Phuket is a popular location for backpackers and young adults looking for a boozy, sun filled trip, however, this island destination also makes a great spot to head to with kids for a family bonding vacation! Here’s why:
An Awesome Selection of Rental Villas
Phuket villa rentals make a great way to experience the area in unsurpassable comfort.
When traveling with kids, renting a home really is the way to go. No more grouchy senior citizens complaining about your kids cheerful yells as they cannonball into the hotel pool, because in a rented villa, the pool is all yours!
Got a picky eater? A rented vacation villa means you’ve got your very own private kitchen, and (in most cases, especially if you’re willing to pay) your very own private chef!
If you’ve got young children that still nap and need early bed times, the best part of renting a home is that you can plug in your monitor, and then go enjoy another part of the house while your child peacefully sleeps in their own room. Any traveling parent knows the perils of silently sitting in the dark for three hours each day at noon while your child naps in the hotel room.
More resources: Elephant sanctuary treads new ground in Phuket
Great Weather
The island of Phuket is in a temperate zone, and this vacation destination has a pretty typical tropical monsoon climate. September and October are the rainy months for the island, and apart from those two months, you’re pretty much guaranteed sunshine for your vacation.
Everyone wants nice weather while they travel, but I think this counts even more for parents of young kids. Being cooped up in a hotel room while it pours rain outside and your toddler flings your carefully packed clothes around the room isn’t exactly what you had in mind for your precious vacation days amiright? (on a similar note, this is another great reason to skip to hotel and rent a vacation villa)
Great Beaches
Beaches are one of those fabulous things that both kids and parents love! And Phuket is full of great ones. Kata Beach is an awesomely family friendly beach (so much so in fact, that Club Med has set up a resort across the street from the beach). The sand is nice and fine and pale, and the bay features shallow water, which is great for wading youngsters. The beach also has a lot of local shops set up around it, and everything from boogie board rental, to food vendors selling yummy fried rice are a dime a dozen. Towards the southern side of the beach visitors can find quite a few nice restaurants too.
Nai Harn Beach, which connects to the Nai Harn Lagoon is another good family friendly beach spot. The beach itself is laidback and a bit less crowded then some of the other beaches in the area, and it features some useful amenities such as rental sunchairs. The highlight though, is the Nai Harn Lagoon, which has a nice playground with all the classics such as swings and slides, a great picnic spot, and the lagoon waters offer a calmer place to swim for kids too young for ocean waves.
Fun Kid-Friendly Activities
Phuket isn’t just fun for partying college students, and the island actually features child-friendly activities galore. A great example is the popular Splash Jungle Water Park which covers over 6,400 square meters of land with slides, rides, a lazy river, and even a few designated calmer areas for toddlers. Lifeguards are on duty too!
For slightly older kids, the Mid-Air Circus Arts Academy is a stop well worth making. Here, aspiring trapeze artists learn to fly through the air before falling onto a bouncy net. This is an activity your kids won’t forget!
Got older kids or teens in tow? Take your kiddos Zorbing at Rollerball and you’re sure to put a huge smile on their face! Here, visitors step into a huge (3 meter!) inflated ‘zorb’ (a double sectioned ball, partly filled with water, and with a tunnel type cabin inside for riders) and then roll down a 190m long hill! Adrenaline rush and laughs are practically guaranteed.
Surf House Phuket is great because the kids can have a blast, and parents can too because this location features a bar and restaurant on site! This family hotspot allows for kids of all ages to flowride under supervision of expert surfers. Don’t miss out on this great family friendly way to spend an afternoon.
So pack your bags, grab the kids, and head to Phuket for an unforgettable family trip that will have the whole gang begging to come back for more. Have a great trip!
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