Originally Posted by evergrn

I'm contemplating Koh Samui, Conrad Bali or back to Hilton Phuket. Wife and 2 girls aged 10 and 8. Girls are neither particularly loud nor super-quiet. We are looking for 5 days of beach and pool time. Kids loved Hilton Phuket which was a very family-friendly environment with lots of kids. I wouldn't mind going back, but wife wants to try something different.

I saw a few posts from a year ago regarding whether/not this place was good for kids, but the discussion was not really centered around things I was concerned about.

Things I'd like to know:
- Are kids/families common at this resort?
- My kids like to swim around (actually so I), and so I don't think the 10m private pool will cut it. I'd imagine we'll be frequenting the common pool, but I see that that pool has in-pool chairs and canopies and generally an adult-type vibe based on pictures. Will it be appropriate for kids/families to use that pool to play/swim around in?
- I've read that the beach is small and a bit rocky. But is the sand nice at the beach, and can kids still have fun in the water at the beach?
- Our kids' dinner is usually at EL. But this property does not seem to have one, and I see no kids menu online at any of the resort restaurants. Does anyone know if any of their restaurants have kids menu (even if it's not on the website)?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by JJeffrey

Based on what you're saying I would probably stay away from the Conrad Koh Samui. If you enjoyed Phuket, then I would give the Conrad Bali a try, assuming the renovations are complete and/or minimized by the time you're planning to visit. The Conrad Bali has several very large pools flowing throughout the resort, very family friendly, multiple restaurants on-site with lots more within short walking distance. Plus it's Bali, so there's no shortage of stuff to do.

The CKS is in an entirely different league, a much nicer, more intimate, adult-centric resort, and also much more expensive by a magnitude of several times. While families are certainly not un-welcome, it's definitely more of a honeymoon/couples/adult spot, meant for lounging in your villa, relaxing, admiring the views, and eating at the nice (expensive) restaurants. The "beach" at CKS is largely a no-go, man made, rocky, etc. Honestly you'd end up spending 3-4x what you would in Bali and your kids would probably get bored by the 2nd day .

Originally Posted by evergrn

Thank you for your input!
I actually ended up ruling out Koh Samui after finding out that Nov is the worst time of the year to go in terms of weather and possibility of rain.
But your comments are helpful for future purpose, for sure. And it's a bummer that the beach there is man-made and not worth the time.

Originally Posted by ericande

Anyone know the logistics of renting a scooter at this resort? Nearby companies that could deliver it? I wouldn't anticipate problems parking it at the resort but anyone know firsthand if that's not the case?

Originally Posted by KRUXED

Originally Posted by jtz

Been 2 years for me too, and we hired a scooter from Chaweng, was fine to park in the car park, just take a buggy to the car park or walk of your villa os not too far off.

Originally Posted by Chang11

Motorbike accidents are pretty common, especially involving tourist. The general driving conditions (roads, behavior and protocol) you encounter in Thailand, will be different from what your used to in your home country. It's a common occurrence to see cars/motorbikes driven at night with no headlights, vehicles driven on wrong side of the road, motorbikes aggressively sharing crowded sidewalks with pedestrians, poor road conditions to name a few to be found in Thailand. The Thailand motorbike accident lottery is the easiest lottery to win in the world. Many travel insurance policies will not cover motorbike accidents. With taxi/tuk tuk fares reasonably cheap by Western standards let a local do the driving.

Originally Posted by pinniped

I get that Bangkok is like that, but is Koh Samui as well?

Originally Posted by pinniped

I get that Bangkok is like that, but is Koh Samui as well?

Originally Posted by KRUXED

Originally Posted by Chang11

Motorbike accidents are pretty common, especially involving tourist. The general driving conditions (roads, behavior and protocol) you encounter in Thailand, will be different from what your used to in your home country. It's a common occurrence to see cars/motorbikes driven at night with no headlights, vehicles driven on wrong side of the road, motorbikes aggressively sharing crowded sidewalks with pedestrians, poor road conditions to name a few to be found in Thailand. The Thailand motorbike accident lottery is the easiest lottery to win in the world. Many travel insurance policies will not cover motorbike accidents. With taxi/tuk tuk fares reasonably cheap by Western standards let a local do the driving.