Khao Lak
I’ve had this half-written post about our trip to Khao Lak, Thailand, from April sitting in my drafts for months. Now that we’ve hit the September school holidays, I finally have the time to sit down and finish it! I already wrote about the resort we stayed at in this post, but now I want to share what we got up to outside of it.
Andy isn’t the kind of person who can sit still for long. Lounging by a pool for 10 days straight isn’t really his idea of a good time—and honestly, I’m with him on that! So, we made sure to venture out most days, whether for a full-day excursion or just a stroll down the street to grab some food at a local restaurant. There was so much to see and do that we could easily go back for more adventures. The weather was hot and humid every single day, though, so we had to pace ourselves with the kids and squeeze in some chill time when needed.
Bang Niang Food Market
We headed out to the nearby Bang Niang Food Market in the evening of our first full day in Thailand. The market was a short taxi ride away, which was an adventure in itself - the kids loved the open-air taxis and after a few days I even managed to stop stressing about how unsafe I felt with kids in them.
The market was exactly what you'd expect in this part of the world and was geared toward tourists. Stalls were packed with everything from souvenirs and beauty products to furniture and knock-off designer gear. The market is busiest in the evening, buzzing with energy and a great atmosphere. Our highlights were the fried ice cream and the ridiculously cheap mojitos (60 baht is less than 3 Aussie dollars!)
Bamboo Rafting and Sea Turtle Conservation Centre
Our first full-day excursion was to go Bamboo Rafting and then to the nearby Sea Turtle Conservation Centre.
Bamboo rafting was a lovely, peaceful experience. At one point we got to jump out into the cool, deep pools to swim in. Ella and I had a visitor for most of our trip, a small frog jumped on and hitched a ride with us.
After the rafting we spent some time chilling out at the rafting centre with fresh fruit and ice creams.
Sea turtles are considered near extinction in Thailand, due to human activity such as the prevalence of plastic bags, and the illegal collection of sea turtle eggs. The Turtle Conservation Centre is located inside the Royal Thai Navy's Third Fleet, and was founded in 1985 to rehabilitate and release injured sea turtles and conserve sea turtle populations in the region.
We spent about 30-45 minutes here, walking around the tanks to see the turtles. Signs give an indication of how old the turtles are - some were super tiny and others looked fully grown.
Lampi Waterfalls
Khao Lak is known for its many swimmable waterfalls, but since there hadn’t been much rain when we visited, most of them were dry. Luckily, Lampi Waterfalls, located in the Khao Lak Lam Ru National Park, about half an hour from our resort, still had plenty of water flowing. This stunning three-tier waterfall gave us the chance to hike up to each level and cool off with a swim in the pools below. The cool water was a refreshing break from the sticky afternoon humidity and was just what we needed!
Eating out
Eating for 10 days straight in a resort is really not my idea of a holiday. While the food at our resort was overall pretty good, we all wanted to get out and sample some authentic Thai cuisine. Luckily our resort was located off a main street in Khao Lak with many restaurants, cafés and shops to explore.
One of the first evenings we were in Thailand our kids all went to the Disco at the Kids Club. We took advantage of this to go out for an adult dinner. We ended up walking a short way down the beach to a place called Hippie Fish. The location of this place could not be beat as it was located right on the beach with a view of the sun setting over the ocean.
Later in the holiday, we went back to Hippie Fish for dinner with the kids. We started the evening with a long walk along the beach where we found these swings and had another gorgeous evening watching the sunset over the water.
And we even managed to get a nice group shot!
We also ventured out for a few dinners at nearby restaurants, which was a nice change of pace. Strolling down the high street, browsing the shops around the resort was always a lot of fun. Khao Lak Country was a fun place (pictured below) with it's kitschy interior, including lots of fairy lights, a treehouse and pond.
The kids weren’t always keen on trying authentic Thai food, so we’d often feed them at the resort first (they ate for free the entire stay, which was a bonus), and then they’d just have a small bowl of rice or noodles and a drink while we enjoyed our meal. Here they are with their pre-dinner resort pizza! And how cute are the girls in their bathrobes?!
One of the best things about dining out with the kids was that they kept themselves entertained by playing card games together, which gave the adults some much-needed time to actually chat.
Snorkeling Day Trip
Lee and Maisie joined our family for a day trip snorkeling. We decided to skip the massive tour boats and go with a smaller, more personal company—Discovery Khao Lak—so it was just us. The half-day tour included a pick-up by taxi and a ride to a charming fishing village about half an hour from Khao Lak. From there, we hopped on a traditional longtail boat to explore some of the best snorkeling spots.
Andy and Ella had been counting down the days for this trip—they’d spent the summer snorkeling together around Melbourne and were keen to dive in again. But, as luck would have it, Ella wasn’t feeling great. She was determined to go, though, and with our holiday nearing its end and no chance to reschedule, we gave her some Panadol and set off.
It was another hot and humid day, but thankfully, the breeze on the boat kept us comfortable. Our first stop was perfect—cool, refreshing water, and everyone jumped in, even Ollie! He was so confident that he started doing front flips off the boat, loving every minute. Being in the water seemed to revive Ella a bit too, which was a relief.
Our second stop wasn’t as smooth sailing. The current was really strong, and even with flippers, I struggled to stay close to the boat. The water wasn’t as clear either, although Andy managed to venture further out and spot some colorful fish.
After snorkeling, we stopped at a national park for lunch. By then, Ella was wiped out. While the rest of the crew explored the beach, I stayed with her, trying to stay cool under the shade of the big trees.
The boat ride back was a lot of fun, though. Ella seemed to perk up, and our guides blasted Taylor Swift and Katy Perry songs, much to the delight of Ella and Maisie (and, let’s be honest, the adults were into it too. Ollie, I'm not too sure about!). By the time we got back to our resort in the early afternoon Ella seemed to be feeling much better, and we ended the day with a swim in one of the pools followed by dinner at Khao Lak Country for dinner (see above!).
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