Our Family Adventure to Thailand

We have always said that having kids wouldn't stop us from travelling and that we wanted our boys to experience the world. Until now we've had some lovely family holidays in Europe, but we felt that now, with our boys being 12 & 8, was the time for our first real adventure. So where to go? We wanted something with a good mix of adventure, relaxation, new experiences and of course, somewhere suitable for families. Our kids aren't huge fans of walking far or overexerting themselves so we weren't about to go trekking through the Amazon or climbing Everest! Thailand was on my wish list and having booked it for families in the past, I knew it would work for us. We chose an itinerary over the Easter which included 3 nights in Phuket, a 2-night package at Elephant Hills and 8 nights in Khao Lak at the end – Perfect! Flight Having never flown more than 4 hours with the kids, the prospect of a 16 hour in-direct flight was a bit daunting. We opted to fly with Emirates, via Dubai as they offered a great price and good connections. Honestly, we needn’t have worried as much as we did! The kids were brilliant and didn't complain once (this is not the norm!). We made sure that we took plenty of games, books, their games consoles etc and stocked up on snacks too. Emirates were great - friendly crew, comfortable clean aircraft and no significant delays. A great experience all round! Phuket We booked 3 nights in Phuket to find our feet and chill for a bit before Elephant Hills, so we didn't plan to do much in this time as we only really had two full days. We chose to stay at Centara Kata Resort & Spa; a 4* family friendly hotel in the Kata Beach area of Phuket. The hotel was perfect for us with large family rooms, a restaurant, two pools (one with a slide and small splash park area), a swim-up bar (popular with the adults) and always plenty of sunbeds. The food was delicious fresh, tasty, huge portions and plenty of choice with both Thai and Western options. The hotel is well located to explore the local area with Kata and Karon beaches walkable or a short taxi ride away, there are plenty of bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity but if you want something a bit livelier the bustling area of Patong is only minutes away in a taxi. We didn't venture out of the hotel other than to eat but there are plenty of trips you can do, night markets to visit and experiences to be had if you want them. Elephant Hills Well where do I start? What an incredible adventure! Elephant Hills is made up of two camps (Jungle & Lake) located in the stunning Khao Sok National Park. It's about 3 hours by road from Phuket and transfers to and from many of Thailand’s major resorts are included in the Elephant Hills package. We were collected from our Phuket hotel early morning and arrived in camp just before lunch, where we met our dedicated camp leader and the rest of our group, who we would get to know over the next 3 days and we were given our refillable metal water bottles. Elephant Hills are well know for their focus on responsible, ethical and sustainable practices, so you'll find no single use plastics here! We were then shown to our luxury tent – home for the next 2 nights. As a family of 4, we were all in one tent but there is the option of booking two tents if you want a little extra space. To be honest, you spend very little time in the tent, so one was fine for us and more than comfortable. The tents have proper bathrooms with toilet, sink & shower and huge ceiling fans. Each tent has a patio area with hammocks (a huge hit with the boys) for relaxing and enjoying the calming sounds of the jungle, you may even spot a monkey or two! A stay at Elephant Hills is fully inclusive of your accommodation, food and a jam-packed itinerary of exciting adventures. We booked the 2-night/3-day option, which included 2 nights at the Jungle Camp. We enjoyed canoeing, paddle boarding, a long tail boat ride, jungle trek and not forgetting an incredible hands-on experience with the gorgeous elephants. Khao Lak After 3 days in the Thai jungle air-conditioning was calling! The Sands Khao Lak was the final stop on our Thai adventure and we couldn't have enjoyed it more. We chose the hotel as it's ideal for a family break with plenty for the kids including games room, kids club, multiple pools and of course the very popular on-site aquapark. The rooms are the best family rooms I have stayed in – fresh, modern and huge with plenty of storage, a spacious balcony and a separate partitioned sleeping area for the kids. Sands also enjoys a prime location with plenty of fabulous bars & restaurants within walking distance, the beach right on your doorstep and the night markets only a short Tuk Tuk ride away. There are lots of opportunities to do day trips from Khao Lak including boat trips to Similan and Phi Phi Islands, ethical elephant experiences and much more. Having had our fill of adventure at Elephant Hills, we choose to spend our time in Khao Lak relaxing and enjoying the hotel. We did venture out to the local night market one evening which is a must. The atmosphere is electric with a plethora of mouth-watering street food stalls, lively bars and all the souvenirs and locally produced crafts you could ever wish for! If you're feeling really hungry you could even sample some delicious fried scorpions and grasshoppers, Thai delicacies! Jude, our 8 year old, was the only one of us brave enough to give them a go! One of my real trip highlights was jumping in a Tuk Tuk and heading down to Coconut Beach. Here we found a lovely little beachfront restaurant and watched the sunset whilst eating the best Thai food ever with the kids playing on the beach. If I had to choose one ‘Take Me Back’ moment in my life this would undoubtedly be it - just pure heaven. For anyone wanting to break away from the usual bucket and spade holiday and embark on your first family adventure I urge you to consider Thailand, it's a beautiful country, great value for money, has incredible beaches & sunsets and plenty of family friendly accommodation options. Oh and how can I forget the one thing I judge every holiday on – THE FOOD! Even for those who aren't a fan of Thai food, or if you have a fussy eater like we do (a concern before we went was that Jasper, our 12 year old, would live on chips and bread for two weeks!), then there is always something to suit a more western pallet. In the words of Jasper & Jude – “Thailand – Best Holiday Ever!!”