We went to Phuket for a recent holiday getaway. Unlike most of our trips, this was one where the hotel itself would be an attraction to the kids. Not Disneyland-type hotel, but still good enough they would be thrilled to just stay in the hotel. This is the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket in Patong Beach.
The highlight of our stay is the Kids’ Suite. It’s a comfortable room that, at 33 square metres, isn’t much bigger than standard hotel rooms. However, it is what’s inside the room that’s special. The kids have their own kids’ themed bunk beds in a partitioned-off area. The area is nicely decorated, and they have their own soft toys too.
The bunk bed isn’t even the main feature. The star attraction is about what else is in that area. The kids have their own Xbox 360 console! They have their own TV and DVD player! They also have a toy box! My kids were tired and somewhat lethargic on the way to Patong, but their energy levels were instantly restored the moment they saw this room.
The Xbox 360 is not conneted to the Internet, but they have local storage attached to the console offering a selection of over 100 game titles. The kids will definitely find several games that tickle their fancy. You will find something interesting for yourself too, if you can wrestle the controllers out of their hands!
The Kids’ Club in the hotel has a couple of PS4 consoles available, in case you prefer that to the Xbox, though there will be other kids around competing to use them. I did spy many more PS4 consoles still in their boxes, unopened; it looks like the hotel may be planning to upgrade the Xbox 360 consoles in the Kids’ Suite to the PS4.
There are just a small handful of DVD titles available in the room, but you can borrow more from the Kids’ Club. The Business Centre also has DVD for loan, which you can watch on a separate DVD player on another TV in the room. Yup. The adults get their own DVD player and TV too. No need to fight with the kids.
The rest of the Kids’ Suite is quite a standard hotel room.
There’s a large, comfortable, King-sized bed. Beside it, you get a standard radio alarm clock, a little dated considering the kind of i-device connector it offers. No Bluetooth audio in the room, in case you’re wondering.
There is an in-room safe, mini fridge, coffee (and tea) making facilities, and a generous offering of cups. Including the Hello Kitty themed cups and the glasses in the bathroom, there are a total of 12 cups/glasses/mugs!
The view out of the Kids’ Suite isn’t fantastic. You can walk out to a small balcony, where you’ll just see the hotel’s car park. There are only 5 such Kids’ Suite in the resort, and they are all located together on the same floor, all with the same view.
There are more kids features in the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket than just inside the Kids’ Suite. I mentioned the Kids’ Club earlier. Most of the toys inside the Kids’ Club are more suited for younger children, perhaps those below seven, apart from the aforementioned PS4 consoles.
The Kids’ Club staff have several organised activities for the kids. There are, in fact, several each day. You can refer to the schedule below to get an idea of what activities are available. There are two sets of activities which are rotated on a weekly basis (i.e. one week they will run set 1, and the next week they will run set 2). You should, of course, check with the hotel for their latest activity schedule.
There are also other paid and free activities suitable for everyone, not just kids. For example, there are excursions to the Phuket Aquarium and the Trick Eye Museum.
If you want to go about your other activities without your kids, you can leave them at the Kids’ Club. A spa or massage perhaps? The Kids’ Club staff can take care of kids five years and older, and they can also take them to lunch (at extra cost).
Speaking of food, kids eat free at this Holiday Inn Resort. With each adult main course ordered, two kids’ meal (from the kids’ menu) are free, up to a max of four free kids’ meal per table.
Apart from the adults feature pool, there’s also a kids’ swimming pool and another wading pool for younger children.
The Holiday Inn Resort Phuket has everything that will keep kids happy and occupied. Even in the bar, there are some games to play. They serve kids’ menu items in there too.
Daily buffet breakfast at the hotel is excellent. They’ve not forgotten the kids, of course, with a special section setup just for them.
The hotel has catered for several types of cuisine, like Indian, for example. For the typical western items, I’m impressed that they offer two types of bacon: crispy and soft. You know, some people like one type only and not the other. At the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, you don’t have to hope they serve the type of bacon you prefer.
The beautiful Patong beach is just across the road from the hotel, so all the beach activities are an easy reach. There is a dedicated gate to access the beach, with washing facilities to clean yourself up when you return.
The Holiday Inn Resort Phuket is a great place to stay. It’s conveniently located in the Patong area, the busiest beach in Phuket, with beach, shopping, a bustling night market and other restaurants and bars all around it. Yet, if you prefer some quiet and peace, you can just stay inside the resort.
Better yet, with the Xbox 360 inside the Kids’ Suite, the kids don’t even want to leave the room.
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