Best of Thailand - Perfect Itinerary for a Family
Thailand
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Nov 18 - Nov 26, 2023
We decided to squeeze in as much variety as possible in our 9 days in Thailand, hitting city, beach and jungle! In Bangkok, our awesome guide Mr Sam was very experienced and knowledgeable as he took us around the city and ensured all our activities went smoothly. We loved our Bangkok bike tour - great way to adjust to jet lag by getting outside and moving. The Floating market was fun and we also loved visiting a coconut farm and seeing the beautiful temples and Thai palace. In Phuket, we had a fun day island hopping. We stayed at Patong Beach, which was fine, although maybe not particularly “family-friendly” (nothing crazy it just seems Patong Beach was more of a party beach) - that said, we spent most of our time out on a speedboat and were happy with our island excursions. The highlight of the week was our jungle experience - so amazing to stay in a treetop lodge followed by a raft house lodge! Khao Sok National Park was beautiful. Our guide, “O” was so upbeat, flexible and just great with our family. We felt so lucky to have him! In retrospect, I probably could have upgraded our accommodations a bit in Khao Sok, but the setting was so beautiful that we spent most time outside anyway. Our kimkim travel specialist - Ha - just absolutely nailed this trip planning for our family (2 adults, then 17 and 12 year old children). Thank you Ha for putting together and amazing experience and for ensuring it went so smoothly! Thailand was worth the 21 hour flight time from the US and we made memories to last a lifetime.
Hotel Reviews
This was the first raft house stay for our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens). The raft house experience and location were incredible and the highlight of our week in Thailand. The food was great at this location. However, if I were to return I would stay at a different property. It may be that we should have adjusted our expectations for a raft house stay - but the bedding was very minimal/basic, and the bathrooms somewhat rustic. If I compare it to camping, I’d consider it “glamping” but if I compare it to a hotel, it was a bit more rustic than we expected. Our guide said this property is “middle” in terms of raft houses on Cheow Larn Lake - if I went back I’d go with the higher grade ones. That said, amazing experience!
Our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teens) stayed here. Overall, we were pleased with the hotel. Gym was well-equipped, breakfast was good, and services (laundry, etc) were fine. It is near some shops, a metro stop, and a 7-11 which is useful.
Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) enjoyed this resort. Location is convenient to Patong Beach - within walking distance although down a reel hill and maybe 200 yards to walk along the street. We appreciated the onsite restaurants. We didn’t have time to use the pool but it looked nice. The gym was adequate.
Activity Reviews
Very cool - didn’t really understand this experience until we did it! But so glad we did it. The market was crowded but amazing images to see how canal life works.
Perfect first activity for our family of 4 after arrival. The pace intensity was fine for our 12 yo and the guides easily helped us navigate all the nooks and crannies of Bangkok!
We enjoyed the snorkeling and swimming the best! We had sufficient time at each stop and a great lunch.
Our Jungle Trek was so cool - our guide spotted lots of animals and plants along the way.
Seeing the elephants was a trip highlight - we had read a lot about responsible elephant tourism and this location seemed, overall, humane and respectful, with the “retired” elephants well-cared for. The canoing was great fun - we wore bathing suits and had fun swimming along the way!
We appreciate your feedback on accommodations in Khao Sok, and we're delighted the breathtaking surroundings compensated. I am over the moon to hear your kind words about me and our local guides who always try our best to give you an interesting... Read more