Phuket, 2025
We knew anything after Chiang Mai was going to feel like a downgrade, and we were anxious about choosing a location we hadn’t been to before for 2 months. Some families backpack, booking hotels the day before they arrive and winging it on flights and ferries. That is not us. We like to stay for longer, choose houses that feel homely and try to soak up the sense of a place properly before moving on. The down side of that means you are then committed, and if you feel like it’s not for you after all it’s harder to pivot.
Phuket is busy; busy with traffic and busy with foreign tourists. The driving was a shock from the get go (and i’ve comfortably driven in Thailand before) the beaches were packed. The location of our apartment this time wasn’t ideal, it’s not a walking friendly spot (although nowhere we went really felt like it was) meaning a car was needed for a trip anywhere. If you have never tried to put two squiggling children in a car seat in a 40 degree heat well let me tell you, it is not fun. Plus the little one is mid-potty training meaning accidents in the car seat, a lot.
We’ve had some good days, some lovely trips together and of course being near the ocean was incredible. A has thrived in his swimming skills (I think he might be part fish now after acquiring a snorkelling mask) and they both gained even more (if that’s possible) confidence and also social skills at their international nursery. But we’ve had lessons learned too, we had a disastrous island trip to a hotel, most of the food has been twice the price and half as good as other places in Thailand abd we have learnt that we really, really need to have an outside space at home for the kids. I’m sharing this as you look at these photos and it looks a paradise, but it’s a reminder than there is so much more than an image that you see of someone’s trip behind it.
Some highlights:
Seeing the sun rise of Phang Nga Bay
Spontaneous boat trip to Koh Bon
Our favourite beach near the airport
Visiting the Surin Islands
The best part of our time here, is the last week of the trip we decided we didn’t our lasting memories of this 6 month trip to Thailand to be here, so we pivoted and headed up to Koh Lak to a new place, right by the beach. And then we checked into a hotel for the last two nights because hey, I want that buffet breakfast one last time and do you see those cute bunk beds?
