We had a fantastic time staying at the Le Meridien resort in Phuket with 16 month old S and me being 18 weeks pregnant. The hotel was perfect for kids, even little ones like her, and the staff were so friendly. Funnily enough with all the travel we have done, it’s the first time we’ve ever actually stayed in a proper large resort!
We really enjoyed our time hanging out on the beautiful beach and beside the pool. We also rented a car for a couple of days and did some sightseeing around the island. We managed to find a car rental company that provided a car seat with the rental, and our transfers that we booked both ways also had rear facing car seats.
The only thing we found remotely challenging was finding nappies to fit her, we bought the ‘western’ brand Pampers, but the sticky tabs wouldn’t stick and we ended up having to use sticking plasters to hold them in place! But other than that it was a great place for a family holiday.
I also had a fun day cooking some amazing Thai cuisine at the Phuket Thai cookery school. You can read more about it on my food blog Around the World in 80 Plates – here are the recipes for Tom Yam Goong and Khao Niew Mamuang (Mango with Sticky Rice)
We also stopped off in Bangkok for a night on the way home which was fun, and S had her very first tuk-tuk ride which she loved. I’m sure it won’t be her last!
Here are some photos from our trip:
Enjoying breakfast at the Le Meridien Phuket
S having fun at the kids club at the Le Meridien Phuket
The resident resort baby elephant (who we are assured is treated well and ethically)
Fruit shopping in downtown Patong
Checking out the Big Buddha
We had dinner at the fish market in the south of the island. The Thai people LOVE kids and this waitress happily took S off for a wee walk.
Visiting Phromthep Cape.
We love our Macpac baby carrier and so did S. Here she is riding in style through the streets of Phuket Town.
Mmmmm pad thai. She loved it.
We visited the Gibbon rehabilitation centre, a really wonderful charity who look after Gibbon’s that have been mistreated via the tourist trade. Couldn’t resist this pic 😉
We got caught in a torrential downpour when we were leaving the Gibbon sanctuary, so took shelter in a local restaurant. S loved playing her first game of Connect Four.
Amazing spices and pastes on display at the market.
While at the Phuket market, I saw a procession that was part of the annual Vegetarian festival. The festival involves firewalking, body piercing and acts of “self-mortification” undertaken by participants acting as mediums of the gods. Here you can see a guy with various facial piercings. It was pretty graphic.
View of the Le Meridien resort and beachfront from our lovely pool view room.
The view by night. The balcony was perfect for us to sit on while S was asleep and we often got room service delivered (same food as in the resort restaurants) for the nights she was tired.
