Phuket is quite the popular travel destination in Southeast Asia. I remember visiting Phuket in the 80s when I was really young…while my memory might be fuzzy about that first trip to Phuket, I do distinctly remember the pristine vibes of this locale long before it became part of the tourist map. In the past few years, I’ve made several trips to Phuket with family and friends. Now, Phuket is far more developed and highly frequented by visitors than ever before. But it still has its charming beachy vibes and you can still get that authentic experience if you know where to go.

I’ve stayed in different parts of Phuket every time I have visited along the following beaches -- Patong, Kamala, Kathu, Kata, Bangtao, etc. In addition, I have stayed in AirBnBs, hotels, and hotel villas. It’s been a different experience every time and each setup has its pros and cons depending on who you're traveling with. Here are some of my recommendations of places to go in Phuket and where to eat (by no means exhaustive but just sharing what I have enjoyed).

Beaches:

I have generally found the stretch of beaches along the west coast of Phuket to be quite beautiful. Other than Patong Beach which is overexposed and overcrowded, I have enjoyed the following beaches: Kamala Beach, Bangtao Beach, Surin Beach, and Kata Beach. The east coast of Phuket is less developed in terms of properties. However, I have stayed there as well and it's quieter and more serene.

Most, if not all, of these beaches will have water activities such as banana boating, parasailing, etc. You can also light the night lanterns which can be released in the sky! Specifically, Bangtao beach offers pony and horseback riding along the beach for grown-ups and kids alike. 

Restaurants / Night Life: 

- Beach clubs: There are a few good ones, which have a chill daytime vibe and a clubby night time scene. Check out Cafe Del Mar, Carpe Diem, and Xana Beach Club to name a few. Patong night life is a bit seedy for my taste but it’s definitely rocking at night! 

-  Baan Rim Pa: This place is an institution! They offer authentic thai food (with a veg menu) and the views are stunning from the hilltop! 

- Tung Ka Café: Get ready for a short ride up a hilltop for authentic Thai food. Located on top of Rang Hill, I would suggest going here a bit before sunset to get a spectacular view of Phuket city. Since the restaurant is open air, be sure to take mozzie patches and repellent.

- Baba's Nest at Sri Panwa Resort: This is a rooftop bar in the Sri Panwa Resort located towards the southernmost part of Phuket. From the rooftop deck, you get a stunning view of Phuket peninsula and the Andaman sea as you enjoy cocktails. Just make sure to make reservations in advance!

-Torry's Ice Cream: Located in Old Phuket town, this ice cream parlor designed in the old Sino-Portugese fashion offers delicious local ice cream flavors. 

- Lucha Cantina: Loved their margaritas and their Mexican food was on point!

- Tambu Phuket: Rated as one of the top 50 best restaurants in Asia, this Mughal-inspired tasting menu set in a tent-like setting was a divine experience!

- Sizzle Rooftop Restaurant: Located in the same space as Tambu, Sizzle's menu is more meat-heavy for those interested. The vibe is also really amazing with great sunset views.

Shopping:

- Old Phuket Town is a historical part of Phuket noted for its Sino-Portugese shophouses lining the streets. The main roads within this neighbhorhood are Thalang Road (which has a small lane called Soi Romanee), Phang Nga, Krabi, Dibuk, and Yaowarat. Here you’ll find charming heritage shophouses of various candy colors selling souvenirs, clothes/apparel, and other trinkets. You’ll also find cute coffee shops and some hipster cafes. Definitely worth a visit to roam around and do something non-beach related. I recommend visiting the Sunday weekend market (called Lard Yai) which takes place on Thalang Road on Sundays from 4pm to 11pm. 

My 7-year old doing batik painting with my mom at the Sunday weekend market

Bulan store located on Thalang Road in Old Phuket Town

- I’m not a fan of visiting the generic malls when I travel abroad. But having said that, the Jung Ceylong Shopping Mall undoubtedly offers tons of options for restaurants, a supermarket (should you wish to buy some basic necessities), and local and chain stores. Sometimes that’s what you need when traveling with kids and looking to get some easy shopping done!

Kid activities / Things to do:

- Boat tours - You can do the the Phi Phi Island tour (8-9 hours long) in the form of a private or group tour. Personally, I have preferred booking our own private catamaran tour and dropping anchor somewhere near a small island and spending the afternoon chilling, swimming in the water, etc. It's really fun! Here's my private contact: Julian from Crown Line Asia +66822083670. 

- Patong Go-Kart Speedway is a fun activity to do for the adults and kids. There are many other vendors and locations you can check out.

- Hanuman World - fun ziplining experience with the kids

- ATV riding - Took my mom and kids for this experience and they loved it! My kids sat as passengers and so did my mom with the tour guide. We rode up to the top of a hill and even did a swing ride over the trees. Super exhilarating!

- Horseback riding: I have tried the one in the Laguna area called Phuket Riding Club. They have ponies for kids to ride and horses for the adults. You can choose to do a one hour-long horse riding along the beach or even longer. 

- Elephant sanctuary: There are several in Phuket but I encourage you to look into the ones that are ethical and offer proper care for rescued elephants. Phuket Elephant Sanctuary claims to be the only one to do so.

- Siam Niramit: I watched this Thai cultural performance years ago and I was pleasantly surprised. It is really well done and executed and even children can enjoy and follow. Just a note that it is located a bit out of the way so unless you're staying within 30 mins of this location, I wouldn't place this top on my list.

Hotel recommendations:

There are plenty of Airbnb properties we have stayed at in the past. While I can't recall their names, I can share the hotels and resorts from recent visits that are worth looking into:

- Resorts: Andara Villas (great for adults or large groups), Katathani Phuket Beach Resort (kid friendly resort along Kata beach), Thavorn Palm Beach Resort (very kid friendly but the hotel is 4-star and average in terms of hotel rooms), Como Hotel (great for girls trips), Banyan Tree Hotels (great for families), Dinso Resort, Marriott Hotels

I also recommend booking your own van driver for the duration of your stay! It's more convenient when you are moving around in groups. 

I've visited Bali five times in the past few years and always discover something new on this beautiful island. If you've explored enough of the hipp-dippy, earthy vibes of Ubud (see post about it here), it's time to hit up the happening hipster neighborhoods of Canggu and Seminyak in Bali! This blogpost will provide my recommendations for these two different areas which are located relatively close to one another. Seminyak is a hotbed for amazing eateries and boutiques. Meanwhile, Canggu is an up-and-coming surfer beach town, north of Seminyak and south of Tanah Lot.

Things to do in Seminyak 

1. Potato Head Beach Club: Located by the beach (though the beach itself isn't anything to write home about), this beach club is the epitome of casual, laid back Seminyak vibes. The beach club has amazing food and is super kid-friendly during the day time. For a more grown-up vibe, visit in the evenings! 

2. Shopping: Go to Seminyak Square and begin your window-shopping or actual shopping experience there! If you’re looking for stores with home furnishings, check out Satunama, Kim Soo, Mercredi and Domicile (just to name a few). I found this article for homewares in Seminyak very helpful. For clothes, you will find many local or international brands that made their start in Bali (these boutiques are generally more expensive). Street shopping and haggling is also fun - I had bought a pair of cute sandals for $13 SGD.

3. Spa: I’ve only tried Sunderi Spa (twice) and it was lovely both times. Good service and massage treatments at a good price.

4. Restaurants:

• Motel Mexicola: Mexican food done right! If you go for dinner, stay until 10pm and you’ll see the crowd go crazy dancing on the tables to the beat of the live band! 
• Ginger Moon: Great for lunch or dinner with pan-Asian cuisine. It’s located near all the cool shops and boutiques in Seminyak so it makes for a great option for a meal after your shopping escapades! 
• Mamasan: This is not a child friendly restaurant in terms of food and ambiance but more suitable for a date night spot. The pan-Asian cuisine here is novel and lip-smacking good. I particularly loved the creative cocktails here - we had ordered 4 different drinks at our table and loved all of them. 
• Chandi: Lovely restaurant that features Indonesian-influenced cuisine. This place specializes in different types of satay so don't try to stray from that when you make your order. As a vegetarian, I was a bit unconvinced about how good tempeh and vegetable satays could be but Chandi proved me wrong. Seriously good stuff!  

Things to do in Canggu 

1. Finn’s Beach Club: The Beach Club is great for lounging all day, dipping in the pool, and having a relaxing time. We loved the food and service here. Super kid-friendly and a great way to spend a lazy day! In addition, I would recommend Finn's Recreation Club - there's a bowling alley, supervised kids club with activities, trampoline jumping, and a water park. Great fun for the kids! 

2. Surfing lessons: For adults or kids, you can take surfing lessons in Canggu and it's challenging yet fun! My 9-year old went for a spin and he really enjoyed it.

3. Shopping: 

• Walk along Jalan Pantai Berawa and you'll see lots of homeware stores, such as Bungalow Living, Cove Island Essentials, One Love, etc. (Again, refer to this helpful link)
• Tamora Gallery: This is a lifestyle shopping center featuring family-friendly cafes and activities, stores, and a kids' outdoor playarea. 

Playing in Tamora Gallery

4. Restaurants (all vegetarian friendly): 

• La Baracca: There are more than one location but either day, the pizza here is great! The restaurant had a rustic vibe but the food is oh-so-good!

• Milk & Madu: Think chilled out café with pizza, pasta, avo toast, and breakfast bowls. What I loved most about this café is the play corner meant just for kids. There’s a big treehouse and a slide along with coloring activities to keep the little ones happily engaged.

• Zin Cafe: Absolutely love the breakfast options here, including the eggs and the breakfast bowl
• Yema Kitchen: Mediterranean cuisine with delicious food
• Nu Delhi: For days when you want Indian food to hit the spot
• Panama Kitchen & Pool: Restaurant with a family pool in a cute charming setting (1 min walk from Finn's Beach Club)
• Other restaurants and coffee shops to visit in Canggu: Cafe Organic, Hungry Bird, Revolver, La Laguna (go only in the evening for the live band), Monsieur Spoon (this French bakery unexpectedly opens onto a rice paddy field!), and Seasalt in the Alila Hotel (amazing beach views over drinks).

5. Tanah Lot Temple: Amongst the more famous temples in Bali, Tanah Lot is a rock formation which is also home to an ancient Hindu temple. If you're in the Seminyak or Canggu area, you are not that far from the temple so it's well worth a visit!

Enjoying coconut water just outside Tanah Lot temple

Tanah Lot - you can see the rock formation over the water with the temple on top

Other Areas in Bali

Nusa Dua is the beach destination of Bali. This is where you are likely to find the better beach spots and get some sun & sand. If you want to do snorkeling, it's worth considering a trip to the nearby island of Nusa Penida. A speedboat takes you on a 45-60 min ride (sometimes bumpy) to the island where there are clear waters fore excellent snorkeling. We have done this with the kids and it's doable (though a bit of a trek). It does make for a full-day plan. We worked with Forever Vacation for planning our Nusa Penida visit. 

Overlooking the cliffs on Nusa Penida

Jimbaran is another area in the south of Bali. There is not much to do in this area itself other than visit Ayana Resort which boasts the famous Rock Bar. Essentially a bar carved into the side of a rocky hill, this spot is really a great place to enjoy sea views and fancy drinks in a unique setting (I really have to give it to Bali for having figured out how to create amazing experiences in restaurant settings!). When I had visited Rock Bar, I happened to take my kids with me as they are allowed to enter the restaurant/bar.

I hope you guys found this Bali guide helpful. This guide is by no means exhaustive but it's a good start! Do let me know what you discover from your travels there.

There is something about Bali. Maybe it’s the fact that it has retained its authenticity despite the massive tourism. Maybe it’s the Balinese people who are so genuine in their interactions with you. Maybe it’s variety of things that Bali has to offer, from beaches to volcano hikes to rice terraces. Or maybe it’s the sheer number of inviting cafes and the fact that they all have wifi! Whatever the reason, I find Bali a versatile destination for a couples getaway or for families with kids. I have been to Bali 5 times in the past few years and I know there is still so much more to explore. 

This blogpost is specifically on Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali. Ubud is the perfect place in Bali to get away and be closer to the elements. Here you will find the famous rice terraces and the flourishing arts and crafts centers on the island. You can hear the sounds of nature and help a farmer harvest his rice for the season! 

If you choose to go to Ubud, my recommendation is to just stay put there for 3-4 days. It’s further away from the main, frequented areas in Bali, such as Canggu, Seminyak, and Nusa Dua. Thus, one can unnecessarily end up spending a lot of time going to and from Ubud for just a day’s trip. 

Here are my top 10 list of things to do in Ubud (followed by foodie recommendations below)!

1. Tegalalang Rice Terraces: There are several restaurants along the rice terraces and almost all boast a view of them. Pick one to have lunch in and take lovely pictures of the rice terraces. Along the same lines, look into doing a walking or biking tour of the rice paddies. We did a walking tour and my older son enjoyed getting a glimpse of the slow, village life!

2. Pod Chocolate Factory: Bali’s own chocolate factory makes its chocolates from locally grown cocoa pods. Kids will love making their own chocolates here! And well, adults too! Pick which kind of chocolate you want along with the toppings and you’re all set to create your own gourmet batch to take home (just make sure they don't melt later in the heat like ours did!). You can take elephant rides in this place as well.

3. Monkey forest: This is the famous touristy thing to do in Ubud. Worth a one-time visit to see friendly (and sometimes rather naughty!) monkeys up close in their natural forest habitat. The forest itself is extensive and has a mysterious air about it with dense trees and creeping vines.

4. Bali Swing: So there are more than one of these “Bali Swings”. They look super cool in the Instagram photos, with the person soaring high in the air with a view of some hills over yonder. But I’ll warn you that it’s a bit of a tourist trap. We had gone to Bali Swing, lured by similar such enticing photos only to find long lines of people waiting to just climb a swing and get a ride. My advice is to try to go early in the day when the lines are shorter. Ultimately, I’d say it was fun just as long as the waiting lines aren't too cumbersome.

5. Ubud main market area: Lots of shops and boutiques to check out here, both along the main road and the inner alleys. Your best bet is to stay along these connected roads and you'll find many a store or cafe here: Jalan Raya Ubud, Jalan Dewi Sita, Jalan Arjuna, and Jalan Hanuman. Plan for a few hours to stroll along this area.

6. Sunrise Trek to Mount Batur: This is one of my top activities to do in Bali. I've done the sunrise trek twice now, once with my husband and second time with my 9-year old son. It's a moderately challenging trek up the active volcano of Mount Batur. The trek begins at 4:00 AM so that you reach the top just in time for sunrise. It's worth the climb and is definitely an awe-inspiring experience! There are many tour operators you can find online. Ours was Abadi Bali Tour & Travel (whatsapp at +62-878-6057-0999).

Atop Mount Batur just at sunrise at 6:00 AM 

7. White Water Rafting along Ayung River: If you are looking for an "intro level" white water rafting experience, this is perfect. It was a good combination of relaxing and exhilarating 2 hour ride down the Ayung River, led by our guide. I did this activity with my 9-year old son and he loved it! We went through Ayung Dewata Rafting for our experience. 

8. Saraswati Temple and Ubud Palace: Both these heritage spots are located near the Ubud market area. For the Saraswati Temple, the locals recommend going in the evening to see the beautiful sunset that lights up the temple premises. In the daytime, it is nothing too exciting as the temple itself is not open to the public (only the small compound). Similarly, you can enter Ubud Palace for free and walk around the main (small) premises and get a feel of the traditional temple architecture. 

At the Sarawati Temple

9. Tirta Empul is a Hindu temple built around a bubbling spring. What I loved about our experience is that even though it is a religious place of worship, its spiritual acts can be taken by anyone. One enters the cold spring waters and undergoes a purification of sorts. Each watering spout holds special significance, such as washing away bad deeds and karma. It's a beautiful ritual and we all participated in it as a family. 

10. Tibumana Waterfall: We made our way down many, many steps to get to this concealed cove with a waterfall. You can go for a dip in the cool refreshing water or chose to see the waterfall from a close distance.

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Foodie Recommendations

Walk along Jalan Gautama and you will find plenty of charming little cafes, many specializing in organic & vegan foods! In addition, there are restaurants in other parts of Ubud worth visiting. Our recommendations below:

• DUMBO: Great cocktails and thin crust pizza
• Akasha: Entirely vegetarian and vegan food restaurant nestled amongst the rice paddies. It's a beautiful restaurant and the food is delicious.

All vegan menu at Akasha

• Taco Fiesta - Fairly decent Mexican food in a small lane called Jalan Bisma off Jalan Raya Ubud. Makes for a good meal stop during your shopping in Ubud Market area
• Warung Siam Ubud - good Thai food and good people watching! 
• Soma Café: Located in an antique wooden house, the menu comprises of various fruit juices and what they call “raw” food items. The food is strictly ok but the restaurant gets a thumbs-up for being kid-friendly with a kid zone upstairs.
• Murni’s Warung: I suggest going for lunch as it would get quite mosquite-infested by dinner time. The restaurant setup and décor is so interesting as it is built against the side of a hill. Other than the fact that you will need to take mozzie patches when you go, this restaurant is very kid-friendly.
• Ganesha and Indian Delites for days when you crave Indian food 

Outside Soma Cafe

• Luwak coffee: Ubud is the place in Bali to try the famous luwak coffee. Have you heard about it? Well, if you haven’t, I’ll let you read about it for yourself. But certainly it’s a fun experience to try it out this famous coffee.

How do you travel light and yet manage to create different looks and outfits while on vacation? The key is to bring articles of clothing or accessories that can be reworn in different permutations and combinations. It’s simple enough to do. All it requires is a bit of advance planning while packing instead of dumping everything into your suitcase!

If I had to break it down into 4 simple steps, I’d say:

1. Bring 1-2 purses that can go with almost all outfits. I like to bring one big handbag for the flights and for carrying lots of items when out and about during the day. Then I also bring a smaller one for the evening occasions/dinner when you don't need to carry everything under the sun. 

2. Bring up to 2 pairs of shoes that can go with almost all outfits - perhaps a pair of cute, trendy flats and a pair of comfy sneakers. Maybe one pair of heels if you expect to be dressing up for an evening out.

3. Bring bottoms (pants, shorts, etc) that can be mixed and matched with different tops. So basically, the ratio of tops to bottoms should generally be 3:1.

4. Bring one piece of accessory that can elevate your look. It can be anything, like a cute hat, a headscarf (which can be worn any number of ways!), or a cool pair of sunglasses! 

I’m sharing some of the outfits I wore on a recent trip to Bali. You’ll notice that I really only carried 2 pairs of shoes and 2 verstatile purses (one was more of a travel day bag, the other a clutch). Incidentally, I seem to be wearing yellows and blues a lot but that was entirely unplanned!

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Look 1:

I love the idea of elevating a "shorts and tee" look with a slouchy blazer. You've seen me feature this Bershka yellow blazer on the blog before. This time, I wore it in a more casual setting and dressed it down with white sneakers. Comfy yet chic. 

Uniqlo eyelet shorts | Zara sleeveless blouse (old) | Bershka blazer | Calvin Klein handbag | Rubi shoes | Charles & Keith sunglasses 

Look 2:

While on vacation in a tropical clime, shorts are the way to go. I loved the Uniqlo eyelet shorts in black (worn above) so much that I bought a pair in white! I paired that with a gingham top purchased online a while ago (I can't even recall where, to be honest) and cute pom-pom sandals from Ammos Accessories. 

Uniqlo eyelet shorts | Gingham blouse (old) | Ammos Accessories Atalanta sandals |
Hat from Singapore street shopping 

Look 3:
Here I wore an old Club Monaco dress bought several seasons ago along the hat and sandals previously seen above along with my watermelon clutch 

Club Monaco dress (old) | Hat and sandals linked in pictures above |
Watermelon clutch from FoliAge Singapore

Look 4:

I fell in love with these harem pants from Baliza. Made of 100% organic cotton, the design and pattern of these pants is so sweet and pretty! Baliza is a store that makes comfortable and trendy beach and resortwear collections while working with and supporting women from disadvantaged communities. These pants were the perfect item to pack for this trip and I paired it with a casual top embroidered top from Uniqlo. Also, notice how those sandals made a reappearance? 

Uniqlo Cotton embroidered blouse | Harem pants pink flowers from Baliza 

Look 5:

Last but not least, you can never go wrong with a pair of jeans and a casual top. Pair it with white sneakers and a cute clutch and you're ready to go for a walk around the beach town or visiting temples.

ESP Jeans | Bow top from SheInside (old) | Watermelon clutch and sneakers mentioned above 

I’ve always touted Singapore as an extremely kid-friendly place to live. Indeed, the mere presence of clean and inviting nursing rooms in every mall, the abundance of indoor play areas for children, and the emphasis placed upon providing educational and social learnings for children here is commendable.

Recently, while flipping through the vast collection of photos amassed on my iPhone from the last three years, I realized I’ve done my fair share of exploring places and exposing my kids to different experiences around town. This virtual trip down memory lane inspired me to put these experiences “down on paper” as a blog post – essentially, my own personal list of go-to places around town for my children. If it happens to spark ideas of places to go for my readers or benefits families making plans to visit Singapore, then all the better!

Note: The list I made below is by no means exhaustive and is in no specific order. Do note that it doesn’t include indoor or outdoor playareas, which is a list in and of itself.

So here goes…

1. ArtScience Museum: This is probably amongst my son’s favorite places to visit. “Future World” is a permanent exhibit that provides an immersive high-tech, interactive experience for children. I know that sounds pretty abstract but trust me when I say that it is worth taking your child there for an incredible experience into a world of art-meets-science. A recent exhibit called “Treasures of the Natural World” borrows artifacts from the Natural History Museum in London to take you on a journey back into the era of Charles Darwin and his study of Galapagos turtles and when dodo birds.

2. McRitchie Reservoir: Outdoor exploration is such an important part of play. I have always enjoyed bringing Krishnav here ever since he was 2 years old. The monkeys which roam freely (caution: never bring food in front of these creatures who won’t think twice before snatching your bag of chips), the open green space, and the view of the reservoir are all so refreshing. You can even do short treks with the kids, including the McRitchie Treetop Walk, a well-known freestanding suspension bridge between the two highest points in the Central Catchment.

 

3. Visit the Central Fire Station on Hill Street: Every Saturday between 9-11am, the Central Fire Station on Hill Street holds an open house for kids to come visit their premises. What a treat for the little ones who get to climb and sit inside fire trucks and ambulances and do pretend play! The friendly firefighters here also give a tour of their facilities and a demo on how they respond to emergencies, including use of their giant fire hose to put out fires!

4. Visit Little India and its temples: Regardless of whether your child is Indian or not, a visit to Little India is sure to provide an immersive cultural experience for your child. On a regular day, you can take your child to one of the temples which are rich in eye-catching works of art and carvings depicting scenes form Hindu mythology. During the Hindu festivals, such as Diwali or Pongal, festive street stalls pop up in certain areas and the entire length of Serangoon Road is decorated with lights and colorful banners.

5. Singapore Flyer: Admittedly, it’s a somewhat costly ride, but I believe everyone should do it at least once during their time in Singapore. After all, it’s an integral part of the skyline. Why not experience it up close? You get an incredible view of the ocean below and the view of downtown Singapore. The kids quite like the experience of it.

6. Gardens by the Bay: This place is a must-visit for any local or tourist. For kids, it’s a gold mine of activities to do! Let’s see…there is the water sprinkler park, the outdoor kids play area in the sand, a mini Cactus Garden and aquarium, the magnificent Super Groves and the Domes (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest). What’s not to love?

7. Marina Barrage: Just a short walk down from Gardens by the Bay is a little hilltop and one of my favorite corners of Singapore. Arguably the southwestern-most point of the island, Marina Barrage provides a view of the sea on one side and a view of the Singapore skyline on the other. We love coming here for picnics and kite-flying. Invariably, there is someone ever willing to help us out as we often fumble and struggle to get our kites up!

8. Biking along the East Coast: Rent a bike from one of the many locations (Greenland Park is one of them) and cruise around with your little one on the back. I love bringing my son (and friends visiting from out-of-town) for a reasonably active and fun outing. Something about the view of the palm trees lining the streets, the beach, and families hanging out here really makes me happy!

9. Murals, anybody?: I’m a huge fan of artist Yip Yew Chong’s murals and have taken Krishnav to see the ones on Everton Road (known as the Everton Murals) and Tiong Bahru. He has a lot more murals in other locations which you can find out about here and I personally have written about them here.  It’s a great way to expose the kids to art that tells stories and to ignite conversation on what they see and think…for free!

10. Kid-friendly animal farms around Singapore? Yes, it actually exists. I’ve actually written a whole article on this topic and you can read all about it here on Sassy Mama!

The remaining 10 items on this list will be continued in part II of this series...Stay tuned!