I’ve got a long bucket list of places to see and things to do and I also have three kids ages 12, 10 and 7. So we travel, with kids, and they love it! When friends and family heard about our most adventurous vacation yet, a family adventure in Thailand, we got an earful from everyone.
Are you nuts?
Dragging those children to the other side of the world?
How are they going to handle the flight?
Is it safe?
They might get kidnapped!
You’re going to get sick from the food!
Clearly these people who share my blood do not share my spirit for adventure! We spent 10 days in Thailand and not only lived to tell, but had the best time EVER. Here’s how we navigated our family adventure in Thailand.
Bangkok
We live in Atlanta so, love them or hate them, we are Skymile toting, medallion member, Delta frequent flyers. We upgraded to the Delta Reserve card when they offered a 75K skymile bonus. With a personal card and business card for my hubby, that’s a 150K skymile bonus! I stalked the fares for months and when they dropped to a low, I booked on the spot for 60K miles per person.
We flew Delta from Atlanta to Shanghai, and Shanghai to Bangkok, arriving in the middle of the night. Bangkok has a super clean modern airport with a full mall inside and it was easy to grab a cab to the Shangri-La Hotel. After a few hours of sleep, we woke up fairly spree and ready to explore Bangkok. I had little planned besides an evening food tour as I didn’t know how we would feel after the 20 hour flight.
We rode Tuk Tuks, explored the markets, and had jackets custom made for my husband and the boys for next to nothing. After a cat nap, we were ready for our midnight Tuk Tuk tour of the food stands of Bangkok. I booked the “Bangkok by Night: Temples, Markets and Food by Tuk Tuk Tour” for $68 per person on Trip Advisor. Our host was Chanya and she spoke perfect English and made everything fun! It was pouring rain in Bangkok and she provided everyone with a poncho. We hit five restaurants, the amazing Bangkok flower market and Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha by night. Everyone enjoyed the Thai food including a stop at a Michelin Star Restaurant!
Krabi
The next morning we boarded our $11 Air Asia flight for the hour long flight to Krabi. Since my kids are part mermaid and shark, we all enjoy the water and decided to spend most of our time in Thailand at the beach. We hired a cab for the hour long drive to The Ritz Reserve Property, Phulay Bay in Krabi.
It did not disappoint. As an admitted price stalker, I stalked the rates at the Ritz until the last minute and with a 30% off sale, I was able to upgrade our room to a two bedroom suite for less than the one bedroom we had previously booked. The architecture was amazing and the suite was big enough to hold a party for 50 people, but I don’t think there were even 50 guests at the hotel.
That evening we watched the sky turn every shade of orange, red, blue and purple as mother nature put on a spectacular sunset show like nothing we had ever seen. We dined at the Thai restaurant at the Ritz and enjoyed their sampler Thai dinner so the kids could try out different foods.
Phi Phi Islands
The next day we got up early ready to explore the Phi Phi Islands. I booked through Phi Phi Island Private Tours and the owner, Rob Brew, arranged everything and it was quite an adventure. From our hotel, it was a 30 minute cab ride to the dock where we met our boat that would take us to Phi Phi Don Island. Aside from a speedboat, this was the fastest way to get there, and if this was the fast boat, I would hate to be on the slow boat! Our ferry crawled to the Phi Phi Islands on a 3 hour slow cruise! Upon arrival, we found our captain and boarded our private longtail boat, ready for a day of exploring!
Our first stop was Monkey Beach where our family was greeted by mating monkeys. With enormous limestone cliffs that shoot up from the Andaman Sea, the beach is a private little sanctuary, if you are lucky enough to hit it when there aren’t a zillion boats! We had privacy for about 10 minutes until the next load of boats sailed in. The Phi Phi Islands are picture perfect. They’re what you see in travel pictures, and the turquoise sea and sheer cliffs do not disappoint.
Our next stop was Blue Lagoon with the bluest waters we have ever seen. Our longtail stopped so we could swim, snorkel and take pictures. Our final stop was Maya Beach which is now closed to the public, but you can still boat by and see if from afar. It was breathtaking! We got our snaps and it was time to head back to the docks to catch the long ferry ride back to Krabi.
I wish I could say we had some exciting nights, but we were so worn out from the busy days, we pretty much hung out at the hotel, watched the most incredible sunsets, and turned in rather early. Every night, mother nature put on such an amazing show, I’m not sure I would have wanted to miss it! We found a spot at Sunset Cove at the Ritz, sipped a cocktail, and watched the sunset while the kids played in the sand and surf.
Krabi Elephant Sanctuary
On our final day in Thailand, we hung out with the elephants at the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary. There is no riding and the three elephants they take care of are all rescues. I booked in advance and we had an intimate group of about ten people – two couples and our family. They explained how the two younger elephants were rescued from the trekking industry, and Gramma, the oldest elephant, had spent most of her life in the lumber industry and still has a scar on her head.
We fed them sugarcane and made protein balls. Believe it or not, feeding the elephants got old for my kids when they learned that each elephant ate about 600 pounds of food a day and they had to feed them the whole bucket! For my 12 year old, the highlight of the day was watching one of the elephants pee and poop, a feat that flooded the area and made a mountain that several workers quickly shoveled and disposed of! After feeding the elephants, we took them on a walk through the jungle and led them to watering holes where they covered themselves in mud. It was then time to give the elephants a bath! We played with these gentle giants in the waist deep water and gave them a scrub and a goodbye. It was an experience of a lifetime and worth the cost and the hour drive from our hotel in Krabi.
The next morning we woke before sunrise for our arranged ride to the Krabi Airport. I left Thailand feeling like I had just started to experience this amazing country and already it was time to leave! There were still places I wanted to explore and foods I wanted to taste. Ten days gives you a sample, and if you love it, leaves you dreaming of coming back for another family adventure in Thailand. Before heading back to America, we still had 5 days in Bali ahead of us! Stayed tuned for Indonesian Adventures!
Lisa Lossie is a 5 time Emmy Award Winning television news writer/producer. She now blogs about her adventures with her hubby and three Chunkies. You can follow her adventures on blondieonboard.com or on Instagram at blondie_on_board.
