Tips on Trips- Thailand and Cambodia

Where to stay

Bangkok

You could drive yourself insane looking at all of the possibilities. My job at my job became searching every website for the best location, most reasonable, kid-friendly hotel in the city.  Finally, we decided to go with a big hotel name, mainly so the kids could have a pool to decompress. We were surprised by how good a deal we got at the Shangri-La Bangkok. This was commensurate with what we discovered years ago, in casting the net wide. Often, deals emerge at more expensive spots making them cheaper than ostensibly cheaper hotels. In this case, the Shangri La was refurbishing their luxury tower and ws offering great deals in the other tower.  So instead of trying to find the best deal in the best location and the newest/chicest hotel, we just went with a reputable name.

Great hotel with great service. We had connecting rooms and kids were in heaven. Parents were in heaven as well, as we had a door in between our rooms. Breakfast was fabulous with lots to offer, Chinese, American and Thai food (although that was a fortune). Guess they know their visitors. The pool was nice and it overlooked the river.  The location was great, but we took taxis everywhere so it wasn't a huge deal where we were, just as long as it was a safe area. I enjoyed the hospitality and they were very helpful with recommendations and setting up our canal tour.
http://www.shangri-la.com/bangkok/shangrila/

Chiang Mai

Again, another city where the possibilities were endless and you could spend months trying to find the perfect hotel (they all look nice on the internet). We decided just to stick with the Shangri-La. The hospitality was great and the rooms very nice.  Once again we had connecting rooms and kids were happy which meant parents were happy.  Nice pool and great breakfast. A bit outside city center, but tuk tuks are cheap and gives the kids a chance to argue over who will sit in the front.
http://www.shangri-la.com/chiangmai/shangrila/

 

Koh Samui  

We chose to stay in the village of Choeng Mon, a quiet town with a beautiful horseshoe shaped beach.  Perfect for families. We stayed at the Imperial Boat House owned by Meilia hotel company. I'm not sure if it was just bought out by Melia, but I called Melia a couple of times before we left and the workers were shocked to find out that they had a location in Thailand.  Very difficult to book from the states. However, we were able to book one of boat suites (original barge converted to hotel room) upon arrival. It was awesome, kids loved the barge and the two floors. Breakfast was okay, a bit small for the size of the hotel. Plenty of other places to eat nearby. Not the best customer service, perhaps that was due to change of ownership.
https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/koh-samui/imperial-boat-house-beach-resort/index.html

Siem Reap

Once again, I found myself laboring over where to stay in Siem Reap. So many options and sometimes it's hard to filter based on reviews. We hired a guide who gave us a couple of suggestions for places to stay. The one we wanted, Sala Lodges, was booked so we settled on Mulberry Boutique. Cute hotel, rooms were fine, not great, but accommodating for five of us. Service was wonderful and the breakfast was great for such a small hotel. The kids loved the pool right outside their door and I loved the lounging area next to the bar. Location was tucked away next to a school and there were plenty of places nearby to eat. Hotel will also call for Tuk Tuks.
https://www.mulberry-boutiquehotel.com/
http://www.salalodges.com/

 

Where to Eat

There are so many guides, websites, news journals that tell you where to eat. We found the Thais to be be very kid friendly and welcoming. We are a family that loves to eat, loves to try new foods and will go out of our way to plan our day around food. This is the one trip that did not hold true to five family mantra of our food adventures. We had plans, but the kids had others. Lunches were spent in small street stalls or shophouse restaurants. I obsessed over the Tom Yum soup, my daughter spent her time complaining about the lemongrass and my husband ordered everything he could in hopes that our youngest would eat something.  Thankfully for the middle child that just goes with the flow. Dinners were planned, but many were spent in the hotel room. The kids were spent from the day and the heat. It wasn't worth dragging them out if they were that tired, formula for disaster. We did go to some night markets where we ate our way around the stalls, they were awesome and highly recommended especially for cheap eats and great variety.

In Koh Samui lunches on the beach from the food vendors were amazing and we could picnic where we were. Of course sometimes we did eat in the restaurant just to take a break from the sun. We dined at Akbar Indian in Choeng Mon to take a break from Thai. The owner was so kind and excited to share his enthusiasm of Indian food with my husband. Another memorable meal was the Samui Honey Seafood Restaurant The Samui Honey Seafood Restauranton the beach. Very relaxing, kids could run around the beach and watching the sunset was awesome.

The two restaurants we did enjoy and I can recommend are in Siem Reap. Perhaps we were just more relaxed as we did have a guide escorting us around the entire time. The Charney Tree and The Sugar Palm. Both wonderful and family friendly. Great food and great way for the kids to try Khmer food.

Places to See and Tours

Bangkok

• The Grand Palace
• Wat Pho (get a massage)
• China town open food market
• Wat Prayoon (Turtle Temple)
• Chao Phraya River (you can arrange a long boat tour)

Other Options in Bangkok

• Jim Thompson's House
• The floating market
• Wat Saket and the Golden Mount
• Wat Traimit
• Wat Benchamabophit

(kids will tire of Wats, just keep this in mind)

Chiang Mai

• Wat Phra Singh
• Elephant Nature Park,
• Please do your research on elephant locations. Some are designed for tourist and treat the animals very poorly. Riding elephants is not okay!
• Chiang Mai Zoo
• Doi Suthep Wat
• Hill Tribe Tour
• Wat Chiang Man

Koh Samui

• Choeng Mon Beach. Great for families. Quiet, nice town.
• 100 Degrees East diving and snorkeling. Will take you to Koh Tao and Angthong National Park. Two separate tours. Angthong includes an island tour and a kayak tour. Lunch, fruit and drinks are provided. Highly recommend this group, they really took care of the kids and one of the guides, Saan, took our kids on their own snorkeling tour while my husband and I swam around on our own. Kids loved it. One of the guides even carried our youngest up steep stairs to see the Emerald Lake. He had a broken heel. the stairs are really steep! 
  

Siem Reap

• Angkor Wat
• Ta Prohm
• Banteay Srey
• Banteay Som Re 
• Floating Village on the Mekong
• Temple Beng Mealea
• Cambodian Circus. This is more of a show.  We saw Sokha about a young child haunted by the war and finds healing and strength through art. Kids loved it. Small venue and mostly tourists, but great story telling through drama, dance and circus techniques. https://pharecircus.org/
• Landmine Museum
• Angkor Silk Farm

Other Options in Siem Reap

• Presh Kanh
• Neak Pean
• Royal Palace 

Guide

• Ouchan Thy, was great and very accommodating. Was willing to make changes to the itinerary based on family needs. http://thyangkortour.com/