Jump to content

Thailand


sprinbox98

Recommended Posts

I’m in a position where we are keen to go to Thailand this summer ...but we have 3 kids aged 7, 5 and 3.

 

is it wise to head across with them? Anyone done this before and any advice on where to go? Idea would be to head to Bangkok for a few days and then down to a beach type resort that would be good for the kids?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did the same kind of holiday , but the kids were 16 and 14 - old enough to appreciate some of palaces; temples & street culture  in Bangkok and the wildlife/jungle adventures - topped off with beach time.

Think 7; 5 & 3 is a bit young for the city - and a beach is a beach to most kids I guess. Think I'd be heading to the Med. or Florida - if you've not taken them there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to Thailand before I had kids and would love to go back. My kids are 8 and 6 now - no way would I go there with them at this age

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would avoid Bangkok with kids that young. Sweltering heat, very polluted and extremely busy. Loved it as an adult but can imagine it being a nightmare with kids. 

 

As for the beach I’d say an island like Koh Samui would be ideal. Loads of kids when we were there. As said above though you may be better just going somewhere closer to home until they’re a bit older, the flights are very long and not the cheapest. 

 

It’s an amazing place though, would love to go back. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brighton Jambo

No way would I take my kids to Bangkok, brilliant city but not for kids that age.  Maybe a beach resort would be okay but as a poster above says you could get better beaches a lot closer than that which are far more kid friendly.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm away to thailand next year and asked the travel agent who had just spent a few months there about it for kids. He said pattaya would be good for kids. It has a massive cartoon network waterpark there and obviously the beach and markets he said a few more things but the kids ain't coming this time so I never really paid attention.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have taken my kids to various places around Asia - so my advice would be for you to think about how "controlled" you want a holiday to be.  If you are willing to give things a go and chill out about all the things that can and will go wrong (heat, humidity, smells, pollution, scams) them take them and have a great time.  

 

I dont really like Bangkok - bit ugly - but you could easily have a great few days there.  Dont do too much each day with kids.  One focused half day out and then back to the hotel/apartment to chill out until dinner time.  Use the malls as a place for kids to cool down in the air con.

 

Think about Phuket as a beach place.  There are some boisterous parts and some more kid friendly parts.

 

I hate Pattaya - but everyone likes different things.

 

Consider flying up to Chiang Mai.  Great place and somewhere you can have fun with the kids easier than in Bangkok.  Get out into the hills and see the elephant sanctuary.

 

Jet lag, heat and the general chaos and ugliness of Bangkok will make the firat few days a challenge, but you will love it once you get used to it and once you go out into other parts of Thailand.

 

Edited by Sydney
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Boy Named Crow
9 hours ago, Herbert said:

I'm away to thailand next year and asked the travel agent who had just spent a few months there about it for kids. He said pattaya would be good for kids. It has a massive cartoon network waterpark there and obviously the beach and markets he said a few more things but the kids ain't coming this time so I never really paid attention.

 

Pattaya, for kids??? It’s maybe changed a bit since I was passing through there a while back,  my memory is of it being less a town than a massive RLD with people living in it. I wouldn’t recommend Pattaya yo anyone, never mind someone with kids. This was about 17 years ago though, so who knows ?

Edited by A Boy Named Crow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

 

Pattaya, for kids??? It’s maybe changed a bit since I was passing through there a while back,  my memory is of it being less a town than a massive RLD with people living in it. I wouldn’t recommend Pattaya yo anyone, never mind someone with kids. This was about 17 years ago though, so who knows ?

 

Its not changed. I travelled around Thailand 10 years ago and then again for a month about 3 years ago. 

 

Pattaya is to be avoided for most folk. It makes Blackpool look classy. Its the rank sex tourist part, theres a crap main strip and loads of 'british' culture & fat germans bumming wee laddies. Id blow the place up. 

 

Chang Mai is superb, lovely and relaxed plus you can get out into the countryside. The islands down south are fun but they are absolutely rammed with tourists and I was stunned at how rubbish strewn most of the beaches were compared to 10 years ago. 

 

I love Thailand and if you and the Mrs are pretty chilled out you'll have a great time. Bangkok is proper crap, I never spent more than two days there as its a bit of a smelly hellhole. Each to their own like but I never found anything remotely enjoyable there other than the abandoned sky scraper where you pay junkies and tramps to show you around! 

 

ken whats better than Thailand tho? Vietnam. By miles. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

michael_bolton

Bangkok is great for a few days.

 

While I'm not advocating going there and banging prozzers, I'd say that to go to Bangkok and totally avoid the sleezy parts of it is to miss a big part of what makes Bangkok itself.

 

It's a genuinely fascinating city, especially to the first-time visitor.

 

Pattaya, as mentioned above, is dreadful and should be wiped from the face of the earth.

 

I can't imagine Bangkok with kids would be fun, though. Not from a safety point of view, but for convenience. It's hot, humind, and it stinks. So to get around most people use the underground or the skytrain, both of which are fine. However, it's a huge city and the public transport gets really busy. I'd imagine that would be really stressful with young kids, especially as you don't know the city yourself. The only alternative to that is taxis to get around, and the traffic is brutal so you'll spend a lot of your holiday sitting in jams.

 

I've visited Thailand plenty of times and I really like it. I'd give it a miss with the kids though. Do it later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, sprinbox98 said:

I’m in a position where we are keen to go to Thailand this summer ...but we have 3 kids aged 7, 5 and 3.

 

is it wise to head across with them? Anyone done this before and any advice on where to go? Idea would be to head to Bangkok for a few days and then down to a beach type resort that would be good for the kids?

My ex has taken my two boys travelling since the youngest was 4 and his brother 7 all over the place.

They have travelled all over Asia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam whilst fairly young and she goes away for weeks on end doing it on a shoestring budget (hostels and cheapest hotels).

They've also travelled all over Egypt and Ethiopia.

 

It's the best education a kid can get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Boy Named Crow
11 hours ago, The Brow said:

 

Its not changed. I travelled around Thailand 10 years ago and then again for a month about 3 years ago. 

 

Pattaya is to be avoided for most folk. It makes Blackpool look classy. Its the rank sex tourist part, theres a crap main strip and loads of 'british' culture & fat germans bumming wee laddies. Id blow the place up. 

 

Chang Mai is superb, lovely and relaxed plus you can get out into the countryside. The islands down south are fun but they are absolutely rammed with tourists and I was stunned at how rubbish strewn most of the beaches were compared to 10 years ago. 

 

I love Thailand and if you and the Mrs are pretty chilled out you'll have a great time. Bangkok is proper crap, I never spent more than two days there as its a bit of a smelly hellhole. Each to their own like but I never found anything remotely enjoyable there other than the abandoned sky scraper where you pay junkies and tramps to show you around! 

 

ken whats better than Thailand tho? Vietnam. By miles. 

 

 

 

9 hours ago, michael_bolton said:

Bangkok is great for a few days.

 

While I'm not advocating going there and banging prozzers, I'd say that to go to Bangkok and totally avoid the sleezy parts of it is to miss a big part of what makes Bangkok itself.

 

It's a genuinely fascinating city, especially to the first-time visitor.

 

Pattaya, as mentioned above, is dreadful and should be wiped from the face of the earth.

 

I can't imagine Bangkok with kids would be fun, though. Not from a safety point of view, but for convenience. It's hot, humind, and it stinks. So to get around most people use the underground or the skytrain, both of which are fine. However, it's a huge city and the public transport gets really busy. I'd imagine that would be really stressful with young kids, especially as you don't know the city yourself. The only alternative to that is taxis to get around, and the traffic is brutal so you'll spend a lot of your holiday sitting in jams.

 

I've visited Thailand plenty of times and I really like it. I'd give it a miss with the kids though. Do it later.

 

Ha, I edited my post because I thought he’d maybe booked it already, and I didn’t want to let my perception ruin it for him...but aye, Pattaya’s a hell hole

 

I love Thailand, the first time you’re there is such a shock to the system, every sense takes a doing, it smells and  sounds unlike anywhere I’ve been in Europe, the food tastes incredible, even the air feels mental with the humidity...and then there’s the things you’ll see, animals skinned and strung up in shop windows, the markets, temples etc. 

 

It’s cracking, maybe  not with young kids though. 

Edited by A Boy Named Crow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taking kids to Thailand :rofl: .

 

As a wise man once said: "Maybe next year you can take grandma to Mardi Gras.".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A robust centre forward

I've been to the Gulf of Thailand  quite a few times over the last 12 months and been down to Pattaya. I will be going back soon. I stay amongst the Thais in a small city between Bk & Pattaya. I love the place as it is so different from any other place I have been to. If you are still intent on going next year pm me and I can give you a lot of advice about dos and donts . It is a long way to travel with 3 kids but the majority of Thai people are very friendly and family orientated

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 17/10/2018 at 20:14, babywhalo said:

I went to Thailand before I had kids and would love to go back. My kids are 8 and 6 now - no way would I go there with them at this age

 

Similar to me. I’ll definitely be taking mine in a few years but they are too young to appreciate it at the moment, and the travelling would be a nightmare. 

 

But as the poster above says, the Thais love kids and they would be safe when you get there. 

Edited by Nookie Bear
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, peter_hmfc said:

Taking kids to Thailand :rofl: .

 

As a wise man once said: "Maybe next year you can take grandma to Mardi Gras.".

 

Its perfectly reasonable to take the kids to Thailand - it is a stunning country - but it’s perhaps a bit stressful for the parents. 

 

Not really worthy of the rofl 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Captain Sausage

Take the money you’d spend on the holiday and book somewhere nicer in Europe. Absolutely not worth the hassle, jet lag, tourist party stuff you’d be trying to avoid. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Its perfectly reasonable to take the kids to Thailand - it is a stunning country - but it’s perhaps a bit stressful for the parents. 

 

Not really worthy of the rofl 

 

I feel my rofl was justified.

 

Do not question the integrity of my rofl.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers for the replies guys. The reasoning behind the chance to go out there is friends have moved across there with work for a couple of years (with their 2 kids of similar ages) so we thought would be a decent chance to go out there when we have have the chance to see mates.

 

thanks for all the comments and advice. Interesting to see the varied opinions. My dad worked in the Middle East for about 20 years....going there in the 1980’s where no one spoke a world of english didn’t do me any harm. Taking kids for a cultural experience is perhaps a better education than most may think!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...