Family Easter Trip to Asia Part 1

We departed from Heathrow, it was seamless, great that the scanners in T2 now enable you to leave liquids and electronics in your bag, this sped up the whole process so much. From arrival at the terminal, we were seated in the lounge within 40 minutes. I would always recommend a lounge prior to a long haul flight, it enables a comfortable environment to relax and enjoy a few pre holiday drinks and food.

As always, a fantastic flight with Singapore Air, and a few hours sleep into the bargain. A short transit in Singapore, just enough time for a coffee and then onto the 2 hour flight to Phuket. A few of my clients opt to stay in Singapore for a few days en route to Thailand, it is a fantastic city to explore and a good transition from the west to Asia in terms of culture. We did not stay in Singapore on this occasion but have done this on previous trips to Thailand and Bali.

This trip was a twin centre in Thailand and also Vietnam. Our first stop in Thailand was the Laguna area in Phuket, this is on Bang Tao beach, arguably the most beautiful in Phuket. This area is stunning, with both lagoons and ocean. There are opportunities for every water sport imaginable and hotels which are fantastic for families. We stayed in the Dusit Thani, this was a 15 minute walk to the main shopping/eating area, not far but actually hard work in the heat, so a Tuk Tuk or taxi is recommended, the hotels also do free shuttle services.

The main eating/shopping area is a mix of Thai and Western, there is a fabulous Friday night street food market – highly recommended. Lots of opportunities to buy souvenirs or get the infamous Thai suit tailormade!

You can easily visit Phuket Old Town and take a boat trip to either snorkel, fish, kayak or explore the islands by long tail boat or speedboat – I can help with suggestions.

We then moved to a very different area, Kamala Beach, we have been here before however that was during pandemic times and we stayed in a villa, so wanted to experience a resort holiday. This did not disappoint. We stayed in The Intercontinental – just Wow!

This is a 5* resort, which delivers on every level. We stayed in a King Classic Pool View Room but I got the opportunity to view all room types. As well as ‘standard’ rooms, which are far from standard, there are rooms with swim up access, pool villas both two and three bedrooms – these are incredible. It is rare to get such a high quality resort which delivers at such a high standard for both couples and families. Each and every restaurant was outstanding, one which has a Michelin star. If you want solitude and a quiet time, this can be found in a cabana by the infinity pool or if you prefer a bit more going on, call a buggy and head over to the beachside of the resort where there is an upmarket beach bar, kids pool and stunning beach.

The kids club was amazing with staff that clearly loved kids, plenty of activities as well as movie down time. The fitness centre was first class and the rooftop tennis court is also available for all.

If you want to venture from the hotel, there are a couple of restaurants next door or it is an easy 10 min walk into the centre of Kamala (plenty of taxis available if you prefer not to walk). The centre could be described as ‘rustic or authentic’ with the street food market and the weekly market. It has a host of beachside restaurants and a great holiday vibe with music, beach sports, water sports and plenty of life. It was a joy to see the children playing on the beach swings and adults kicking back in the bars.

Whilst in the area we took the opportunity to visit Keemala, this is an upscale resort I have always wanted to see as it is totally unique. Keemala very kindly hosted us for dinner and gave me a resort inspection. It is very hard to describe but I will try and hopefully the pictures help. This resort has 38 villas, each with its own pool. There are different types of Villa and each relates to a Thai story, e.g. the Clay Pool Cottages were designed with the villagers in mind, who need to be close to ocean, the Tent Pool Villas for the farmer who need to be close to nature and the land. The spa is award winning and you can see why when you visit.

The restaurant was pretty special, we had a taster menu and every course was a sensation to the taste buds. I would recommend this resort for couples, it is a perfect honeymoon destination, children are allowed, however, there are better family options. There are opportunities to learn about Thai cooking with many of the ingredients being grown in the resort grounds, yoga and lotus flower craft. The resort itself is not too far from the centre of Kamala, however it is on an incline so taxi recommended.

Next stop Vietnam see Blog Part 2