Phuket, Thailand For Kids Only !

Last year, we re-visited Phuket. Thailand is my favourite beach holiday destination since my Uni days. I love everything about Thailand , the food, the desserts, the beaches, the fashion, their quirky art scenes, the parties and it's just about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur.

The last time me and my husband came to Phuket was in 2010. I was pregnant with Kaseh. Phuket
holds a reputation for being an 'adult fun' island. Backpackers and Europeans love vacationing here especially during winter months. But not much promotes the 'kid" side of Phuket. And after much research , i must say that Phuket is very kid friendly , plenty of things to keep them occupy and
yes i get to enjoy the white sandy beach and crystal clear waters and great Som Tam.

The best time to visit Phuket is mid December onwards. During our visit it was absolutely beautiful.
It was practically raining thunder storm every single day in Kuala Lumpur , and i'm glad we came to sunny Phuket.

We stayed in Holiday Inn, Patong. Patong is not my first choice of an area to stay in. I would normally stay in Kata Beach , where it's quieter and calmer, but because of the kids and we wanted to stay in Holiday Inn ( top child friendly hotel in Phuket) , and this hotel reside on one of the end of Patong Beach.

Holiday Inn, Patong offers the family room , with additional two bunk beds. For about RM 500 plus ,
i think this is absolutely fantastic and the kids love playing in this small corner. It's not separated from our room , it's kind off embedded in the Deluxe room. The only thing is that, Kid's suites are situated quite a distance from the main lobby.

Bare in mind that , Phuket beaches are public beaches, thus most of the hotels are not build on the beach bank itself. It's still beach front, but there's a road that separate the beach and hotel. Thus you gotta cross the road to get to the beach. Pros - everyone get to enjoy the beach , Cons- Crossing the busy road with kids.

Holiday Inn, kid's pool is OK , there's two and one fantastic Kid's club. However , if you have older kids , they will think that the slide at the pool is nothing to shout about. Suitable for younger kids.

The adult pool on the other hand, is just what a mom needs - relaxing and inviting. But guess where i spend most of my time ? Bingo ! Kid's pool!

Generally , i think things are quite pricey in Phuket . The food and shopping wise, almost or slightly higher price than Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps it's peak season , that most good's prices are inflated.
So i didn't shop much , i didn't have anything particular to buy. Tip - Thailand is popular for it's cashew nuts and thai silk , be sure to buy some either for your own consumption or as gifts.

Pancake stalls are everywhere. Great filling dessert , the kids love banana and Nutela flavour.
Thailand is also famous for it's massages. Thai massage uses a different technics, unlike the Malay and Balinese massages , Thais uses acupressure and stretching application. We both manage to go for a massage each , taking turn on different nights when the kids are asleep.

Taking turns are the best way , to enjoy some personal time on holidays. Even though the hotel did offer baby sitting service ( RM 20 per hours), but Kefli and Kaseh , are just not use to strangers . So there you go, time management and plenty of sacrifices.

Walking is the best way to discover Phuket. However on this trip we left the kid's stroller at home.
No , i didn't forget the stroller , but it was a conscious decision not to bring it . We felt that , the kids would very much prefer to go on foot as well. Oh my , never forget the stroller , even if it seems like a hassle , just bring it , or you'll end up having to carry them all the way.

This is actually Kefli's and Kaseh's first time to Phuket. We weren't sure at first, because unlike our Singapore trips ,we actually drove, thus we have the luxury of driving and the convenience of a car.
But getting on a plane to a different country , will take a lil bit of effort on your side. The immigration procedures, the flying in and out - but hey , we did it anyways and it was worth while - nothing like having the kids around.

I know that kids vacations can be tiring , and i do feel like i need a holiday from the holiday , but
the love and experiencing the place with them makes it all special and worth while. So moms and dads, don't worry too much, just plan your holiday and just do it!

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Famous Ikan Bakar @Pasar Keramat

I don't normally frequent the Keramat or Kl area for no reason , kecuali ada kerja or sebab terpaksa. But today is an exception. We head towards Keramat because my maid wanted to buy gold. After 2 years of serving us she will be leaving home to Semarang , Indonesia for good next week. She wanted to use partial of her pay to buy a gold necklace for herself, i guess it's a wise investment. I am not a gold lover, i hardly have any barang kemas (jewellery)
for myself, the last i bought jewellery was in 2009, it was my wedding ring.

Even that i wanted to buy a necklace cause i don't wear rings, but my mother insisted because it is custom that rings are exchanged during the akad nikad ceremony(solemnisation). I settled for a diamond ring which we bought in Habib. Wore it couple of times only and now it sits in it's case in my room. Nevertheless the memories that i brings is priceless.

Our lunch at ikan bakar, pasar keramat.

Right, back to our mission to buy gold, a friend of mine Wan Zuraini (Wan Cha) owns a kedai emas in Pasar Keramat called Kedai Emas Wan Hassan. She is however now working in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Her brother is mending the shop, i gave her a call and told her that i wanted to visit her shop, because my maid wanted to buy gold.

While we are busy looking and learning about gold from Wan, Kaseh found her own goldmine full of toys !

Today i learned that gold is very expensive. I remembered my mother bought me a gold necklace for my 16th birthday with my name engraved on it and i think those time it costs about RM 350, for something similar now is about RM 1000+. As of today, gold was priced at RM195 per gram. Kesian my maid , she managed to buy only one item, hopefully it will do her good in time of desperation.

After that, we took the opportunity to have lunch at the famous ikan bakar ( grilled fish) in Pasar Keramat . I was introduced to this place by my collegues when i was working in Jalan Semarak for a telecomunications company. I no longer work there, thus this is really an opportunity for me to introduce the place to Sol,Kaseh and Karimah. I don't know when the next time will be.

If you've never been there, the ikan bakar stall in situated right opposite the pasar basah ( in front of the fruit stalls) , there are other vendors selling ikan bakar , but this particular stall is always crowded. It's not that comfortable to eat here actually, cause it's kinda off hot and crampy. But if you are a food lover like me, you wouldn't mind. Bawak balik rasa tak sesedap punya.

Type of fish available- pari (stingray), kembong( indian macarel) and terubuk.

Other fish dishes are available too , like gulai lemak cili padi ikan merah ( red snapper in coconut milk) and asam pedas kembong and pari.

Tip 1- go for the Pari Ikan Bakar , it's their speciality, the fish is fresh and the sambal cicah is so yummy !

Tip 2 - ask for the gulai lemak ikan gravy and eat with white rice, great combination. Ikan pari is my favourite here.

Not all ikan bakar places offers fresh pari like this one.

Asam pedas kembung .

How to order - when you reach the stall , you must be slightly agressive in booking your table.2-3 other groups are also eye-ing the same table, if you come during peak time. Jangan lah kiasu sangat , but go for it if you see an empty table, don't wait to be serve. The kakaks there are too busy to attend to you sometimes.

Once you get your table, order your fish, it automatically comes with the air asam, sup and rice. If you want ulam and kuah lemak you must request.

The price is fairly reasonable. We had
1 pari bakar
1 terubuk bakar
2 kembung asam pedas
1 pari asam pedas
3 plates of rice
2 teh o ais
3 bowls of soup
3 bowls of asam cicah
And all thay costs us RM 53.

It would have costs me the same if i bought fish from the market and cook. We are happy and full , head home and took a half hour afternoon nap. What a bliss.

Warning - the ikan bakar meal might cause drowsiness, thus eat moderately and not highly recommended if you have a meeting or presentation after.

Opening time : Monday to Saturday 11am to 3pm only.

Read my travel adventures over the CNY break. Definitely the most unplanned and most budget but yet comfortable of all our breaks . I am looking forward to it , but a lil nervous, cause i don't know what to expect with this impromtu holidays.

Thanks for reading XOXO.

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