Family beaches near Bangkok this August
 

I used to be more active on this board until I married a woman from Laos 3 years ago, and presto we had a couple of kids. We now live outside New York City.

In August of this year we are returning to Laos for the first time since marrying. The purpose of the trip is for my wife to reunite with her family, and for them to spend time with our kids. They will be 2 1/2 and 9 months old. We will arrive in Bangkok this August 17 and stay for 22 days. We plan on 3 legs of about 7 days each. One leg is planned to bring my wife's parents on a nice vacation somewhere. They'd love to spend time at the ocean, so that's our goal. They live in western Laos, and it's not difficult for them to come to Bangkok. They are in their 70's, and we'd like to make the traveling as easy as possible for them. That brings us to my question. With all of the above we are thinking of finding a nice family resort beach location near Bangkok, if such a thing exists. I've been to Bangkok a few times and have a sense for it, but never been to the beach. Can anyone recommend a nice family beach destination near Bangkok, or are we looking in the wrong place for this kind of thing?

Further afield, we toyed with meeting my in-laws in Vientiane and flying from there to Saigon, and finding a nice beach near there. But the logistics start to get complicated. However, if anyone has experience with a nice place in that direction we'd be open to suggestions. We're looking for beach, nice environment, family friendly, not too difficult to get to from Bangkok or Vientiane.

Thanks for reading, and looking forward to your thoughts and comments.

I think Hua Hin would be nice for your family gathering. Do not go to Pattaya... NOT very 'family' oriented IMO. Hua Hin is very much a family place.

HH is the logical place... its about a 2-4 hour deive from bkk airport... there are many options for hotels there... i really like the hyatt.

I agree that Hua Hin is the best option. The Hyatt is lovely and has nice facilities for children.

How urban do you need?

Hua Hin is probably the blandest destination in Thailand.

Most beaches are at least 3 hours out of Bkk.

Below Hua Hin Prachuap Kiri Khan offers a wide range of beach resorts. Try Sam Roi Yot beach.

in the other direction from Bkk (1.25 hr) you have Bang Saen - this is a small town resort only full on week-ends and holidays it is used by people fleeing bkk for the week-end....and Scandinavians during the week. Long beach mostly with deck chairs - sea is rather dirty

Pattaya !(1.5 hours) is very urban but has a huge number of hotels, including most of the top names - the main beaches are poor though.

Beyond Pattaya are Rayong and Chantaburi provinces they have some good beaches and a google search may turn up a few gems.

Koh Samed - is the nearest island to Bkk with good beaches - about 4 hours by mini-bus. No cars on the island - less crowded away from the ferries.

Otherwise you might want to fly to Samui, Phuket or Koh Chang - flights are from about 45 minutes to about 1.5 hours.

Being on the east or west side of the Gulf is probably all the same weather-wise, correct? I realize August is a rainy month. And thank you for your advice - very helpful!

The southern gulf Islands, Samui / Phangan / Tao, historically have a relatively dry month in August. Their wet season stats in October.

Hua Hin also has good weather in August. It is the beaches on the Adaman Sea side (Phuket, Krabi, etc) that are rainy in August. You can hire a van to take all of you from Bangkok to Hua Hin pretty cheaply.

The problem with Samui is that airfare is pricey.

Coming from western Laos, I feel that your wife's parents would find Hua Hin incredibly busy - it is now a major retirement centre for northern Europeans. For somewhere quieter, with better beaches I would second khunwilko's suggestion of Sam Roi Yot Marine Park. great , quiet beaches, a wide range of places to stay and some great scenery right on the doorstep. Easy enough to get there via Hua Hin/ Prachuap Kiri Khan by train or a rental car from Bangkok would give you a lot more flexibility.

crellston - wow, that's very helpful. thanks for the insight and recommendation.

Congratulations on the family and a good thing to visit the family in Laos. Near Bangkok there is Hua Hin to the SE and then there is Rayong now with a Marriott Resort, which is located about 3 hours drive SW ...

The Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa will open in June 2012 and has 196 Guestrooms, 9 Suites and a sub Penthouse Suite, all with private balconies. An hour drive from Pattaya, you will have beachfront resort activities and boat excursions to Koh Samet and Koh Mun Islands. Alternatively, easy access to the National parks, waterfalls and the limestone caves of Rayong province.

Our photos in Hua Hin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/...7623540872334/

You have not said how much you want to spend on accommodation and that is important in providing suggestions.
Hua Hin would be a good choice, it is busy, there are also less busy beach areas but not far from town.
With the family you may prefer being close to town to enjoy the night markets and restaurants.
Sam Roi Yot area is very nice and scenic but it is very quiet. If you want a place to stay in quiet beach area that caters very much for families the Dolphin Bay Resort is inexpensive and offers excellent facilities for families with young children, but, it is quiet.
In that area Dolphin Bay Resort is nice, but do appreciate you wife's parents being in their 70's may not be content watching the waves all day or looking at national park scenery.
They may be happier being somewhere where there is a great choice of local food, street stalls and the night market eateries. There are also cultural attractions around.

Knowing your budget though will save a lot of time, no idea if you are looking for Marriott style places or you want something 2 or 3 star, of which Hua Hin has various options including quality Thai owned small resorts Thai style at the beach. Baan Bayan is one worthy of mention. There are also small hotels a short walk to quieter beach areas from around $30 a night
Do speak to your wife about how she feels about the style of beach place her parents would prefer.

All, thank you for this information.

After much discussion with my wife, we are leaning toward Hua Hin. This location offers my in-laws a visit at a busier place and people watching - they live in a very rural environment. But to crellston's good point, we need to find a place where we can retreat and recharge.

James A - our budget would work with a Marriott style place. While the Marriott looks good, we'd also be open to interesting alternatives. Do you have any suggestions? With two kids a place with a pool would be good. We will need at least 2 rooms. Our want to offer my wife's parents a bit of a splurge without going crazy, and us an environment where we can rest and not stress out.

So any alternatives in or near Hua Hin would be welcome.

Strangely, I'm not able to get rates for the Marriott from their site in August. Had to ballpark using a different month.

Again, thanks everyone. This is very helpful.