Family trip to samui, phuket or aonang?

[Samf]

I was planning to take the fam to samui coming December but multiple people told me it was underwhelming, I’m looking for a place that’s not too rowdy but has enough to do for a few days.  Not looking for p4p, just great beaches, food and nature activities.

would you do samui, Phuket or aonang with day trips to phi phi?

tia

[Micky2]

Phuket has plenty of activity options for all the family…. Beaches, tours, malls, natural and manmade tourist attractions eating, nightlife etc. 

Ao Nang seemed to me to be more a couples destination than a family one. That being said, I find Krabi more stunning scenicly than Phuket, and has some quite interesting natural attractions scattered around the province. You have to be prepared to travel a bit.

It’s years since I went to Samui, but guess it is still a quite laid back get away from it all kind of place. Got a few sights to see, and probably a few more activities than when I was there,  but maybe a bit boring in a good kind of way if you just want to chill out. 

[Samf]

23 minutes ago, Micky2 said:

Phuket has plenty of activity options for all the family…. Beaches, tours, malls, natural and manmade tourist attractions eating, nightlife etc. 

Ao Nang seemed to me to be more a couples destination than a family one. That being said, I find Krabi more stunning scenicly than Phuket, and has some quite interesting natural attractions scattered around the province. You have to be prepared to travel a bit.

It’s years since I went to Samui, but guess it is still a quite laid back get away from it all kind of place. Got a few sights to see, and probably a few more activities than when I was there,  but maybe a bit boring in a good kind of way if you just want to chill out. 

Thanks.  Yeah that’s my take on krabi too, you have to travel for hours to go somewhere, so I’ll strike that off the list for now.

[petermik]

3 hours ago, Samf said:

Thanks.  Yeah that’s my take on krabi too, you have to travel for hours to go somewhere, so I’ll strike that off the list for now.

You will regret it.....

[Encora]

My personal experience:
Phuket is overcrowded, too many tourists, a nightmare to get around.
Been 2 or 3 times, vowed I'd never go back

Samui, some nice spots, but over commercialised, like Phuket, killed by tourism exploitation

Ao Nang, went there first in 1998 , paradise, back in 2000, still great.
Went back about every 3 or 4 years since then, slowly getting more commercial, but not overpowering. 
Went late '21 (or early '22). Very sad to see the devastation due to Covid, half the place closed down. But I expect much of that maybe up and running again, it would certainly be my choice of the three now.

[Samf]

9 hours ago, petermik said:

You will regret it.....

Care to elaborate?

[Samf]

3 hours ago, Encora said:

My personal experience:
Phuket is overcrowded, too many tourists, a nightmare to get around.
Been 2 or 3 times, vowed I'd never go back

Samui, some nice spots, but over commercialised, like Phuket, killed by tourism exploitation

Ao Nang, went there first in 1998 , paradise, back in 2000, still great.
Went back about every 3 or 4 years since then, slowly getting more commercial, but not overpowering. 
Went late '21 (or early '22). Very sad to see the devastation due to Covid, half the place closed down. But I expect much of that maybe up and running again, it would certainly be my choice of the three now.

I don’t mind the commercialization, Im fine with Waikiki, hotel zone in Cancun etc that are overbuilt and over crowded, as long as it’s convenient.  I would like to occasionally get out of the hotel once or twice a day but most of the time I’d imagine we just stay within and use the pools

[Stillearly]

Bad time of year to visit Samui , they have a later rainy season  ❌

Phuket .. I would avoid Patong and look at Surin or Kata, with a visit to Phuket Town when the night market is on ( Sundays iirc ) ✅

Ao Nang is good for a few days ✅

[Stillearly]

Ko Chang is worth a look as well , I haven't been there yet , but friends have recommended to me 

[Samf]

58 minutes ago, Stillearly said:

Bad time of year to visit Samui , they have a later rainy season  ❌

Phuket .. I would avoid Patong and look at Surin or Kata, with a visit to Phuket Town when the night market is on ( Sundays iirc ) ✅

Ao Nang is good for a few days ✅

Thanks, I thought samui’s rainy season would be over by end of Dec?

[Stillearly]

1 hour ago, Samf said:

Thanks, I thought samui’s rainy season would be over by end of Dec?

I've been in early Jan and still had significant rain ..

[petermik]

20 hours ago, Samf said:

Thanks.  Yeah that’s my take on krabi too, you have to travel for hours to go somewhere, so I’ll strike that off the list for now.

 

17 hours ago, petermik said:

You will regret it.....

 

7 hours ago, Samf said:

Care to elaborate?

I have a house nearby and we visit Ao Nang often....been to Samui and Phuket in the past wouldn`t bother to return to either but that`s only my opinion,others may disagree Ao Nang is fine for families/couples but not for mongers as very little talent to choose from.

 

[Thomaz73]

I think Ao Nang is a great choice. Ideal starting point for some island hopping and the most spectacular scenery in the country. You do not have to travel for hours. Depending on what it is you wanna see. Btw, I'm going there in March and will do a few updates on it. 

Samui is good. Though not quite as beautiful. What ticks me off is the airport monopoly. Tried the alternative through Surat Thani. Saved a lot of money but it was a pain in the ass tbh. 

Phuket is great as well. But, again, for beaches and scenery, Krabi beats it easily, imho. 

[Samf]

43 minutes ago, Thomaz73 said:

I think Ao Nang is a great choice. Ideal starting point for some island hopping and the most spectacular scenery in the country. You do not have to travel for hours. Depending on what it is you wanna see. Btw, I'm going there in March and will do a few updates on it. 

Samui is good. Though not quite as beautiful. What ticks me off is the airport monopoly. Tried the alternative through Surat Thani. Saved a lot of money but it was a pain in the ass tbh. 

Phuket is great as well. But, again, for beaches and scenery, Krabi beats it easily, imho. 

Thanks @petermik and @Thomaz73. Less mongering options is actually a good thing lol

I’m looking for a more upscale hotel with nice pools, it seems Aonang/railay has more limited options?  I agree railay beach looks absolutely fantastic, but I prioritize hotel facilities more than natural scenery as we definitely wouldn’t be island hopping everyday.  Let me know if you have suggestions for hotels in the area!

 

[Thomaz73]

Try the Pakasai. Not far from the beach where you can do a short hop to Railey. 

[petermik]

4 hours ago, Thomaz73 said:

Try the Pakasai. Not far from the beach where you can do a short hop to Railey. 

Bit dated now with old style TV sets.....Seaseeker/Infinity/Phu Pi Maan/Bluesotel/Panan Krabi Resort much better IMHO....many 4* hotels to go at....stayed in all the above Seaseeker and it`s sister hotel Panan are our preferred choices dependent upon pricing at the time 👍

Edited January 6 by petermik