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Phuket for families — 7 days

A beach for every mood, plus Phi Phi and Phang Nga 30 minutes out by boat. Seven days is the sweet spot for a holiday that actually feels like one.

Duration
7 days
Best time
November–April
Budget from
$1,096 per person
Direct flight
HKT

✓ Pros

  • +HKT takes wide-bodies from Doha, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney; from Bangkok it's a 90-minute hop with a dozen departures a day
  • +Visa-free on arrival for US, UK, EU, Australian and Canadian passports — 60 days, extendable once at the Phuket immigration office
  • +Food is cheap — a local café feeds two for $5-10
  • +Ocean, hills and island-hopping all within an hour of each other
  • +Thai staff are warm with children, and any hotel can find you a sitter

⚠ What to keep in mind

  • !Monsoon runs May to October — the beaches genuinely suffer
  • !Tuk-tuks and metered taxis on Phuket are overpriced — use Grab
  • !The sun is fierce — SPF 50+ and hats, not optional

📍 Day-by-day plan

1

Arrival, then Karon

  • · Transfer from HKT to Karon — 40 minutes
  • · Check in to a family hotel (Centara Karon, Hilton)
  • · Light dinner on the beach
2

Karon Beach and the pool

  • · Morning on Karon beach — long, sandy, safe
  • · Lunch at Tukcom Karon, the local Thai food court
  • · Pool in the afternoon
  • · Evening at the Karon Temple market
3

Phi Phi in a day

  • · Early start at 6:00 for the Phi Phi speedboat tour — book it the day before
  • · Snorkelling and the lagoons
  • · Back by 17:00, quiet evening
4

Big Buddha and Wat Chalong

  • · Morning: the Big Buddha, Phuket's landmark statue
  • · Wat Chalong temple
  • · Lunch with a view
  • · Kata Beach in the late afternoon
5

Phuket FantaSea and Patong shopping

  • · Daytime: pool and recovery
  • · Evening: the FantaSea show — five hours including dinner
  • · Late return
6

Phuket Town and the markets

  • · Morning: Old Phuket Town and its Sino-Portuguese shophouses
  • · Lunch at Raya
  • · The Sunday Walking Street market, if the day lines up
  • · Dinner at the hotel
7

Last beach, then out

  • · Morning on the beach, lunch
  • · Check out, transfer to HKT

💰 Budget per person

Budget
$1,096
backpacker
Best value
$1,826
comfort
Premium
$4,261
luxury

Indicative prices for 2026. They cover the flight, hotel, food and activities. Shopping and big-ticket purchases are not included.

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❓ Common questions

Which beach should we pick with kids?

Karon and Kata are the safest — gentle shelving, no rocks. NOT Patong (surf, noise). NOT Surin (rocks and the occasional strong current).

Do we need vaccinations?

Nothing is mandatory. Hepatitis A and typhoid are the usual recommendations. There is no malaria on Phuket, and a family trip rarely goes into the jungle anyway.

How do we get around the island?

Grab, the Thai Uber, is by far the best value. Tuk-tuks and metered taxis run two to three times higher. A rental car is about $25 a day, but you need an International Driving Permit.

Can we take kids to Phi Phi?

Yes, but it's a long day — 12 hours. It works best from about age six; smaller children run out of steam. Speedboat tours are safe in good weather.

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