Koh Samui With Children

Of all the places we visited on our Asian Adventure, Koh Samui on Thailand's gulf coast was the most traditionally child friendly.  We reached the island via ferry from Chumphon (the ferry stops at the three islands, Koh Tao, Koh Phanghan and Koh Samui) but there is also an airport on the island which we flew out from.  Samui has many beaches, each with their own personality so you can choose where to stay based on your priorities.  We chose the quieter and more family friendly Bophut beach because the hotels looked well designed for young families and it was walking distance to fisherman's village.  Everywhere on the island is reachable in under one hour though so wherever you pick to stay, it is easy to get around.

A big part of our week on the island was relaxing as we had just travelled down the coast and we were flying on from Koh Samui to Vietnam, but we managed to fit in quite a bit during our week as well so I wanted to share the family friendly activities we loved (and some that we didn't manage to fit in but looked great for another trip).

Stand up Paddle boarding

The sea was calm and warm and ideal for stand up paddle boarding.  We saw multiple places to hire them but we rented one from our hotel (it worked out around £6 for two hours) and took it out on the sea. The children all loved sitting on the board as I paddled out and Dylan spent the most time on there floating around the bay.  

Temples

Not too far from Bophut beach are two incredible temples, Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem, both of which are worth a visit with kids (and they are walking distance from each other).  Big Buddha stands tall and you can walk around the outside ringing bells. Wat Plai Laem has many parts and as well as admiring the art, size and beauty of the structures, we also loved watching the turtles swimming around as the temple is set out on a lake.

Na Muang Waterfall

There are two waterfalls, Na Muang 1 and Na Muang 2 (accessible via a short hike).  We visited only the first one after getting dropped off in a taxi next to a field of elephants.  It is a beautiful waterfall and so cool and refreshing to swim in!

Beach Hopping

There are so many beaches to choose from on Koh Samui and if you had longer, you could try a new one every day.  We loved Silver Beach which was a smaller beach with white sand and crystal clear water. We accessed it through a hotel which served chips and ice creams on the beach and we loved spotting fish in the shallow waters. The sea was shallow for a long stretch making it ideal for young children wanting to splash about.

Speed boat trip

One of the best days of our whole holiday was a speed boat snorkelling trip we did from Koh Samui.  We visited the islands Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan and snorkelled in wonderfully clear waters. We took it in turns to hold the baby but the children were all confident swimming out with the life vests that were provided and it was an incredible experience. Our trip was with Mr Tu and we were picked up from our hotel and dropped back afterwards and the price we paid included lunch at a beachfront restaurant on Koh Tao and soft drinks on the boats.

Fisherman's Market

Located along Bophut beach is Fisherman's market. An interesting place to wander during the day, but most alive on a Wednesday and Friday evening with the night markets.  There are tons of food and drink stalls as well as some seating and live music to enjoy as you eat, and there are all manner of souvenir to admire alongside the clothing stalls.  It was a busy market but much calmer than those in Bangkok. We enjoyed trying new food and drink and buying some treats.

Coco Tam's Fire Show

We discovered Coco Tam's whilst at the night market but ended up going back again as the children enjoyed the fire show so much and wanted to show their dad.  On twice a night, it is worth getting there early to ensure a space.  The tables are situated along the beach with giant beanbags around and all facing down to the sea.  As well as drinks you can get snacks including chicken nuggets and chips and the bar stools are all swings which we loved.  The fire show is entertaining and was a huge highlight of our stay for all four of the children.  The performers made fire halos around peoples heads which they couldn't get enough of.  The show is free but the drinks and snacks are expensive for the area - definitely worth it for the performance.

Other Ideas 

Elephant Sanctuary

I had hoped we would visit one of the ethical elephant sanctuaries on the island where you can learn more about the magnificent animals, prepare food and get close to them, but my tribe chose to skip this in favour of more water based activities.

Ang Thong Marine Park

This is another speed boat snorkelling trip to the Ang Thong marine park.  We had trouble deciding between this trip and the Koh Tao one we did as both looked very good (and very similar).  If we had longer we would have considered a second snorkelling trip.

Scuba Diving

For older children and adults, the snorkelling trips are also available as scuba diving trips.  If you are interested in diving though, it might be better to base yourself on Koh Tao where lots of diving courses are run

Island Hopping

The ferry goes between the three main islands on the gulf coast and takes only half an hour to Koh Phanghan and 1.5 hours to Koh Tao.  Both islands can be done as a day trip or you can stay on them.  Koh Phanghan is where the famous full moon parties are held. Each island has its own personality and so much to see but we decided to concentrate on one island during this trip.    `

Koh Samui is such a child friendly place to visit, especially if you pick the right area and hotel.  We stayed in the Ibis Bophut and it was well set up for families with connecting rooms, a small playground, swimming pools and a private beach as well as a great breakfast buffet!

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5 Things to do with Children in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a common starting point for exploring south east Asia as the airport has many flight routes from around the world.  We arrived in the late afternoon and had pre-booked our hotel and transfers to make things easier, but we started to get a sense of how vibrant the city was as we drove through.  As with many big cities, there are different districts and areas and the one we stayed in had plenty to see within walking distance as well as being close to lots of places we wanted to visit.

Bangkok is associated more with 20 year old backpackers than young families but we were excited to see the city and it was a great place to adjust to the culture shock of a new continent as it was easy to find western comforts like McDonalds and soft play centres but there was so much that was unique to Thailand too.

If you are planning a trip to Bangkok with young children, here are five things you could do as a family.

1) Check out the Night Markets

Thailand is known for its night markets and Bangkok has some of the most famous including Chatuchak, Rod Fai and Chang Chui.  The night markets sell everything from clothing to toys and my children loved having a few baht to buy themselves a souvenir.  Bartering is a part of life here and we encouraged them to get involved too.  As well as shopping, some of the best food is available at the night markets and it is an inexpensive way to try new things.  Main meals are available but so is freshly cooked corn on the cob, fruit smoothies in every flavour and some more obscure snacks.  I was happy buying a few interesting looking dishes for the children to try at the markets rather than in a restaurant as it wasn't a problem if they didn't like them.

2) Central World - Playmondo and ride ons

We wanted to encourage our children to eat what the local children would, but it was all in balance and that meant we were also inevitably going to try Thai McDonalds.  There are several shopping malls that are bigger than anything we have come across in the UK and we picked Centralworld to visit.  We all appreciated the air conditioning and there was every shop you could think, spread over several floors.  What we really wanted to find though was Playmondo.  It was the cleanest soft play we have visited with so many staff on the play floor keeping it clean and safe.  It was also the most expensive soft play we have ever visited which was a bit of a shock considering how much cheaper most things are in Thailand! 

There was an enormous ball pit, a small climbing wall and sunken trampolines as well as usual play centre equipment. There was a smaller area with colouring and crafts too which Cora enjoyed.  Just outside Playmondo were electric ride on animals that you could rent and ride around the mall and these were a big hit with my gang too.  There was also a small arcade area next door to Playmondo.  My children love trying out a new soft play and it gave me a chance to sit quietly with a coffee.

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3) Lumpini Park 

There are a few green spaces in Bangkok but we visited Lumpini park which is very central and there was lots to keep children entertained.  On our way in there were men selling fish food and we eventually found the fish who jumped enthusiastically and open mouthed to eat the food we threw in.  There are roughly 400 monitor lizards (between 1 and 3 metres long) roaming the park and my children were convinced they were actually baby dinosaurs. There is a large population of turtles too although we didn't spot any.

The park has walkways around a large lake, a big playground, sports courts and an outdoor gym as well as some public toilets next to it all (not something we saw a lot of).  As it gets dark, the paths are lined with joggers who follow a one way track around the park .  The artificial lakes have swan pedalo boats you can hire for a really reasonable price too.

Lumpini park is the perfect escape from a hot, busy city and is easy to get to via BTS or taxi as well as being walking distance from Centralworld.

4) Take them to see some Temples

It seems a shame to go all the way to Thailand and not take in some of the incredible temples.  You can't avoid seeing the small shrines and there are temples everywhere but there are some really impressive ones that are definitely worth a visit and Bangkok has plenty to chose from.  The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun . . . Depending on your interest, you can either choose one or two and find your own way there, or hire a taxi or tuktuk for a few hours and ask them to take you round to see a few. They sometimes come with small entrance fees but each one has so much to see and the giant buddhas, intricate architecture and vibrant paintings are fascinating for all ages.  

5) Khao San road

Famous as being the hub for backpackers, this is where I stayed when I visited many years ago and I have vivid memories of this street. Lined with pubs, bars and shops selling souvenirs, it was the best place to get cheap food in the day and party at night. It has been hit rather hard by Covid and it didn't have quite the same atmosphere, but it was a fun street to explore with children and a great place to do some shopping.  The children all spent some holiday money here and we tried different fruit smoothies from the stalls I remember visiting when I rolled out of bed in the mornings too. 

Khao San road was in a different part of Bangkok to where we were staying so it gave us a new and less built up area to explore away from our hotel as well.  I imagine staying here after dark there would be a lot more atmosphere, but it is definitely worth a trip with children to go shopping and enjoy some drinks.

I had planned so much more for our time in Bangkok but of course it was never going to be long enough!  If you are staying longer and want more ideas then check out

Pororo Aqua Park

Siam Amazing Park

A trip to Kanchanaburi

The floating Markets

Visit Ayutthaya

Elephant Sanctuaries

Sealife Centre Bangkok

A boat trip down the river

and so much more!

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2.5 Weeks in Thailand - Our Family Travel Itinerary

We spent nearly five weeks in South East Asia with our five children and I have had lots of requests to share our itinerary so this is the first part, our 2.5 weeks in Thailand.  Our trip was a mix of lots of research and plenty of flexibility as we made decisions on the road about what we would do and what pace we would move at.  When we were thinking about doing a bigger activity or trip, we sat down as a family to look at the options and we decided together which one we wanted to do. I will note some other activities that we missed in some locations  that I would have loved to do if we had more time! 

Bangkok

We flew into Bangkok and made sure we had 5 days there to acclimatise to the heat, culture and time zone.  We stayed in Travelodge Sukhumvit 11  which was a fantastic hotel with family rooms, free buffet breakfast and a rooftop pool.  There were plenty of places we could walk to and getting to other parts of the city was cheap.

In Bangkok we visited 

• Some temples (easily assessible via taxi or tuktuk). Look at The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and Wat Indharaviharn
• Shopping centres including Centralw0rld which has the soft play centre 'Playmondo'.  Terminal One is another fantastic shopping mall.
• Khaosan road, the backpacker haven which has plenty of places to shop and drink.
• Asiatique on the river front - This wasn't our favourite area though but there are plenty of places to eat and drink as well as some fairground rides.
• We explored some of the smaller night markets around our hotel, there are so many to choose from.
• Lumphini Park, where you can feed the crazy fish, see the Monitor lizards up close, ride pedalos and play in the brilliant playground.
• Lots of time swimming in the hotel pool, admiring the skyline and adjusting to the heat.

If we had more time in Bangkok then I would have loved to do more of the night markets, specifically Chatuchak, and some of the floating markets.  Pororo is a water park on top of a shopping centre that we had considered too.  You can read more about our time in Bangkok here

Hua Hin

We got a private taxi to Hua Hin as it worked out not much more than a train when we needed to pay for 6 people, and we stayed at Subhamitra Hotel.  The hotel is a great location for exploring on foot and we could walk down to the beach easily as well as being only two minutes walk from the night market which we loved.  We had Thai massages at the night market, ate at fresh seafood restaurants and enjoyed the more chilled atmosphere after Bangkok In Hua Hin there are two water parks but we decided to visit Black Mountain which was a 15 minute taxi ride away.

We arranged a private taxi down to our next destination too as it worked out a similar price to paying for trains and transfers and we could stop as much as we wanted on the journey.  For smaller groups or to save a few pennies there is a train service that runs between these locations. We arranged the transport the day before we wanted to travel through local companies.

Chumphon

In Chumphon we stayed at  De Sea Almond.  We had picked a hotel right on the seafront and it was a very quiet area where nobody spoke English.  If you need a bit of time out then this is a great area as the beach is beautiful and great for collecting shells and the food is cheap.  It is also close to the ferry pier to get to the gulf coast islands which is why we chose this area.  We only had one night here so we didn't do much other than enjoy the beach and have a little walk.

From Chumphon you can catch the ferry to the three gulf coast islands, Koh Tao (the smallest, best for scuba diving), Koh Phanghan (best known for the full moon parties) and Koh Samui (the largest).  We booked our ferry tickets at our hotel the night before we wanted to leave.  It took us around 3 hours to get to Koh Samui and we had decided because of Ed working, it made more sense for us to just pick one island and have a base for a bit longer rather than hopping between them.

Koh Samui

In Koh Samui we stayed at  Hotel Ibis Bophut, a seafront hotel on Bophut beach.  The hotel had three pools, a laundry room, gym, restaurant and private beach as well as table tennis area and a small playground and is ideal for families with the interconnecting rooms. We spent a whole week here which gave us plenty of time to make the most of the pools and beach (which offers very reasonably priced rentals of stand up paddle boards and kayaks.  Other things we did in Koh Samui were:

• Walk down to Fisherman's village to explore the night market (on Wednesdays and Fridays)
• Watch the fire show (twice) at Coco Tam's on Bophut beach.  This is a beautiful beach bar with beanbag seating on the beach. We had drinks and snack plates of chicken nuggets and chips here.
• A full day snorkelling speed boat trip with Mr. Tu. We were picked up from our hotel for a trip that took us snorkelling at two locations at Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan as well as lunch at another beach. This is our favourite day in Thailand so if you have water loving kids don't miss out on this trip!
• Saw the temples Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem. Make sure you either cover up shoulders and knees or borrow one of the free kimonos to be respectful.  It is about 10 minutes walk between the two and there are plenty of places to get cold drinks and food at both.
• Went swimming in Na Muang 1 waterfall. It is cold and so refreshing and we could see elephants on our way in and out of the area.
• Went beach hopping.  We saw a few but Crystal Cove/Silver Beach was our favourite.  Accessed through a hostel and café, it is a smallish beach with white sand and crystal clear water and we had fish swimming around us. 
• Walked around Chaweng at night.  There are lots of amazing restaurants (If you want great quality western food then The Hungry Wolf did what Ed described as the best burger he had ever had).  This is a good area to watch a cabaret show too.

Other things I would have loved to fit in on Koh Samui would be a visit to an ethical elephant sanctuary (One that does not allow riding on or bathing with the elephants), however the children just weren't as interested as I thought they would be.  If we had more time then a day trip to Ang Thong, a national marine park would have been top of our list too for more snorkelling.  Visiting the other islands properly as well would have been lovely - it takes only half an hour on the ferry to Koh Phanghan.

You can read more about our time in Koh Samui here

We spent 2.5 weeks in Thailand between these four destinations and I think Koh Samui was our favourite place, probably as it is the most traditional holiday type place. Koh Samui has its own airport which has flights to and from Bangkok and other parts of Thailand (we had to transfer through Bangkok when leaving).  There is a ferry service that runs from Koh Samui over to Surat Thani on the mainland too if you want to continue exploring Thailand or head down to Malaysia. 

Thailand is such an incredible country to explore with children and everywhere we went was so child friendly.  Each city and area had a unique personality and we only saw such a small part of it.  Please ask any questions about our itinerary or travelling in Thailand with kids either here or over on social media

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After Thailand we flew to Vietnam and you can read our Vietnam family travel itinerary here

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