snootyb

Hi, We are travelling to thailand to celebrate my nieces 16th birthday with one of her friends, her grandparents, parents and cousins. Given it is a mixed group of a few 40 + year olds, kids aged 12 and 6, two teenagers aged 16, and grandparents of 60, i was looking ideally for a resort which had a villa with 5-6 bedrooms. Thinking of Phuket, Koh Samui or Krabi. I hear Koh samui beaches at that time are not great. Looking ideally for a location on the beach with sorkelling and diving activitities and anything else nearby where we can take in thailands rich culture, food, animals etc. if possible. Also we could maybe do 2 days in Bangkok. Plan is to spend from 26 Dec - 2nd Jan there. Any advice helpful.

Best
S

Kathie

You are traveling at the busiest and most expensive time of the year. Hotels in beach areas will be at least 2-3x their usual rates. You will want to be on the Andaman Sea side at that time of the year. If you can arrange to get to your beach destination no earlier than Dec 26, and to leave on, say Dec 30, you MIGHT be able to get accommodations on the beach for a more reasonable price. Since you mention you are interested in culture and food, you will definitely want some time in Bangkok.

crellston

if you go on too booking.com you can select the number of rooms you require for your stay, which from what you say seems to be quite a few! Alternatively Airbnb may yield some results. However, you are leaving it late to book for the busiest time of the year so this could be one of the few occasions where a decent travel agent or tour operator may be able to add value.

in December I would avoid the Gulf coast and stick to the Andaman coast, Phuket, Krabi or maybe Koh Lanta. I think you should be ok finding snorkelling but that part of Thailand is really heavily touristed these days. As Kathie says, some time in Bangkok would be well spent in that respect.

I did just read that there has been a substantial drop in Chinese visitors to Phuket as a result of a bomb on a boat. Apparently rates and occupancy have been dropping so you could be lucky.

ENGLEFIELD

Hi websites such as Trivago may will lead you to some lower cost deals for hotels and if Hotels.com are competitive they often have 10% discount codes on line.
Bangkok in two days maybe little tight as there is so much to see and do. The Grand Palace is well worth a visit, Asiatique is an entertainment centre with market stalls- a little highly priced but convenient, loads of places to eat. On this site they also have a lady boy show. Across the city for a cultural evening Siam Niramit which is not at all boring- check the website. The new Shopping Mall Icon Siam is maybe worth adding to the list.
Out of the city for day trips- The River Kwai, HellFire Pass, if you are there over a weekend -Amphawa weekend market. Bangkok is a fascinating city.

Do look around the site for advice on cash, how to withdraw and the costs-

Have a fantastic Family visit to this beautiful country

Cyansiam

A villa will be your cheapest option unless you want a basic hotel away from the beach. There are loads of luxury villas in Phuket with 5 beds or more and many come with maid service, transfers and extra services such as cooks, tour managers etc but it is peak season and many will be booked already. Airbnb has the largest selection and a lot have knocked down the rates due to the baht.