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Safe beach, warm water, beach activities and kid-friendly hotels
are very good reasons why families come to Patong every year. Thai's
love kids which means that most restaurants and tourist attractions
are relaxed and kid friendly, enabling families to enjoy their holiday
together. For those inevitable occasions when parents want to venture
out by themselves and leave the kids in good hands, most major hotels
offer organised activities catering specifically for the 4-12 year
age groups.
Good reliable child minding is also available at most hotels when
you want to spend some time together in the evening. Need a break
away from the beach? There are lots of attractions within a 30 minute
drive of Patong. Snake shows, elephant trekking, mini-golf and cable
skiing are just a few. Further afield, take a tour around the island
or an educational eco-tour, or check out the kids camps. Here's
a few suggestions should sun, surf, sand and eating not be quite
enough fun.
Kids - Places to Go
Phuket Zoo
Near Chao Fa Road East at Chalong. Close-up encounters with exotic
animals. Crocodile shows, elephant shows and monkey shows, as well
as tigers, birds, snakes and other tropical wildlife. Great for
small kids. Open daily 8.30-18.00, with regular shows starting from
about 9.00am until 5.30pm.
Gibbon Rehabilitation Project
Learn how gibbons are rehabilitated to the wild and take a dip in
Bang Pae Waterfall while you're there. The project is open from
10.00am to 4.00pm every day. Tel : 260 491 -2 Fax: 260 492 or check
out their website for more information. Located at Bang Pae Waterfall
in Talang.
Kids Activities and Things to Do
Still in demand - kids love funky braided and beaded hair. Choose
your beads. You can get your hair braided on the beach during high
season, or in some of Patong's beauty shops (a good way to keep
your daughter occupied while you enjoy a massage or manicure!).
Best of all, braided hair will keep looking good for up to a week
or more even after hectic days in the sun and surf, and it's easy
to wash too.
Fake Tattoos
Kids love these henna tattoos which only last about 2 weeks.
Tattoo artist stalls are located along Beach Road and most have
design books which feature hundreds of motifs to choose from. Dependent
on the complexity of the design, a tattoo might cost 200 Baht and
take 10-20 minutes.
Horse Riding
At the Phuket Riding Club in Chalong. Staff accompany along local
trails. Lessons available. Price includes equipment and hat. Open
7 to 11 am. & 2 to 6:30 pm daily. Tel: 381-665. 82/2 Patak Road,
near Chalong circle.
Fishing
For small kids, Phuket Fishing Park offers a small tranquil lake,
stocked with local fish, where kids of all ages can try their hand.
Fish from the bank or from a sala (a kind of pavilion) just above
the water. Fishing lines, bait, etc, all available for hire. Restaurant
attached. Located near Chalong Circle. Take the road to Rawai and
look for the signs. For sea fishing you can hire a local boat and
fish along the coast, or charter
a special deep sea fishing boat with friends and go further
out for the day.
Local Tours
Take the kids on a sea canoe trip or an organised snorkelling tour
to one of the offshore islands. You can charter your own speedboat
or join
a tour to various destinations like Phi Phi Island. Or, rent
or buy some snorkel equipment (from local dive shops) and go snorkeling
off Kata Beach (south end - High season only.)
Dive Courses
Phuket is a great place to learn a new skill, especially in the
water. If your kids are 12+, they can take a PADI scuba diving course
and learn to dive in Phuket's 28C warm water. PADI
courses with licensed instructors operate year round and are
great value for money. East of Patong is a water-ski centre which
offers instruction in both water skiing and wakeboarding to both
adults and children.
Cable skiing & Wakeboarding
Kids from about 10 years up can try these new relatively new sports.
Lessons are available at The Phuket Cable Ski. From Patong, follow
the signs to Kathu/(Katu (not to be confused with Kata) and then
take the Kathu Waterfall road. Tel. 076 202 525. Wakeboarding is
also available at WakeUp Villa, telephone 076 264031, email : info@wakeupvilla.com
www.wakeupvilla.com. Alternatively, you can make arrangements with
one of the boats on Patong Beach (south end) for 1 hour and half
hour sessions.
Try hiking or trekking
with a local tour company like Adventure
Safaris or visit the Khao Phra Thew National Park in the north
of the island. Some of Phuket's oldest forest plus waterfalls and
local wildlife.
Go Bowling
Rock & Bowl, is a new 16 lane bowling alley at the intersection
of Soi Nanai and Soi Sai Namyen. There's also a mini-golf located
next door. Another tenpin bowling alley located on the top floor
of the Ocean Bangla Shopping Center, has shorter lanes (better for
smaller kids) and an amusement arcade next door. Open all day until
late.
Mini -Golf
Dino park or World Mini-golf at Nutty Park - next to "Rock'n
Bowl" at the intersection of Soi Nanai and Soi Sai Namyen,
Patong.
Local Playgrounds
Patong (north end of the Beach opposite Club Andaman) has an outdoor
playground with swings, ropes, slides etc., Suitable for smaller
kids. On rainy days (or especially hot days) cool off at Ocean Bangla
in the centre of Patong. There's an amusement arcade close to the
the bowling alley with rides and electronic Sega type games. Indoor
playgrounds with rides are also located at the major hypermarkets
on the edge of Phuket town. Big C Supercentre(basement) and Tesco/Lotus
(upstairs next to the food market.) Food halls also attached.
Shows
Take the whole family over to Kamala Beach to see the Phuket
FantaSea cultural theme show. Pyrotechnics, aerial ballet, elephants
on stage, superb sound system. An excellent show and well worth
the money. Plus the biggest buffet in Asia if you decide to take
the dinner and show package. Inquire at travel agents for details.
Kids Camps
Dulwich International College runs a summer school for about 2
weeks every year in July with sports activities and training, games,
art and crafts.
Laguna Phuket Resort's Camp Laguna - fun for ages 8 to 18. Full
and half day programmes provide a variety of activities including
rock climbing, high ropes, frisbee, golf course, beach games,volleyball,
scavenger hunts, orienteering, soccer, low ropes activities, sailing
and canoeing, swimming, sand art, batik, painting masks, banana
leaf crafts and papermaking. Open year round.
Elephant Trekking
Since logging was banned in Thailand, hundreds of Thai elephants
have been out of work and the tourist boom has been a blessing in
disguise, ensuring their survival. Riding an elephant is a wonderful
experience, especially for kids. Surprisingly, elephants are incredibly
agile for their size and can negotiate slippery slopes with ease.
There are many elephant treks to choose from in the hills above
Patong, Kata, Chalong and further south along the coast road. Elephant
treks around 15-30 minutes are usually long enough for smaller kids,
but for older children longer treks are available around the hills
above Patong and Chalong. If your kids like adventure activities,
you could opt for a multi-activity tour which includes transport, elephant
trekking and canoeing.
Siam Safari run half day elephant treks which are both fun and a
learning experience for all the family. Tel: 280116/ Fax: 280107.
Eco-tours to Khao Lak and Phang Nga also include elephant
trekking and provide a fun day out for kids of all ages. |
