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Beach holidays in December with kids

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  1. #11

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Hong Kong
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    Just got back from Phuket and the waves at Surin are no joke! We all got knocked off our feet more than a few times, and I got one of the worst bruises on my life on a very large underwater boulder you couldn't see from the surface. There are warning flags all along the beach due to the current.

    Laguna or Karon would be better bets if you're going with children.

    Last edited by jayinhongkong; 08-09-2011 at 03:22 PM.

  2. #12

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    80

    Thank you so much for this feedback, indeed I'd better go to Laguna instead, with young kids!


  3. #13

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    80

    Another question
    Can you recommend a travel agency you like and has good services/price?
    Thanks.


  4. #14

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    1,107
    Quote Originally Posted by temajie:
    Thanks for the advice.
    I just fell in love with Surin beach but it seems that only few luxury resorts are settled there so I might end up on Bang Tao beach (Dusit Thani for example) as advised by you. Do you know if we can walk from one beach to another?
    Thanks
    there is only one loooong beach at bang tao (not including the lagoon beaches at some resorts which are nothing special (man made as this is a reclaimed open pit tin mine) and you can walk the entire length...restaurants and market stalls all along the beaches...have to say the ocean beach was also red-flagged during our entire stay last Oct but the lagoon beaches were like glass, and you can jet ski/learn to sail in the lagoon as well...cant speak for swells in December tho... the pool was nice and not crowded...

    we use Steven Tsui at Pacwood Travel...

  5. #15

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    80

    Thank you.
    In Dusit Thani, did you stay in a room with lagoon view, was it nice, not too noisy (behind a road?) and not too exposed to mosquitoes?
    And also, were restaurants in the hotel not too expensive? Did you have dinner there or outside the hotel generally?

    Last edited by temajie; 13-09-2011 at 10:06 AM.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    we had a sea view, where the only noise was the pounding surf (October)...there is NO traffic noise as there is one road in and the resort fronts onto the beach...never saw a mosquito, but it was pretty breezy then...I walked around the property, and the lagoon view rooms are nice too...we ate comp. breakfast buffet each day, pool cafe has nice lunch, not too expensive, then dinner outside at the beach restaurants which are very reasonable and plentiful (one night we ate at the hotel's beach restaurant, it was a bit more expensive...)

    about the pool. it's great for kids in that one end is a semicircle of gentle steps into the water, so kids can find their comfort level easily...kids club has activities daily, t-shirt painting and such, lots of grass to lay around/run around, baby elephants are brought around each day...really a very chilled family resort


  7. #17

    [QUOTE=anothercanuck;1709069 baby elephants are brought around each day...really a very chilled family resort[/QUOTE]

    I bet the elephants look forwards to that each day.


  8. #18

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    1,107
    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    I bet the elephants look forwards to that each day.
    hard to gauge your meaning without a or a ...

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    126

    A few suggestions, some which we have done with 3 kids (they're now 7, 4 and 4 and when we got here they were 4, 1 and 1):
    - Kota Kinabalu (one of the Shangri La's, we've done Tangjung Aru at Xmas 2 years ago)
    - Cebu (also Shangri La's, been 2 1/2 years ago, off season)
    - Hua Hin, 2 hour ride from Bangkok so many flights, fairly affordable and good range of hotels
    - Vietnam, we've done Hoi An (Victoria), which is a 1-hour flight from either Hanoi / HCMC (very nice, good mix of culture and beach, not too crowded)
    - October break, we're going to Panglao Island (Philippines), but have to change in Manila (can also take ferry from Cebu, but I am too scared for that).
    - Vietnam, Phan Tiet / Mui Ne as somebody recommended, drive from HCMC.
    - Bali, would probably be pricier
    - Hainan, but I don't hear great things, good hotels though, and closeby. May not be really warm in December, not sure.
    - Malaysia, Penang or Langkawi, I've done both prior to having kids, Langkawi even 21 years ago (with one 5* hotel). Penang has direct flights, Langkawi is a change in KL.

    For some reason, Phuket doesn't sound that appealing to me (my parents didn't think it was great either)


  10. #20

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Kent, England
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    Just a note re flying to Cebu. Just flew with new airline Airphil Express. Punctual, new Airbus both ways, very cheap. Recommended! Only downside is return flight leaves at 7am.