danielita

Your help please.

My husband and I have been to Koh Samui many times and love it. This year we would like to try Phuket and this time we are taking our 8 month old daughter.

We are looking for a totally luxurious hotel, but because of our daughter, we need the hotel to be right on the beach and not up steps. Most places we have seen are set on a hillside. Also we really love eating street food rather than the food in the hotels so we would like a hotel with local restaurants within walking distance.

Any suggestions please?

We are going for a week in October.

Thanks

JamesA

Hi here

Firstly don't expest the choice of 'right on the beach' places on Phuket like you get on Koh Samui. Or eve the tropical style beach resorts like Samui. So as soon as 'right on the beach' comes into it you eliminate most places.

The Centara Grand Beach Resort though 'is' right on the beach, very family holiday orientated, great pools, good facilities, great rooms, sea view rooms. It is not that close to the restaurants and shops of North Karon and that could be a hassle for you. But is honestly about the best you are going to get unless you are across the road from the beach eg Hilton Moevenpick.Apart from a budget place and a couples style place at the very south of Karon ( would not suit due to layot of the place ) that is 'it' fo on the beach at Karon.

However, with your daughter you may find Moevenpick or Hilton are options, even if across the road from the beach.
Katathani at Kata is an option, but apart from places close by you would need transport to more restaurants / shops etcbut in my opinion Centara Grand beach Resort would be about the best.

I very much dount you would want to be in Patong and anyway that is limited to just Impiana, la Flora and a not luxury place andunless you are ito all that nightlife dout it would appeal.

Perhaps you may care to look at the Khao Lak beach area, not on Phuket, it is mainland area north of Phuket, takes about 90 mins by road depending where you are staying.


I know good places for a family holiday at Bangtao and Kamaala but they will be fairly quiet in October and not as easy to get out and about as Karon would be.

I think if you want to say what you really liked about Koh Samui and also anything you didn't like that gives us some perspective of what you are looking for.


Is it just lazing around the pool on the beach that you are going for ? Thee may be other destinations options we could add depending though on getting a picture of what would be ideal.
I have an 'idea' in mind of somewhere else in Thailand but best if you can tell us a litle more also, even if you do not object from where you are glying in to Thailand from, a certain other place might in fact suit you well.


I hope you appreciate October can be rainy almost anywhere, for Phuket the later the better.

JamesA

OF course if you loved Samui it is always an option to go back to where you know and enjoy. Unless it is the Phuket nightlife ( I doubt ) and busy parts of the place or taking trips so some of the tourist islands beaches ( almost certainly not with an 8 month old ) I find it difficult to think of what could make Phuket worthwhile for you, unless you can then compare with Samui.
Weather as I mentioned just now is not going to be great in either of those, could be fantastic weather, could be lots of rain.

Hanuman

Can you give us your budget for the "luxurious hotel - on the beach"?

danielita

Thank you for your very helpful replies. We are coming from Bahrain and we are restricted with the travel as we can only take the time off work during the Eid Holiday so we are aiming for 10-18 October.

If it is the right place, there is no budget. However, we want it to be easy. We loved Koh Sumui as everything was so close and easy to walk to. We stayed at hotels and at private villas with a chef (I don't want to have to cook or clean when on holiday!). The more I write this, the more I sound like a princess, so I'll stop!

danielita

I should also mention the reason why we are switching from Koh Samui is we have heard that you have to go to another airport now for the internal flight and with a baby, it makes life difficult. Just trying to keep it as simple as possible

Hanuman

The Amanpuri would be perfect for you but it does have some "steps" and it's also not near to a town where you can easily find street food. However, they do have golf carts that can take you to your villa or room! Phuket doesn't have very good or unique street food so you're not missing much.

In my opinion, to be next to a town with street food or non hotel restaurants in Phuket you will not find any really good accommodation. But if your budget is "limitless' then a car and driver 24/7 is quite easy to find and the whole island is easy to explore.

From one end of Phuket to the other it will normally take you, at the most by car, 1 hour. If that's OK then stay at the Amanpuri and I will recommend some local restaurants that, I think, you will like.

Hanuman

Re the airport. There was some talk about a second airport on Samui but there is still only one airport there.

JamesA

"we have heard that you have to go to another airport now for the internal flight "

I think you may be thinking of Bangkok Don Muang Airport ( DMK ), well there are No flights from there to Koh Samui ( except for long budget airline flight + road + ferry options which I am certain would not interest you )

There is only one airport on Koh Samui and 'all flights" from Bangkok to Koh Samui ( i.e Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways ) operate from Bangkok main BKK airport where you would land comong from the Gulf whether on Gulf Air from Bahrain or via others e.g Qatar / Emirates / Etihad / Oman Air

Emirates fly non stop to Phuket from Dubai, Qatar Airways flies to Phuket from Doha but it stops in Kuala Lumpur on the way, so easiest is Gulf Air to Bangkok anyway for you. So those would mean 2 to 3 flight sectors anyway.

There are other options depends how you value beach quality because I still have in my mind an alternative ( which I am sure Hanuman can guess where I might suggest ) beach though not great and not palm tree tropical style like Samui, but absolute beachfront, lots of top class 5 star luxurious resorts, and a limo ride from Bangkok - but, beach is not great but you have lots of local food , night markets, top class dining , shopping and night markets etc
But would that sort of place suit you if beach isn't so great ?