Our family trip to Phuket was hands down the easiest family trip we did, despite our kids being toddler aged – almost 3 years old and 10 months old. The flight from Singapore to Phuket is less than 2 hours, and the family friendly resort we stayed at, Sunwing Kamala Beach, provided everything we needed and more.
In September 2022, over the school holidays, we took a 5 night trip to Phuket and stayed in Sunwing Kamala Beach resort. At a little over SGD 100 / night (including breakfast), the stay was a real deal.
We scored a cheap fare on Scoot from Singapore to Phuket, and next started to look for family friendly resorts in Phuket. There were so many recommendations, and most tended to be the same few luxury resorts. We stumbled upon Sunwing Kamala Beach and were wowed by their family friendly offerings. A few weeks later, we were picked up at the Phuket airport by the hotel-arranged transport and on our way to a week of relaxation!
Sunwing Kamala Beach
The resort is about a 40-50 minute drive from the Phuket International Airport. When you exit the airport, you’ll be faced with a sea of people holding signs, as well as touts, trying to get you to use their transport services. To save yourself the headache, arrange for your airport transfer via the resort or on Klook.
We quickly located the person holding up our names, who then got us to stand in a waiting area and called for our driver to come to get us and our bags.
Phuket roads are what you’d expect of a Thai tourist island, and while straight line distances on maps can look short, depending on the way roads have been laid, you could be in for a much longer ride.
Kamala Beach – clean, quiet, perfect for families
While Phuket might bring to mind an image of beach parties and nightlife, Kamala beach is a quieter location perfect for families, surrounded by hills, and enclosed in a bay. There are boutique hotels, villas and restaurants, and it is not too secluded that it’s still easy to find conveniences such as cold drinks and beach umbrellas along the beachfront.
Party central Patong Beach is just 10-15 minutes south, for those who want to hop over for some extra excitement. The Intercontinental is also on Kamala Beach, about a 5 minute drive from Sunwing Kamala Beach, and has a great family-friendly beach club, Pine.
The resort has a back gate that opens directly onto Kamala Beach. We were there during the off peak season and it was almost our private beach! There were a few stalls selling drinks, vendors peddling umbrellas and beach chairs, and small businesses to teach people to surf. There were also a few massage spots, but Sunwing Kamala Beach has its own massage just within its premises along the beachfront, for similar pricing!
Sunwing Kamala Beach has a sister resort right next door, the adult-only Sunprime Kamala Beach. They had more adult friendly pools and a huge pool bar and lots of deck chairs facing the sea. If you’re able to leave your kids with a sitter for a bit, you can pop over and enjoy some peace and drinks here!
Beyond the resorts lies a stretch of local restaurants serving up a variety of different cuisines. Most restaurants have outdoor seating next to the sand, and many have play areas set up in the sand with sand toys, slides and swings to keep the kids entertained while you eat or sip a drink.
Our room at Sunwing Kamala Beach – the Happy Baby Studio
The Happy Baby Studio is specially designed for families with babies, and it had everything we needed. We could have easily done the trip without any check-in luggage, but being kiasu Singaporeans we had purchased some check-in allowance. The room came with 2 baby cots (we requested for 2), a high chair, a play mat, a Bumbo seat, a Baby Bjorn rocker, baby bathtub, potty, stepstool, stroller and toys. There were also child sized amenities like a hooded towel that we could use after using the pool. All of these items came as part of the room and did not incur additional cost.
The rooms are also all on ground level, with a patio outside, which opens onto the pool area. When the kids were asleep at night, we were able to enjoy supper on the patio just outside the room.
The surrounding areas
Kamala beach is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy parts of Phuket. Phuket Old Town is about 40 minutes away by car, and we did a day trip out one day. Transport can be easily arranged via the hotel or using the Grab app.
Outside the front gate of the resort, there is a small night market that opens several nights per week. We visited the market twice during our trip, and picked up a whole assortment of local foods to go back to our room to enjoy!
Amazing facilities at Sunwing Kamala Beach
Fun pools for kids
The resort has a total of 8 pools of varying depths and with plenty of waterslides and other fun things for kids, like fountains and basketball hoops. When we were there, we’d spend the morning at the beach, shower down (there’s an outdoor shower area coming back into the resort from the beach), then head to the pool for a second round of fun.
Playground and sandpit
The kids playground is located in a large sandpit with many sand toys. It’s just outside the kids club, and near the kids pools. Truly a kid haven!
Kids club and teens room
The kids club is simple but sufficient for young children. It had play kitchens, dress up, blocks, infant toys, and a movie screening room. There were also books, but these were all in European languages that we couldn’t read. The kids enjoyed looking at the pictures nonetheless.
Daily fun activities
The kids club crew organises daily activities such as aqua aerobics, crafting sessions, and treasure hunts. These were pretty simple, which suited us very well. The kids had lots of fun creating their own keepsakes, and even learning about recycling with the resort’s mascot.
At the main breakfast eating area, there is a kids section with colouring activities and a movie screening area. Every morning, a different mascot comes out to do a meet and greet. My kids aren’t particularly into meeting mascots, but we saw plenty of other children enjoying this!
Gym and ping pong table
For the adults, there’s a decently sized gym and ping-pong table where you can get some exercise in. We didn’t get to use these facilities but saw other guests tag teaming and taking turns to use the gym while the other adult minds the children in the kids’ club!
Massage
On the way out of the resort to the beachfront, there is a sheltered massage area set up within the resort that offers the usual local massages, foot reflexology and hair braiding. We found the pricing comparable to what vendors on the beach were offering. We didn’t get to try it on this trip, but will definitely make time for it if we ever go back!
Meals at Sunwing Kamala Beach
We had multiple meals at the resort itself. Breakfast was included in our rate, and we’d sometimes eat at one of their restaurants for lunch or dinner since it was most convenient. We also ordered local food and drinks on Grab, which was super convenient (and cheap!).
Buffet breakfasts
We rose early (given our time difference) and had breakfast at the first seating of each day. The food was always well-stocked and generally tasty. There were the usual Western and local Thai options, which suited our palates. A huge selection of fresh fruit and breads were also available. What was best was that the staff were lovely to children, and were absolutely understanding about how kids’ eat (it is a family-targeted resort after all). They would set up high chairs for us, help us watch the kids while we collected food for them, and helped clean up messes that inevitably occurred.
Kids eat free
For other meals, kids under 12 years old eat free from the kids menu with a paying adult. The kids menu is extensive and goes beyond your usual chicken nuggets and fish fingers. The kids had fried rice and even burgers (always with an extra side of french fries). The portions were generous and we found it to be a good deal for convenience and decent quality food.
There are two restaurants in the resort – both serve mainly the same food, but Lino, the restaurant nearer to the beach, serves more Western options.
Free ice cream for kids
We were also given an ice cream card upon check-in. This card entitles you to 10 stamps which you can redeem for ice creams over the course of your stay. The ice cream selection is great, and some of the more premium ice creams cost more stamps. Our son was happy to have a sweet treat every day, and we adults also made use of the card to enjoy some ice cream while the kids were napping!
Overall hits and misses
Here’s a summary of what we enjoyed the most, and the least, of our stay at Sunwing Kamala Beach.
What we loved
- Family-centric resort, our kids were free to be kids and run around and make messes
- Lots of child-friendly amenities provided, no need to pack much
- Lots of pools and next to a very nice beach
- Breakfasts were great, kids ate free if we chose to have other meals at the resort
- The resort was generally very clean and comfortable
What we didn’t enjoy so much
- There isn’t much to do in the immediate surroundings of the resort, and a taxi ride can be quite long and bumpy
- The massage operation hours were too short! We wanted to get massages after the kids slept, but they were already closed by the evening
If you’re feeling nervous about travelling with little ones, check out our 5 tips to love travel with kids! Or if you’re up for more adventure on a different island, why not consider a road trip in Jeju, South Korea, or a trip to Kyushu, Japan?
