Phuket for kids and families
For tips, safety advice, childcare and other infomation on travelling around Phuket with your kids, please see our Travelling with children in Phuket page.
Phuket, with its wide stretches of soft sandy beaches and child-friendly culture, is an ideal destination for families of all ages. Thais in general are extremely warm-hearted towards children, and will give your little ones plenty of attention and care throughout your trip. Though swimming and building sandcastles at the beach will likely be the main activity, there's plenty for kids to see and do, especially in the great outdoors. Mini-treks, elephant rides, snorkelling and other water sports are enjoyable for both adults and kids alike in Phuket.
Many of the larger resorts have childcare facilities and are full of activities to keep the kids occupied throughout your vacation in Phuket. Arts and crafts, cooking schools, tennis, archery, sailing classes and all sorts of sports and games are but a few of the things on offer. Be sure to check with your hotel when booking.
Nature parks in Phuket
Bang Pae waterfall at Khao Phra Thaeo park offers a refreshing respite from the heat of the day, and shallow streams that are great for splashing around in. Just inside the park's entrance is the Gibbon Rehabilitation project, where volunteers and wildlife experts are working on re-introducing gibbons that were snatched from their mothers and used to entertain tourists to the wild.
Thalang and Kathu waterfalls are also good spots for an afternoon walk and picnic with the kids while in Phuket.
Animal shows, zoos and aquariums in Phuket
Scattered throughout Phuket are a number of small operations offering snake charming shows, with exciting and exotic performances that your kids will not soon forget. The shooting range in Chalong also offers snake shows, as well as elephant rides and paintball games.
The Phuket Zoo may not be to everyone's taste, but kids will probably enjoy looking at all the colourful creatures there. They also put on crocodile, elephant and snake shows throughout the day.
The Phuket Marine Biological Centre and Aquarium has recently undergone a major renovation, and offers interesting displays of the local marine life. Butterfly & Insect World in Phuket City makes for a nice afternoon out as well – lots of big bugs to see, both dead and alive.
Nature Tours for kids in Phuket
Getting out on sea canoe in Phang Nga Bay or Khao Sok is a must-do activity for families – the waters are calm and the trips into the sea caves are fascinating. Many operations will do the paddling for you, so experience in kayaking is not necessary.
There are also a number of river rafting excursions (in neighbouring Phang Nga), elephant rides, eco-tours and mountain bike tours geared towards families. A typical tour might involve an elephant ride followed by a tour of a rubber plantation and a mini-trek through the jungle to a waterfall.
Standards vary greatly, so be sure to book with a company with a good reputation for service and safety.
Recreation and amusements for kids in Phuket
Phuket has eight golf courses and a handful of driving ranges for prospective Tiger Woods tykes to tee off. Instruction for children is available at some courses. Younger kids will enjoy a round of mini-golf, especially at Dino Park in Kata, where the course runs through a Jurassic Eden complete with dinosaurs and an active volcano. It’s best to go in the evening when it's cooler and the dinosaurs are scarily lit up.
The go-kart track in Kathu is a popular spot for kids, along with the ATV track next door, as are the horseback riding centres – there's one at Bang Tao just outside the Laguna resort complex and another in Rawai.
There's no Disneyland here (yet!), but the Phuket FantaSea theme park comes pretty close. The twice-nightly show is a pretty dazzling display of music, acrobatics and magic acts.
Water Sports for kids in Phuket
Snorkelling is an easy activity that can be done at most of the beaches and on day-trips to neighbouring islands. Trips to Coral Isalnd and Racha Yai Island are particularly good, as these islands can be reached within an hour by speedboat and both feature clear, calm waters and an abundance of coral and colourful marine life.
Wakeboarding and waterskiing are available at the Kathu cable ski park, which is jam-packed with kids on weekends and holidays. For older kids (12 and up), diving and sailing lessons are available. Another fun family activity on the water is big game fishing, especially thrilling if someone manages to hook a sailfish or two.
Bowling in Phuket
Thais love to bowl and Phuket is full of bowling alleys, which makes for a good rainy-day activity. In Patong, there is the Rock 'n Bowl alley, as well as one in the Ocean shopping mall and another in the Jungceylon shopping complex. In Phuket City, the largest alley is on the upper floor of Big C, and there are two more, close to downtown, behind the Pearl Hotel and in the Ocean Shopping Centre.
Play Areas for kids in Phuket
Loma Park in Patong has a play area complete with slides and swings, at the north end of the beach. In Phuket City there are two playgrounds in Saphan Hin, one at the entrance and one beside the stadium, and another in the King Rama IX Park (Suan Luang) south of the city centre. There are also indoor play zones with kiddie rides located in the basement of Big C and the upper floor Tesco-Lotus – very noisy and lively places, especially on Sunday afternoons. These areas also have video games with Sony Playstation, and video soccer and car racing games in Central Festival.
Public swimming pools and parks in Phuket
Municipal swimming pools are not found much in Thailand and certainly not in Phuket, with none of the beaches boasting one yet, though there is a municipal pool in Saphan Hin, south east of Phuket City. The major housing developments such as Land & Houses and Phuket Villa will allow the use of their swimming pools and other facilities for a small fee. Another option, if your hotel lacks a pool, is to purchase a day pass at a large resort such as Club Med or Laguna Phuket. A day pass, usually costing around 1,500 baht/person, will usually allow access to pools, fitness equipment and sports facilities, and may even include lunch and/or drinks. Not all resorts do this, so it’s best to call ahead .
For taking a leisurely stroll around, or having a picnic, King Rama IX (Suan Luang) park at the south edge of Phuket City is a pleasant place to go in the early morning or late afternoon. Rang Hill also has some grassy areas to run around in, as well as two fantastic Thai restaurants with nice views of the city and sea.
Food and desserts
Kids can be fussy eaters, especially while travelling. Fortunately Phuket offers an array of dining options. Kids may enjoy some of the milder noodle dishes or fried rice. If all else fails, there are plenty of restaurants serving Western food and even fast-food outlets like McDonald's.
With all the hot weather, there is plenty of ice cream available, with Western ice cream parlours being popular places to have a treat (Bud's, Swensen's and Baskin Robbins are favourites).
Additionally, there are vendors pedalling around coolers with ice cream bars and cones from Foremost or Wall's. Kids may also have some fun trying traditional Thai desserts, such as bananas with coconut milk.
Songkran water festival
Songkran water festival is riotous fun for the whole family. Taking place annually for a few days in mid-April, Songkran celebrates the Thai New Year with various ceremonies and parades. Most fun for kids though, is the custom of throwing water on everyone, everywhere in the streets! There are plenty of water pistols and even big super-soakers for sale around this time of year, and everyone has a good time.
