Travelling to Thailand with children

[debi340]

We would like to have a holiday in Thailand with our two children - We can only go at the end of August beginning of Sept, is this a good time to go. ? Any hints on where to go /stay/visit would be appreciated.

[snagged]

That time of year is generally wetter as you get the @rse-end of the monsoon... although anywhere is prone to rain but it's quite nice in the heat and dries up quick!...

Nov to Feb is really nice temp-wise, whereas after that it gets very hot... prob too hot for kiddies...

If you head down south to the islands you can't go far wrong... I'd avoid Koh Samui; try Koh Phan Yang (spelling?) instead... or nearer to BKK is Koh Samet... and to the east near Cambodia border is Koh Chang which is beautiful... avoid Pattaya too... asian benidorm imo!...

[Trotbot]

At the end of August is typically rains hard for 2 hours a day, usually at lunchtime or late afternoon. At other times it is a mix of sunshine and clouds. Temperature is around 32-33C during the day, falling to 27C in the evening. Some days it can rain much more.

The Hyatt at Hua Hin specialises with kids, and has a playgroup for all ages and lots to do. The only downside is that it is 20 minutes out of Hua Hin, but taxis are easy to get and not expensive.

How old are the kids and what sort of things do you want to do? Elephant rides and rafting in the North (e.g. Chiang Mai) and / or beaches at Hua Hin or one of the islands? There are things to do in Bangkok (not as many as you would think!) depending on ages

[debi340]

Thank you- the kids are 7 and 10 - Any recommendations for airlines and would it be a good idea to spend time in Bankok? Many Thanks

[Trotbot]

Bangkok is always worth spending time in, not least for the food! The Grand Palace and Wat Po are definites, the kids would probably enjoy a long tail boat ride (the river is a great place to sit and watch the world go by). Sunday mornings in Lumpini Park are fun.

Avoid snake and crocodile farms, they are horrible. The musuem of Foresic Science is also horrible, but utterly fascinating for those with seriously strong stomachs.

At 7 and 10, definitely look at the Hyatt in Hua Hin and Chiang Mai elephant trekking / goat carts, rafting.

On a 14 day holiday, I would suggest

2-3 days in Bangkok, get used to the heat and over the jet lag
3-4 days Chiang Mai, getting out and about

5-6 days on the beach

Back to Bangkok for a shop and off

Flights - try Eva Air premium economy, business class seats, economy service. Also, flights stopping in the Gulf (Gult Air, Emirates etc) tend to be lower priced, good service but the stopover is a drag.

[snagged]

I'd second Eva Air... I'm out there again for a couple of months over xmas and after much ticket searching plumped for Eva Air (through Trailfinders - I've always had good experiences with them)... the itinery Trotbot gives sounds good for a 2 week stay... depending on your budget, cheap internal flights are widely available so you could feasably do an 'island hop' for a couple of days... hope you manage to sort it all... you'll have a fantastic time... (getting your kids to have all the jabs will be interesting!)...

[debi340]

Thank you both - your answers have been really helpful.

[snagged]

debi340... one last thought... if you want to read up a bit before you plan anything, get a copy of the most recent Lonely Planet guide to Thailand (the most recent version has a tuktuk on the cover, filled with smiling monks!).. very comprehensive - and ideal to re-read whilst you're out there... happy holidays!... : )

[debi340]

Thank you for all your help.