Things to do in Koh Lanta, Thailand with kids

Koh Lanta is one of those islands that you come to visit for a week or two on vacation but end up loving it so much you stay for half a year (or longer).  We loved this quaint island for its beautiful beaches, friendly people and the easy of life here.  Of course, the beach is the number one draw, but there are so many things to do besides the beach in Koh Lanta.

The beach, it's all about the beach in Koh Lanta.  We have spent most our days at the pool and playing on the beach.  Water is warm, waves are small and the beach is shallow.  Perfect for kids to play!

Oasis Yoga (for adults AND kids, who knew!)
First and foremost, do yourself a favor and go the first day while you are in town.  You will be so glad you went you will keep going everyday while you are in Koh Lanta.  It's such a great way to start your day.  Unfortunately, I went on our second to last day.  Farra, the instructor, is an amazing.  She explains everything and helps you through each move sharing techniques.  She makes everyone feel welcome no matter what your level.  Oasis Yoga is right next to the beach so you can see and hear the waves crashing as you find your zen.  They offer kids yoga classes too.  Call ahead to confirm times, but kids love doing the fun yoga poses.

Lanta Animal Welfare
We happened upon Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW) during one of our many afternoon drives.  This is such a great cause and in need of help.  Their objective is to relieve the suffering and pain of the animals on the island through sterilisation and care.  Volunteers are always needed.  Our kids spent their time playing and loving the cats. Well, mostly the kittens.  The cats loved the attention and love.  Our kids still want a cat and dog of their own so this was a good way to let our kids spend time with the animals.

Muy Thai Boxing
Our kids loved putting on the boxing glove and learning the skills and techniques of Thai boxing.  It is a great way to burn some energy!  Our kids wanted to continue going but we were not in Koh Lanta long enough.  Several places in Koh Lanta offer classes for kids for around 400 Baht for one session (less for package deals).

Explore the island by tuk tuk
We rented a tuk tuk the entire time we were in Koh Lanta and loved it.  We loved the freedom to go anywhere when ever we wanted.  Kids loved the open air and just driving and exploring.  Prices range from 200 - 500 Baht a day depending on your negotiating skills.

Elephant trekking
Although, we are not proponents of riding elephants many people might be.  Elephant rides can be arranged to take visitors to the top of the hill in Ko Lanta National Park.

Butterfly garden
There are several places that claim to be a butterfly garden however there is only one that doesn't have caged animals for show.  This one is located south of Saladan just past Lanta Animal Welfare.  It's small compared to other butterfly gardens we've been too but still entertaining.  Cost is around 150 Baht.

Old Town play ground
We took our tuk tuk exploring one day to Old Town and happened upon this great play area for the kids.  It's free and right on the beach.  There are food hawkers nearby for a cool smoothie or ice cream.  Great for early mornings or late afternoons when the sun isn't so hot.







There were loads of other things to do like fishing, cooking classes and drop off daycare however we ran out of time.  Next time we will stay much longer in Koh Lanta! Anyone else been to Koh Lanta or can recommend other family friendly towns?

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Koh Lanta, a perfect island for families!

So many islands in Thailand to choose from, where should you go?  All of them I say, but if you only have a few weeks them definitely head to Koh Lanta.  We started out in Phuket on Patong beach. Although, we enjoyed the beach, Patong was much too crowded and touristy for us. Then we went to Koh Phi Phi which is beautiful and almost as touristy as Phuket but far less seedy. Next we landed on Koh Lanta and loved the quiet charm.  We found a great resort on the beach with several pools where we stayed a few weeks and just chilled. Of course, we were there during the slow or green season so I cannot attest to how busy it gets during high season but with things so spread out I can't imagine this as a party town.

Where to stay

White Flower Apartments & Royal Lanta Hotel

We stayed at two places different places while in Koh Lanta.  We stayed our first few nights in a one bedroom apartment across the road and up the hill from the beach.  It was nice and plenty spacious for for our family.  With a great pool and nice neighbors we could have stayed here for weeks.  We paid about $32USD a night.  However, we are beach people and have little kids so we opted for a deluxe room at the Royal Lanta Resort and Spa.  Being right on the beach was a huge bonus.  They also offer a breakfast buffet with lots of western choices that the kids love.  We negotiated a rate of about $40USD a night.

Getting around

Koh Lanta is super easy to get around.  Tuk tuks and songtow taxis are everywhere.  Just head to the road and negotiate your price. If the first one is too high then just wait for the next one. It should never cost you more than 50 baht one way.  You can also rent a tuk tuk for about 150-500 baht a day.  We decided we wanted more freedom and less hassle to go whenever we wanted so we rented a tuk tuk while we were there.  Our kids especially loved cruising around the island.  We for rates for long term rental to be about 150+ Baht.  Negotiate everything and check out several vendors.

Shopping

Mini marts and 7-11s are plentiful and sell everything you should need like food and diapers.  The main store in town is called Lanta Mart and has all your basic needs even yogurt, hair color and diapers.  But so do most of the mini marts.  The prices tend to be about the same at all the stores.  When we had an apartment food is so affordable that we rarely cooked at home.  Breakfast, snacks and a light lunch was always eaten at home, but we would usually go out for dinner.  A loaf of wheat bread costs about $1USD, peanut butter $3.05USD and jam $2USD.

Food

There are no shortage of yummy and affordable places to eat.  With so many expats making Koh Lanta their home there  is no shortage of Thai or international food choices.  Meals at restaurants usually run 70 to 150 Baht.

Things to do

Diving, snorkeling, boat trips, playing on the beach, relaxing, playing in the pool, and just enjoying life.  We rented a tuk tuk and loved cruising around the island.  There are caves and private beaches all over the island.  Although we were on Koh Lanta in the slow season, there was still a lot of fun things to do.

Thailand is a beautiful country with so many islands to explore.  Hopefully, we will be back soon! What is your favorite island?


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White Flower Apartments, Koh Lanta, Thailand

This infinity pool and the quietness make White Flower Apartments great.  We stayed in a one bedroom with a kitchenette, living room, bathroom and two queen beds in the bedroom for 2 nights in May.  A small apartment but it had plenty of room for us!

The beds were comfortable and the kitchen had all the utensils and things you need for cooking.  Air-con was only in the bedroom and not in the rest of the house, but with the nice breeze coming through the screen doors you really didn't need it. Wifi worked great.  The shower had plenty of hot water.  There are lots of dining options near by along with a mini mart and 7-11.

The apartments are on the jungle side of the road up the hill so the beach was a bit of a hike.  To get to the beach we had to walk down the hill, across the road and down another long path which was about a 10 minute walk.  At high tide the beach is very small, but low tide the beach was perfect for playing.

I would recommend these apartments for couples who want to stay long term, or families with older kids and don't mind being away from the beach.  I would not recommend this place for families with little kids.  When we checked in the owner, Sara, kept reminding us to keep our kids quiet since "she didn't want trouble from other guests".  All our neighbors staying here seemed very nice.

Over all we enjoyed staying here for a couple nights.  Anyone else have any place they recommend staying?

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Perfect Bangkok Family Apartment

Luxury in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok!  We consider ourselves lucky to have found such a nice 2 bedroom apartment for our 2 week stay in Bangkok.  Everything about this apartment was clean and updated.  Plenty of space for all of us too!  The apartment is updated and clean.  The hosts, Ron and his family, welcomed us with open arms even providing us with toys for our kids and snacks for our arrival.











The apartment itself is clean, spacious, updated, safe and in a great location.  The beds are comfortable, not hard like we've become used too.  There is a washer in the apartment, pool, gym and kids play area.  The wifi is fast and the kitchen is fully set up so cooking at home is no problem which helps with our 3 kids.  The building is quiet so no neighbor noise.












There are several great restaurants nearby but we mostly enjoyed having a kitchen and ate at home or got street food take away.

There is a Tesco about 1 mile away and a convenient store downstairs.  Nothing is too far.  A 35 Baht taxi ride will take you to the water taxi or the BTS or the mall or Chinatown.  The apartment is on the BTS bus line but with taxis being so cheap no need to pile our family on a stop and go bus.  We paid 80 Baht from our apartment to Khao San Road.








Overall we loved our stay here and would stay here again.  We feel so lucky to have found such an amazing apartment in Bangkok!

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Chatuchak Weekend Market with kids

Chatuchak weekend market claims to be the world's largest weekend market.  It is a fun and ginormous, although somewhat overwhelming, market.  This place is massive and they offer everything under the sun!

Here's how to avoid going insane:

1. Go early.  It will be hot so wear comfy clothes, shoes and sunscreen.  Although if you forget anything you can just buy it!









2. Memorize the map before you leave so you know where you want to go.  It's too big to see everything in one day.










3.  Bargain hard, there are twenty other vendors who sell the same thing.  Although you may never find the first vendor if you try and go back...









4.  Don't forget 30 baht is only a dollar.  Do you really need to save another 10 baht on that 100 baht shirt? A good deal is a good deal!








5.  Stop and enjoy the people watching.  It's crazy busy there

















6. Bring a stroller! There will be a lot of walking in the heat. Some of the lanes get pretty narrow and crowded so the narrower stroller, the better off you'll be.

7. Prep your kids beforehand. They will be naturally curious and you will be overwhelmed. There are a lot of easy to touch animals in poor conditions. They will see some new things, like beggars with no legs dragging themselves around. We talked about what to expect and we made it several hours without incident or meltdown. Yippee!

Have you been to the Chatuchak weekend market? What did you think?

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Tiger kingdom: drugged or not drugged?

As the tiger lowered his neck, his eyes stalked our kids running back and forth outside the cage. I'm sure, given the chance, the tiger would follow it's natural instincts and eat our kids. Of course, this was happening while my husband was petting the back of the tiger.

The kids and I were lucky enough to spend time with the baby tigers.  Could they possibly be any cuter?  We had a great time cuddling and petting the babies.  We even got a picture of Cam petting the tigers.  Although, him being so small had the handlers a bit worried.  Every time the baby tigers made a beeline for Cam they moved the tigers away. I guess he was perfect prey size.

Once you are done petting the tigers you are free to walk the grounds and view all the tigers. The tigers we saw were full of life and playful.  Some were even aggressively marking their territory on other tigers.

We are no experts on tigers (or drugs), but in no way did we think the tigers were drugged. Watching that tiger instinctively watch our kids as they ran outside the cage sent chills down my spine!

Keeping a close eye on our kids...

Cats are cats and they sleep 18 hours a day, just like kitty at home, lazy cat!  These tigers seem well feed and well taken care of.  There are around 50 tigers at Tiger Kingdom and they are rotated so no tiger gets too many hours with an over abundance of people.

Tiger Kingdom is one of the most popular destinations in Chiang Mai.  We rented a songthaew for 200 Baht for the 20 minute  drive there, the wait and then bring us back.  There is an english speaking host out front that will help you figure out your tiger package.  You only get 15 minutes with the tigers so enjoy the moment!

All tigers there are under 2, after 2 people cannot be with the tigers and the tigers are sold to zoos.  So tiger kingdom is a tiger farm.

Tip:  Go early to avoid the crazy long lines.  Eat elsewhere, food is over priced here!  Stop on the way back and get some yummy strawberries but remember to negotiate the price of the strawberries!

Have you been to tiger kingdom?  What did you think?

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Tiger kingdom: drugged or not drugged?

As the tiger lowered his neck, his eyes stalked our kids running back and forth outside the cage. I'm sure, given the chance, the tiger would follow it's natural instincts and eat our kids. Of course, this was happening while my husband was petting the back of the tiger.

The kids and I were lucky enough to spend time with the baby tigers.  Could they possibly be any cuter?  We had a great time cuddling and petting the babies.  We even got a picture of Cam petting the tigers.  Although, him being so small had the handlers a bit worried.  Every time the baby tigers made a beeline for Cam they moved the tigers away. I guess he was perfect prey size.

Once you are done petting the tigers you are free to walk the grounds and view all the tigers. The tigers we saw were full of life and playful.  Some were even aggressively marking their territory on other tigers.

We are no experts on tigers (or drugs), but in no way did we think the tigers were drugged. Watching that tiger instinctively watch our kids as they ran outside the cage sent chills down my spine!

Keeping a close eye on our kids...

Cats are cats and they sleep 18 hours a day, just like kitty at home, lazy cat!  These tigers seem well feed and well taken care of.  There are around 50 tigers at Tiger Kingdom and they are rotated so no tiger gets too many hours with an over abundance of people.

Tiger Kingdom is one of the most popular destinations in Chiang Mai.  We rented a songthaew for 200 Baht for the 20 minute  drive there, the wait and then bring us back.  There is an english speaking host out front that will help you figure out your tiger package.  You only get 15 minutes with the tigers so enjoy the moment!

All tigers there are under 2, after 2 people cannot be with the tigers and the tigers are sold to zoos.  So tiger kingdom is a tiger farm.

Tip:  Go early to avoid the crazy long lines.  Eat elsewhere, food is over priced here!  Stop on the way back and get some yummy strawberries but remember to negotiate the price of the strawberries!

Have you been to tiger kingdom?  What did you think?

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