Phuket Family Holiday
We had decided on Thailand as the weather is very good in March and it's always good to get a bit of sun during the cold English winters. Aiming for a family resort we settled on Phuket, as we thought it would be perfect for the kids.
Knowing we would need to get a connecting flight we managed to fly out of Birmingham with Qatar Airways via Doha and finally onwards to Phuket, a journey consisting of around 16 odd hours. On departure from Birmingham the kids were amazed at the fantastic entertainment system on board the Dreamliner aircraft, added in with the bonus that they were fed and watered throughout the flight, something they were previously not accustomed to travelling with low cost airlines. I think it's fair to say flying really is fun when you have the added extras and benefits of flying a full service airline.
We had a connection time of around 2 hours in Doha which made it comfortable to follow the transit signs and head to the gate in Doha. Our luggage had been transferred all the way to Phuket so no stresses of having to recheck them in. On the flight to Phuket, with the time difference, it was an overnight flight so we managed to get the kids to have a couple of hours sleep despite them still being very excited!
On arrival into Phuket we cleared immigration fairly quick and our private airport transfer was waiting for us to begin the final hurdle of the long but so worth it journey. It took around 1 hour to get to our hotel which was located on Karon Beach. You can imagine the kids' faces when we turned one corner and saw an elephant in the middle of the road. Just another day in Thailand we explained!
On arriving at the Centara Karon Resort we were greeted with a lovely cool drink which was soon consumed by all 5 of us! As I knew we were arriving at the hotel around 8am I had decided to book the room from the night before which I think under the circumstances is always best so you can get some rest if you wish. Our luggage was taken by the porters whilst we completed the check in process and within 10 minutes or so we were reunited with the porter explaining a few features of our room. I had booked us into a lagoon room which was perfect for families as they happen to be opposite the family pool which can only be a good thing when you have kids!
We had opted for the bed and breakfast option as planned to eat out during our stay. The breakfast was typical Thai food but you also had cereals, toast, croissants (tasted lovely!) etc meaning that there was something for everyone of all tastes.
At lunchtime we didn't tend to eat as were full from breakfast but if the kids were hungry then a smoothie at the poolside bar filled them. In the evening we would always head out to Karon which was only a 5 minute walk from the hotel. There are so many restaurants that on some evenings it became a tough choice where to eat as the food looked and tasted delicious. Rather than have a dessert we would head to one of the many street vendors and in particular the fried ice cream booths! Never had this before but certainly will recommend it. Fried Ice Cream - who knew?! You could have kit kat, oreo, strawberries and lots of other fruit and it was mixed in with the ice cream mixture and then fried on a hot kind of plate whilst mixed in with what I can only describe as wall paper strippers! This became the dessert every night is was so good!
During the day we would either spend the day at the pool with the kids occupied on the waterslide or playing water polo that got very competitive but great fun or we would head down to the beach which was only a 10 minute walk. The entertainment team worked very hard to entertain the kids which I felt was important as we all know happy kids = happy parents.
We also went on a couple of excursions. We went to an Elephant sanctuary and we all got to feed the baby elephants and wash them which was a great experience. The main highlight though has to be the boat trip to some of the Thai Islands surrounding Phuket. Picked up from our hotel around 8am it was a full day trip which we had preferred to the other offerings of half days. On arrival into the port in Phuket (45 minute road trip) we were greeted and briefed about the day ahead. We were all given safety life jackets and advised to wear them on the speedboat trip. During the trip we stopped off at Phi Phi Don + Phi Phi Leh + Khai Island + Bamboo Island + Mosquito Island + Yao Yai Island.
All of the islands were unique and special in their own way, whether that was because of the beach or because it was an isolated island. We had lunch on one of the islands which was provided and at many of them you could snorkel as well (mask and breathing tube provided). The speedboat trip in itself was an experience as we had never been on one and the journey home was a wet and speedy affair but so much fun! I would recommend this trip as you get to go to so many unique islands that surround Phuket that it wouldn't be possible to do so individually.
All in all we had a wonderful time and have to say that the Centara Karon Resort Hotel matched our expectations as a family hotel that would be perfect for anyone travelling to Phuket with kids. The kids really enjoyed themselves and learnt so much about the Thai culture as well as having fun.