Hi All,
I have booked a 1 week round-trip ticket to BKK from Sydney in mid-march. We will be travelling with our 17 month old baby.
We havent booked hotels or made any side trip decisions yet, but wish to avoid the bar scene and backpacker style lodgings.
Can anyone recommend an itinery around bangkok and also a side trip flight to maybe Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Trang etc for 2 - 3 days of our trip? Having a baby, we are not too sure about travelling too remote or basic, and would appreciate any advice. We dont want to see nightlife, we just want to stay someplace modern and comfortable (4 - 5 star) without the small boat trips or long distance bus rides. Ive heard Kanchanaburi is worth seeing, also Ayuttaya....but how about Krabi or Trang for a sidetrip? Also, what is a good high quality hotel or apartment in bangkok for families? Should we avoid sukhumvit? Is riverside a better choice?
Thanks for any comments.

If you only have 1 week you can do Bangkok, then taxi/car to River Kwai, after than taxi/car 3 hours down to Hua Hin or Cha Am for beach and then you are just a few hours cab ride back to Bangkok Airport. That gives you a triangle trip without flights and just using car+driver (aka taxi) between places.

In March somewhere like the River kwai Felix about AUD 80 or a River View Suite just about AUD 155, Novotel Cha Am is modern high rise on the beach but with a baby a 'Novotel' would be an option, around AUD 120-130 a night, or more upscale Hyatt regency around AUD 235.
That gives you River kwai plus some beach and having car with driver makes things easy. River Kwai to Cha Am / Hua Hin roughly AUD 100-110 for a nice sedan/station wagon including driver, fuel and everything. Back from there to bangkok Airport again about AUD 100-110.

Krabi/Trang etc means a flight, from Trang to beach and islands is extra road and boat and I would 'not' think about those small islands around Trang with a young baby, not just the boat but medical facilities etc etc.
If yuo have just that short time I think doing a triange route within a few hours of BKK gives you best chance tio utilise your time and also in all places there are good medical facilities, places to get baby things ect without any worries.

That is : Kanchanaburi / River Kwai

Tip: If you are using a car seat then bring it with you(!) Malls and shops have all regular supplies you may need.
Others will come in on the 'big' where to stay in BKK debate, be prepared! The Marriott Resort will no doubt be mentioned.

thanks James!

I was considering the sidetrip option to Krabi/Trang only because the flight costs with Nok Air are so cheap (ie $38 AU for Nok Plus or $20 AU for economy each way). We did like the idea of a nice quiet beach trip, so maybe Hua Hin is a good choice. Thanks for your advice.

We took our daughter to Thailand first when she was just barely 3 years old. She loved it and loves it now.

Looks like you know to take it easy. Beware of dehyration, as it can come on quickly especially in little ones. Push the water, sip it often yourself too. Don't spend too long outside at any one time, as the heat will be fierce in March.

We have stayed on the river at the Peninsula and found it great both in location and in service and treatment of our daughter. She (as well as us) was always greeted by name and given a bit of extra attention by all the staff. She loves the pool there. The boat that runs across the river from there was a nightly ritual before bed (and I'm sure it still will be). She just loved to ride that boat...and the boatmen loved her, so maybe that was part of the appeal to her!

We've also stayed at the Conrad, which was just OK. Rooms were smaller than the Pen, and the staff did their job but service lacked any personal touch. The pool was ice cold, though in March I'll bet it's warmer than in January. None of us cared much for the downtown location...maybe because we don't care about shopping.

We much prefer the river location, and next trip have decided to stay at the Peninsula again for 3 nights when passing through BKK the first time, and the Oriental for 2 nights and a free night at the Millenium Hilton for our second BKK stay (with the Hilton being an easy move from the Oriental and free for us with points for a check in at 6:00 PM and check out at 4:00 AM, hardly worth paying Oriental prices for that).

For 2 or 3 days, Phuket or Samui are easy flights of about an hour, and your baby might enjoy the beach. There are plenty of nice hotels in each place, and no lack of familiar supplies.

Those 'from' fares do not include all the add ons, just looking ourselves with Nok Air for this week and one fare worked out about AUD 70 one way and the other AUD 75, so although still 'bargain fares' those AUD 20 are the lowest available seats and once gone prices go up, then you have to add on the fuel surcharges, equivilent of GST and others, so again, although still bargains don't think that what you will pay would in reality be so low. The flights are just over 1 hr for Phuket or Krabi, Trang longer.

How long does it take on the train from BKK to Hua Hin? Is there anywhere I can find out prices and travel times out of BKK? I guess having a baby with us, we would be best to go First Class if available. Are the trains airconditioned? We really want to see a nice beach somewhere out of BKK but without having to travel too long or too far, also having medical facilities nearby would be a must.
Thanks again..

with the baby i would take the bus or a private car (taxi or limo---limo about $75 each way)...

consider the marriott resort and spa in bangkok....it is fantastic for families...no need to go to the beach if you stay there...their pool is the best in thailand....but if you need to go some place then i would go to hua hin....the hyatt is well worth the extra money....the marriott there is decent too---rooms a tad old however...both have kids clubs...

thanks again, what is the quality of the beaches in Hua Hin? Is it a good holiday destination to relax? We love seafood which would be a bonus if its fresh and readily available.

Hua Hin has beautiful beaches, very relaxing and it's a bustling fishing resort. Sounds like just what you want!

The train takes about 4.5 hours to Hua hin, I would 'not' take the train with a baby, take a limo service, far more comfortabe, takes about 2.5 hours depending on traffic.
The beaches in Hua hin are not nearly as glorious as the beaches you would find on southern islands, however, a plus is 'every good resort' is rigjht on the beach with no beach roads to cross, from places like the marriott, Sofitel, Hyatt etc you step from the hotel gardens right onto the beach.
The town is very busy these days but it is freidnly and relaxing to walk around in the evenings, lots of nice restaurants, family friendly, it's easy, night markets also not bad at all. Transport is relatively cheap getting about but in the town in the evenings most places are within wlaking distance, Hyatt and marriott both have kids clubs.
It is somewhat 'sedate' and relaxing, it's not a loud nightlife place at all. Wre go down at least 5-7 times a year and enjoy it. But do not expect those picture postcard beaches or crystla clear water, it simply is not that sort of place.
We stay in bungalows when we are there but places liek the Hyatt or Marriott would be ideal.

OK, so if we go from BKK to ayuttaya and then to Kanchanaburi, is there limo services out of kanchanaburi to Hua Hin? Can you recommend a good place to stay in Hua Hin or Cha Am which has king size beds, a fridge, air-con, and on the beach for around 3000 - 4000 thb a night? I have found a few on hotel sites which look fantastic but not too sure if they really are. It seems most "family owned" resorts are cheaper than the big brand name resorts. We were hoping to stay at the Sofitel which have a rate of around 7000 thb minimum, or possibly the new Sheraton (around $140 US)opening on the 15th March (which is when we plan to arrive).
Based on this schedule, we would only have about 1 or 2 days in BKK to see the Grand Palace and Wat Po. Is this too little? I think from the posts so far, riverside seems to be the way to go. Has anyone tried the Grand Sukhumvit by Sofitel? My only concerns with this place is its so close to Nana station and in Klongtoey. I have stayed Sofitels before and found them fantastic in every way.
Where should I start with finding transfers BKK - Hua Hin ? I found a few websites that quote around 3300 thb each way with a baby seat. Any ideas?
Thanks again...

In Cha Am which is about 15 mins north you have modern high rise like Springfield and Novotel, Novotel is a bargain for their deluxe and Junior Suites, about 4,200 and Executive Suites about 4,600, the Springfield Studios rooms around 3,900 or suites from about 5,000.
In Hua Hin itself the Marriott might be around 6,400 for a garden viw or about 7,500 for deluxe seaview, there are smaller places like Baan Talay Dao though the pool is really very small indeed, same applies to Kaban Tamor / S'Mor Spa, I think though with the Baby you want a place that has more facilities.
We have just got home from Phuket so I will try and post some other ideas later

http://www.r24.org/huahinwhatson.com/huahin/hotels/ has a long list with all of those, lots of photos and good way to browse through them all.

Any hotel in Kanchanaburi / River kwai will organise a car for you down to Hua Hin. The Felix River kwai is a reliable hotel, there are plenty of others but the Felex is well established.

thanks for the website James, better rates than most sites i have seen. I have also just noticed the huge difference in foreign exchange rates offered in aus compared to in thailand. Will definitely be converting AUD in BKK, not buying THB in Aus (17% difference in rates)