We did this trip in Thailand over Christmas and New Year - beaches, jungle and elephants instead of cold weather, turkey and gluhwein. I must admit that we did bring some Christmas decorations and small presents, which worked great in our treehouse, more on that below. We flew into Phuket and travelled directly north to Khao Lak, then inland to Khao Sok National Park, and finishing with a few days in Krabi before flying home from Krabi airport.
Our kids were six years old and eighteen months at the time, which turned out to be a good age mix for this kind of holiday.
Stop 1: Khao Lak — Beach Time and Resort Relaxation
We started the trip with four nights at La Flora Khao Lak, a mid-range beachfront resort about an hour and a half north of Phuket airport.
After a busy period in Singapore, this was exactly the right place to begin: a few days to relax and enjoy the beach.
The resort is very well set up for families. There's a large pool area with a swim-up bar, lots of loungers with umbrellas, and a water play area with slide that the kids immediately claimed as their territory. There's also a small kids club with an indoor play space, a pool table, and plenty of shaded areas around the resort to relax.
The beach was one of the highlights. Wide, clean sand, and calm water, perfect for small kids to run around.
The main outdoor restaurant has a sandy flooring but sits slightly elevated above the beach with views out to the sea, which makes for a great atmosphere in the evening. Lantern lighting, relaxed beach vibe, and every night there was a fire show on the beach.
There isn't a huge amount happening directly around the resort, but restaurants and small shops are at walking distance. We felt it was more of a place to slow down rather than explore. For the first few days of a holiday with young kids, that worked very well.
Stop 2: Khao Sok — Treehouses, Jungle Rivers, and Unexpected Wildlife
From Khao Lak we drove about two hours inland to Khao Sok, one of the most beautiful national park areas in Thailand — and surprisingly not that widely known.
We stayed at Baan Khao Sok Resort, which was immediately a hit with the kids because the rooms are treehouses. Each hut sits a few metres above the ground with wooden stairs leading up to it. Structurally very solid, air-conditioned, and perfectly comfortable — but the fact that it was a treehouse made it far more exciting than any standard hotel room. It was also a great location for some Christmas decorations and stockings with some small presents (brought secretly from Singapore) – the kids could not believe that Santa had been able to find them up in a tree!
The resort itself is small and quite simple but well maintained and with friendly people – and very affordable.
Breakfast is served in the pleasant open air common area, they don't serve dinner. There are restaurants nearby, but you need to walk about fifteen minutes into town.
Good to know is that the road from the resort to the main road is unpaved and quite bumpy. With a stroller it can be a bit of an adventure, especially in the evening.
Once you reach the main road there are several restaurants, with a mix of local and international food.
Two we tried:
- Bamboo Bistro — Relaxed upstairs seating and a set of wooden Jenga style blocks that kept the kids happily occupied during dinner.
- Pawn's Restaurant — Good Thai food and a very nice Massaman curry, though the food took quite a long time to arrive.
River Tubing and Rope Swing
We really enjoyed the lush greenery around the resort, and a shallow river runs just beside it. This river quickly became the centre of activity for the kids.
There's a rope swing over the water, and our son spent a good amount of time swinging out over the river and dropping into the water below, which is about a metre deep. Some other kids from a family staying at the resort joined in and the whole thing quickly turned into a mini adventure playground.
Another great activity was river tubing. You simply grab an inflatable tube and float down the river with the current for about an hour before being picked up by a van from the resort and driven back.
Our daughter sat on the tube with one of us, while our son had his own.
At one point our son suddenly shouted "Ouch!". Apparently a fish had bitten his finger while he was trailing his hand in the water. We couldn't see anything at all, but he was absolutely convinced it had happened. He's still quite certain about it years later.
Khao Sok National Park — Lakes and Jungle Adventures
One of the highlights of this stop was a day trip into Khao Sok National Park.
It's about an hour's drive from the resort to the Cheow Lan Lake area, and from there we took a small boat across the water. The scenery is spectacular — limestone mountains rising straight out of the lake, covered in jungle. It feels a little like Ha Long Bay but much quieter. Fun fact: this very natural looking lake is actually a 165 km² man-made reservoir created in the 1980s, built primarily for hydroelectric power generation.
We stopped at a cave system where we could go in with a guide. There were bats inside, which our son was extremely excited about after spotting the first one himself.
Next stop was a short jungle walk — about thirty minutes — where the guide pointed out plants and explained the local ecosystem.
Lunch was at a floating restaurant on the lake. Fresh grilled fish, steamed rice, local vegetables, and a jetty where you could jump into the water or take a kayak to peddle around. A very relaxed lunch stop and a surprisingly beautiful place to spend an hour or two.
Unexpected Jungle Guests
The Khao Sok National Park has also many hiking trails, and the next day we tried about a 1-hour jungle hike, starting walking distance from the resort. The trails are easy to follow and manageable with kids, though there was one small surprise afterwards.
When we stopped for lunch in town afterwards, our son suddenly said:
"Why is there blood on the floor?"
Which turned out to be leeches dropping off after we had picked up during the hike.
Even though we were wearing closed shoes and high socks, a few had somehow attached themselves during a small more bushy detour to a waterfall. The kids were mostly fascinated rather than upset, but it's definitely something to be aware of if the trails are wet.
An Elephant Experience Done the Right Way
One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was visiting an elephant sanctuary recommended by the resort.
The kids were keen to see elephants, but we were very clear that we didn't want to do elephant riding or anything exploitative. This sanctuary focuses on caring for a small number of retired elephants that roam relatively freely.
Our son helped prepare food for them first — mixing up a few ingredients and shaping them into small balls, which the elephants were already watching with great interest. This was a great way to interact and get familiar with the elephants – as they are huge, especially for a 6 year old.
Afterwards we walked with them down to the river where they came to drink and cool off. Nothing staged or overly structured, just spending time close to the animals.
Our daughter was still a little young to fully appreciate it, but for our son it made a big impression. Being close to the elephants and feeding them himself was something he talked about for a long time afterwards.
Stop 3: Krabi — Island Hopping and Beach Evenings
Our final stop was Krabi, about a two-and-a-half to three-hour drive from Khao Sok.
We stayed at Krabi Resort, a good value-for-money resort with large rooms at the corner of Ao Nang Beach. The location worked very well — right next to the beach and easy walking to restaurants and shops. The resort itself had plenty of activities for kids: pools, mini golf, archery, and even Muay Thai classes.
One day we did an island hopping boat trip around the Hong Islands. The main stop is Koh Hong (or Hong Island) with a well-known viewpoint. The 360 degree views at the top are amazing but… it requires a hike up a metal staircase consisting of 400+ steps. We made it, but it took a few stops taking turns carrying our youngest. Bring some cash to buy a cold drink at one of the stalls when you come down.
Lunch consisting of grilled fish, chicken, rice, vegetables and fruits was set up on the beach at Koh Lao Lading, a small beach enclosed by limestone cliffs and good for swimming and snorkelling with sheltered water.
Overall the sea was calm and visibility was good, making it an easy day out with kids.
But our favourite place in Krabi turned out to be much simpler.
Sunset Evenings at The Last Fisherman
At the far end of Ao Nang Beach is a beach bar called The Last Fisherman.
Very relaxed, right on the sand, and perfect with kids.
The beach is vast, the water is shallow and there are always small hermit crabs along the shoreline. The kids spent hours collecting them and watching them crawl across the sand. We'd usually arrive late afternoon, let the kids play on the beach, order drinks, and then stay for dinner as the sun set. Buy some roasted corn from a local cart, enjoy the music, good food and drinks, and very laid-back atmosphere.
We ended up coming back here several times because it was simply such an easy and pleasant place to spend the afternoon and evening.
Trip taken December 2021 – January 2022 (accommodation details reviewed and updated March 2026).