of beach life in Phuket – morning
walks along shimmering bays, sunset cocktails by the pool,
spicy meals in barefoot waterfront restaurants – linger in
memories long after a holiday at Thailand’s favourite
beach resort town, luring families back time and again.

01 A perennial favourite
With direct flights (Jetstar airways) from Australia, a huge
array of child-friendly resorts and a lively social scene,
Phuket continues to be the most popular choice for
Australians booking a beach holiday in Thailand.
Sure, there are plenty of other less-crowded, less-
commercial towns; but despite attracting more than eight
million visitors a year, Phuket is somehow vast enough to
weather the tourist storm, with surprising pockets of
tranquillity still to be found among the mayhem.
For those in search of peace and quiet, the far reaches of
the island – Cape Panwa in the south east and Mai Kao
and Nai Thon in the north west – offer respite from the
more populated beaches on the central west coast, such
as lively Kata, Patong and Karon.
A personal favourite is the integrated community of
Laguna on lovely Bang Tao Bay. Here you’ll find a selection
of luxury resorts including Angsana, Banyan Tree, Dusit
Thani, Sunwing Bangtao Beach and Outrigger, the
majority of which offer family-friendly facilities such as
kids’ clubs, swimming pools and beach clubs along with
an 18-hole golf course, boutique shopping and an outdoor
adventure training centre.
A break from the beach
If you can drag your children away from the pool or beach,
Phuket also boasts a wealth of family attractions, from
dinosaur-themed mini-golf to eco-kayaking in beautiful
Phang Nga Bay with John Gray’s Sea Canoe.
The Phuket Trickeye Museum is an interactive 3D
painting exhibition where you can plant yourself in the
midst of fantastical scenarios that make the ultimate photo
opportunity; while the Splash Jungle Water Park inside
the Grand West Sands Villa Resort guarantees gallons of
fun, with high-speed Aqua Tubes, a family raft ride and the
wild and dizzying Super Bowl.