Staying at Karon Beach, Phuket with a baby
Our first family trip overseas was when Henry was 7 months old (nearly 5 months corrected age) and we decided to stay at three different locations on Phuket. The first was Naithon Beach, the second was Patong and our final stop was Karon Beach.
What we loved about Karon Beach was that it was much quieter than Patong and you could also walk to Kata Beach and enjoy what was on offer down there.
What to see in Karon Beach
The beach: Of course you need to visit the beach! In saying that, we visited during the morning before it got too hot (if that’s even a thing!) and sat close to the rocks where there are beautiful little rock pools and we watched the locals working on getting some food. We took an umbrella from our Hotel to protect Henry from the sun.
We didn’t spend the day at the beach, simply because it was too hot for Henry. We chose to spend our days by the pool at the hotel where we were close to the room with the air conditioning. Henry certainly doesn’t agree with the heat!
Karon Temple Market: This place is cool! Open on a Tuesday and a Friday from 4pm – 10pm, you will find everything here. There are plenty of market stalls and as you are heading in you will find so many food options as well.
You will also see Wat Suwan Khiri Khet (the official name of Karon Temple), – a Buddhist temple. It’s beautiful but is surrounded by the market stalls.
Luckily for us, Henry loves his Baby Bjorn carrier and enjoyed a sleep while we explored the markets.
We also visited Karon Plaza located opposite the beach. We highly recommend visiting in the evening as it is far too hot during the day and not all vendors are open during the day!
Where to eat in Karon Beach
On the Rock: This place is an absolute must! Book a seaside table in advance so you have the best view at the restaurant.
The service is fantastic, the food was delicious and the views are great.
There is something nice about sitting down, relaxing, enjoying the sunset while listening to the waves crash against the rocks next to you.
We also ate at a local restaurant and the food was really good. Steven’s lunch came in a coconut which was pretty cool! They tried to down sell the menu and said you’re paying extra for the coconut, and you can get it cheaper without the coconut… but of course he wanted the coconut!
Day trip to Kata Beach
We decided to walk to Kata Beach for a few hours and see what was going on down there! We had stayed there on a previous trip to Thailand and enjoyed our time there.
It is not too long of a walk, but it’s hot so make sure you are wearing a hat and for small humans, make sure they are protected from the sun as well.
We had fond memories of visiting Ska Bar at Kata Beach from our previous visit. And this trip did not disappoint either! The food is SO cheap, the service is great – they especially LOVED Henry and he loved them too!
The views over the beach are perfect and super relaxing and the trees meant that we were sitting in the shade.
Late afternoons the Reggae music starts – there is something relaxing about Reggae!
Where to stay at Karon Beach
We stayed at the Avista Grande Phuket Karon – MGallery. I can’t recommend this hotel enough. For our full review of the hotel, click here.
Getting around the streets of Karon with a baby
We had a Bugaboo Bee and used it a few times walking around Karon, simply because it was too hot to wear Henry with the baby carrier. We also had a small pram fan which was keeping Henry cool(er).
The footpaths are bumpy and at times narrow, but not impossible to take a pram. We managed quite well with the pram.
There is also a tuk tuk service and the prices are fixed. We took a tuk tuk a few times! We found it safe with Henry and was never concerned for his safety.
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Lovely photos and great post! It’s hard work with a baby, we’ve just returned from Bali.. we had six days there with my Daughter her partner and 18 month old. My son also came from Melbourne. Still with five adults the baby only wanted his dad!