Phuket - Where To Go?

[Brigante7]

Traveling to Phuket in October with wife, 2 kids, mother, mother-in-law and father-in-law but not sure best place to stay, we're looking for somewhere with a bit of life, good beach plenty of shopping, not bothered about bars, all suggestions welcomed, thank you.

Brigante7.

[Lite Beer]

Moved to the Phuket Forum where hopefully you will get some more helpful answerers.

[IrishIvan]

Are the inlaws Thais?

[hansgruber]

Avoid Patong beach. Its not family orientated at all.

[britpop]

Avoid Patong beach. Its not family orientated at all.

I have to disagree 100%, as far as i know patong beach is the only beach with kids play facilities, a walkway close to the beach for views that stretch for kilometres, many places to eat, western or thai, quiet bars or the bangla road experience, a number of shopping malls, accommodation catering to all budgets, the thai buying and selling experience, so on and so on, for a tourist i would have thought it was the ultimate thailand experience.

Mr G, why avoid patong exactly regarding "not family orientated", it is the ultimate family friendly place. i'm curious why you see patong in such a negative light, remember it's as a tourist the OP asked

[IrishIvan]

Avoid Patong beach. Its not family orientated at all.

I have to disagree 100%, as far as i know patong beach is the only beach with kids play facilities, a walkway close to the beach for views that stretch for kilometres, many places to eat, western or thai, quiet bars or the bangla road experience, a number of shopping malls, accommodation catering to all budgets, the thai buying and selling experience, so on and so on, for a tourist i would have thought it was the ultimate thailand experience.

Mr G, why avoid patong exactly regarding "not family orientated", it is the ultimate family friendly place. i'm curious why you see patong in such a negative light, remember it's as a tourist the OP asked

I always tell my friends and their families to stay at Kata, Some of my friends would hate to have their kids exposed to the filth that infests Patong. When I first went there as a single male 26 years old I hated it and swore I would never go to Phuket again, luckily I found Rawaii next time I came back. Would you take your grandmother their or any relations under 18 years old?? Not a chance

[IrishIvan]

Have a look at Kata OP. Its a nice clean beach. Some of the best restaurants in Phuket are located there. The accommodation is by far the best value on the island.

Or if the inlaws are Thai and you have lived in Thailand for a while then Phuket City might be an option for you. Its got a great selection of very reasonably priced restaurants, bars, cafes, live music.

I wouldnt reccomend Phuket City to someone who hasnt been to Thailand before. The streets are a little bit confusing and there isnt much English language going on there

Edited January 2, 2013 by IrishIvan

[phuketrichard]

how much do u want to spend/night?

Laguna is a great place for all but it will cost ya Layan beach is excellent.

Great beaches, plenty of activities for kids, shopping,

Patong is NOT for kids at night an the beach is not one of the best on the island although by Oct there will b eplenty of shopping areas if ur into buying the same things u can buy back home at higher prices,

[Colonel_Mustard]

Laguna/Layan area in the north or Kata in the South would probably be the best fits.

[britpop]

Avoid Patong beach. Its not family orientated at all.

I have to disagree 100%, as far as i know patong beach is the only beach with kids play facilities, a walkway close to the beach for views that stretch for kilometres, many places to eat, western or thai, quiet bars or the bangla road experience, a number of shopping malls, accommodation catering to all budgets, the thai buying and selling experience, so on and so on, for a tourist i would have thought it was the ultimate thailand experience.

Mr G, why avoid patong exactly regarding "not family orientated", it is the ultimate family friendly place. i'm curious why you see patong in such a negative light, remember it's as a tourist the OP asked

I always tell my friends and their families to stay at Kata, Some of my friends would hate to have their kids exposed to the filth that infests Patong. When I first went there as a single male 26 years old I hated it and swore I would never go to Phuket again, luckily I found Rawaii next time I came back. Would you take your grandmother their or any relations under 18 years old?? Not a chance

Wow, you must be in a different Rawai then the one i've seen chance in 10 years, exactly what is meant by "filth that infests patong" is that the people, the girls, the sex trade, patong itself, would you take your grandma, or under 18 family to any beach, at kata beach today i seen more naked flesh then any night in Patong, or is it the industry related to the filth of patong as you say, thats island wide now, what do you allow your family to watch on TV, even the local cable channels show images that would be insulting and upsetting to my nan and young family members, you can't travel the island without some sort of exposure to your filth comment, even it's just massage shops or am i miss-understanding your filth comment, i've heard this from so many people who've lived here a while, they've abused that filth side of Thailand and then become judgmental about it, it's as though there in denial about there past.normally when they meet someone, where did they meet them Edited January 2, 2013 by britpop

[Jimi007]

You really shouldn't come to Phuket! It's full of rip off touts, the taxi and tuk tuk mafia as well as criminals wanting to rip off and rob tourists! Good thing I never did like tourists! If I remember correctly, October is also the wettest month of the year here.

Edited January 2, 2013 by Jimi007

[bubblegum]

Not sure about the nightlife in Kata in October, in Rawai its dead at that time.

[Colonel_Mustard]

Not sure about the nightlife in Kata in October, in Rawai its dead at that time.

Looking at the OP he doesn't seem that bothered about nightlife but is looking for more of a family holiday.

[Brigante7]

My wife and in-laws are Thai and my kids will be 6 & 4, none of us have been to Phuket before, I just don't want to end up somewhere, where my mum and in-laws are not comfortable. Yes Colonel_Mustard it's a family holiday, we're also doing BKK and the north-east, just thought it would be nice to visit the south.

[pagallim]

My wife and in-laws are Thai and my kids will be 6 & 4, none of us have been to Phuket before, I just don't want to end up somewhere, where my mum and in-laws are not comfortable. Yes Colonel_Mustard it's a family holiday, we're also doing BKK and the north-east, just thought it would be nice to visit the south.

The Cape Panwa area could be worth considering. There are several family orientated hotels with decent beaches, and within the area some very good and inexpensive restaurants. A bonus is that there is also a bus service between the Aquarium (end of Cape Panwa) and Phuket Town/City for shopping. You won't be exposed to anything that's likely to upset your group that's for sure.

The area has some of the best views on the island, and you're only a short longtail journey away from some of the nearby islands such as Coral Island (which is pleasant for lunch and a swim). Here's a link to the Cape Panwa Hotel, though there are others which you can Google:

http://www.capepanwa.com

[simon43]

I suggest my 'home' ground of NaiYang Beach, which is a beautiful and safe beach, weith plenty of tourist bars and restaurants. Next to the strip of tourist bars on the beach are many small restaurants that cater primarily to Thai families, serving fresh fish, Thai and Issan food at local Thai prices. There is a choice of cheap(ish) local guesthouses, as well as luxury hotels. The only thing that is lacking is decent shopping - for that you can take the airport bus to Phuket Town/Central Festival for about 88 baht per person.

Simon

[Colonel_Mustard]

Nai Yang and Nai Thon are also decent shouts.

[Brigante7]

Thanks for all the replies it's very much appreciated.

Brigante7.

[grumpyoldman]

Nai Yang and Nai Thon are also decent shouts.

October everybody, means low-low season weather, most rain of the year, Nai Thon seas (?), no way.

I'd say Kata, thats my 2 satangs worth. Going to get some great rates rooms thats for sure.

[IrishIvan]

My wife and in-laws are Thai and my kids will be 6 & 4, none of us have been to Phuket before, I just don't want to end up somewhere, where my mum and in-laws are not comfortable. Yes Colonel_Mustard it's a family holiday, we're also doing BKK and the north-east, just thought it would be nice to visit the south.

Ok, I reckon they would love to spend time in Phuket town. There is a lot of cool stuff there. They might be a bit spun out by Kata. There is a lot of tourists there. If the inlaws were western I would reccommend Kata or some of the beaches north of Patong. But the thing is that if your on holidays it doesnt really matter where you sleep its just where you end up going. I would seriously not take any kids to Patong. Its horrible and crowded. Dont get me wrong I go to Patong a lot but its not really family friendly. Im suprised a lot of international travel agents havent advised their customers of this

[pagallim]

Yesterday I had an increasingly rare occurrence, I met an English couple on holiday here! They are actually staying in Kata, but had found the beach at Khao Khad (Chalong Bay side of Cape Panwa), and loved it. It was their second day there, and I believe they in tended to go again today. They really weren't impressed by Kata, too crowded and quite expensive.