planning a short vacation with 3yr old

[sethgrossman]

Wife and I need a little relaxation and would like to take a short trip somewhere in Asia (probably SE Asia). We will be taking our 3yr old and wondered if anyone could suggest some locations where there's planned activites for the kids?

I guess I'm thinking of a resort with a "kids section" so wife and I can chill out while toddler is too busy playing to think about us.

Any ideas?

[armstroe]

How "old" is your three year old? If edging towards 4, then the Kids Club at the Allamanda in Laguna Phuket is perfect. Although, if under 4 you can arrange a babysitter to accompany them.

We've been to this hotel in Phuket three times now and always find it very very relaxing. The kids club runs all day, with a morning and afternoon session. We put our daughter into the morning session each day so that we could have some time to ourselves.

They do activities and have a nice outdoor play area.

[aldougie]

The Laguna is a nice and child friendly. There are a number of hotels (6 in total I think) and the top of the range is the Banyan Tree where you could treat your wife to a massage and win brownie points forever! We've stayed at the Laguna Resort Hotel and although our daughter is much younger they had a kids club which looked as though it was pretty full most days.

We also just got back from Bali and had a great time there at the Grand Hyatt - again they've got a kids club, fantastic beach, great pools etc. and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[rani]

We've just come back from a short vacation in Phuket. I have to agree with the other moms that Phuket is a great place with kids.

D is too young for the Kids Club, but we did go have a looksie for future reference. The play rooms at the Dusit and the Marriot were jam-packed with toys, D could have spent the entire day there - no problem. We also fed the Elephants, watched the ponies on the beach and swam quite a bit.

May/June is also off-peak so its the perfect time to visit.

HTH.
Rani

[sethgrossman]

we would love to try someplace new. The only place in SE Asia we've been is Phuket (and Bangkok) and while it's great, we'd love to go somewhere new. Any ideas in Malaysia or Singapore or even Bali?

Still, these suggestions are great. My daughter is closer to 3 than 4 but I checked out the websites of your suggestions and they look great.

Thanks. Keep the ideas coming

[rani]

How about Cebu?

[sethgrossman]

never been there. open to anything.

what's it like and any thoughts for the family holiday?

[armstroe]

We did Singapore when my daughter was 2. Didn't stay at a resort, but most of the hotels have nice pools, especially the Shangri la

The Zoo is the big attraction. There is a night safari there if you have a night owl. Also, the Bird Park is lovely for little kids. We also took her to Sentosa Island where they have a cable car and beaches.

When she was three we went to Vietnam. That was fantastic. We stayed at the Sofitel (it has a pool) and we took a day trip to Ha Long Bay and went on a boat cruise. She was also at just the right age to enjoy the water puppet show.

Again, this was not a "resort" holiday destination. But like Singapore, a short haul option. I've not been to Bali or Cebu, so I still think Phuket is the best "resort" holiday destination.