Thailand with Kids: A Family Adventure to Koh Samui

Yes! We’re off to Koh Samui today with boutique airline Bangkok Airways. Floris has a window seat, he loves the view. Lotte is sleeping in the comfy baby carrier. Samui’s open-air airport gives you an instant “tropical island feel”. The hotel’s shuttle bus takes us to the resort. We choose a hotel on the quieter part of Samui, in the city of Bophut.

Peace Resort: A Kid-Friendly Haven

We reach the resort, Peace Resort, after a 45-minute drive. The resort is super kid-friendly; they have baby cots in the rooms, child seats in the restaurant, lots of toys at the pool and an indoor as well as an outdoor playground. Very important; there is also lots to do for the parents: massages on the beach, a spa, good restaurant, cooking lessons and a bar. When we check in, the receptionist mistakes Kevin for Brad Pitt… Kevin doesn’t confirm nor deny, which results in an upgrade to the most beautiful suite on the beach, nice!! We put on our bathing suits straight away to take a refreshing dive in the blue sea.

Exploring Fisherman Village

The hotel recommends us to visit Fisherman Village for dinner. As it is only a 5 minutes walk from the hotel we put Floris in the stroller and Lotte in the baby carrier. We are happily surprised when we arrive. Fisherman Village is located next to the boulevard, surrounded by restaurants and bars. This evening there even is a market. Fisherman Village itself is an open-air shopping mall, with many, luxurious boutiques and a food court with really good Asian food. We decide to get dinner in the food court and walk to the playground. While Floris is playing we can enjoy our perfect Thai meal.

Healthcare in Thailand: A Visit to the Doctor

Due to the heat, the kids go to bed later in Thailand. We all go to bed around 9PM, kids for sleeping, we for some reading, and we all wake up in the morning around 9AM. Long time since we had such good nights, love it! Next morning the kids wake up with a huge rash accompanied by a fever. They had a little rash yesterday, apparently it spreads quite fast. They look like red, itchy tomatoes… Hmmm what should we do? As this is the second time Floris has a fever this holiday, with only a couple of days in between, we decide to visit the doctor. I am surprised by the local hospital; the staff speaks English very well, the technology, knowledge and service is all on a high level. The pediatrician tells us the kids both have a respiratory infection accompanied by a sun allergy. They receive ointment and syrup.

Exploring Samui by Car

As we want to explore Samui by car, we start our search for a rental company who can provide us with car seats for the kids. That doesn’t seem as easy as it sounds. We can find one rental company who provides a car seat for the baby. A car seat for a toddler seems a bridge too far. We pick up the car, the day before our road trip. Floris sits in the regular seatbelt with a pile of towels stuffed under his bum. He is super proud of his car seat “Samui style” and can’t get the smile off his face all the way back to the hotel.

Thailand with Kids: A Memorable Experience

The kids are exhausted after this day, going to bed early. We enjoy a wonderful Thai takeaway dinner and the warm night. I could get used to this: Thailand with kids!

TO BE CONTINUED: next week our last days in Thailand.

Tips & Tricks for Traveling to Thailand with Kids

• Going to Thailand with kids and want to visit Samui: Peace Resort is the place to be.
• Fisherman Village has boutique shops, restaurants and a huge playground: Fisherman Village.
• Visiting Thailand’s southeast island; Samui is the only island with a hospital. If you are in need of medical attention on any other island, you have to wait for the ferry to take you.
• When traveling to Thailand with kids you need to know it’s quite difficult to find car seats in Thailand, if you want to be sure, take them with you, yourself.

Playing soccer on the beach at Fisherman Village