Asia

19 Fun Things To Do in Singapore with Kids and Teens

August 26, 2026 / Asia, Singapore, Travel / 0 comment

19 Fun Things to do in Singapore with Kids and Teens

Singapore is a tropical island city-state in Southeast Asia. A busy trading port that turned into a global hub for many businesses, Singapore has a vibrant combination of cultural heritage from its blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European immigrants. Visitors will love Singapore’s lush greenery, ritzy shops, exotic heritage and delicious food.

We recently visited Singpore again for a few days and while we barely scratched the surface of what there is to see and do in the city, we do have some tips on things to do in Singapore with kids – both little and big!

Things to do in Singapore with kids and teens

Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island is where Singaporeans go to play. The resort island is is located a out 15 minutes off the coast of Singapore and features theme parks, restaurants, beaches and luxury hotels.

To get to Sentosa, you can take the Sentosa Express Monorail (Board from Level 3 of VivoCity on the mainland), Cable Car (this is the exiest but most scenic option – board from Mount Faber or HarbourFront Centre), walk across the Sentosa Boardwalk or drive via the Sentosa Gateway.

Skyline Luge

On our previous outing, we took the kids on the Sentosa Skyline Luge, which was a big hit. The luge ride goes downhill, then, after the ride, a chairlift brings riders, luge carts, and the helmets back to the starting point..

Palawan Beach

Cool down at Palawan Beach – the most kid-friendly beach on Sentosa. it can get very busy on weekends, but it’s a great spot regardless. Clean bathroom facilities, shallow, calm water and play equipment.

Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is located within the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort on Sentosa Island. Featuring 24 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones, it’s a huge day out for families who love theme parks.

Get more info on visiting Universal Studios Singapore here.

Singapore Oceanarium

Singapore Oceanarium is a state-of-the-art ocean institute that reopened on July 24, 2025, following the rebranding and expansion of the former S.E.A. Aquarium.

It features one of the world’s largest sea jelly habitats in its Ocean Wonders zone.

Get more info on visiting the Singapore Oceanarium here.

Sentosa shopping and dining

While on Sentosa, check out the shops and dining! We enjoyed the LEGO Store, Popmart and Pierre Herme Paris store, which has incredible desserts and ice cream.

Chinatown

A walk through Chinatown is a colourful experience. Market stalls assault the senses and kids can choose cheap trinket souvenirs.

You might have a monk-sighting like we did, and try some local food.

We stopped by the Noodle Man, renowned for his authentic, hand cut noodles.

Kids can watch him make noodles from scratch. They taste so good you’ll order a second bowl.

Get more info on visiting Chinatown.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

A Tang Dynesty-styled Chinese Buddhist temple in Chinatown that gets its name from the Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic it houses. The temple overwhelms the senses with colour, incense and the chanting of buddhist monks. Underneath the temple is a famous vegan foodcourt.

Get more info on visiting the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is an unmissable experience in Singapore and requires at least three hours to see everything.

The attraction of three large garden areas, the main, and most popular, being Bay South garden, which houses the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Supertrees Grove and Children’s Garden.

The Flower Dome is an indoor hothouse bursting with manicured gardens right out of a storybook.

The Cloud Forest takes visitors up an indoor mountain through a circular path, behind a waterfall.

The “mountain” is clad in beautiful epiphytes such as orchids, ferns and peacock ferns.

The Supertrees Grove is filled with tree-like structures with heights that range between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft).

They are vertical gardens at the top of which is an elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, between two of the larger Supertrees, giving a panoramic aerial view of the Gardens.

While kids will enjoy all of the features of Gardens by the Bay, a trip to the Children’s Garden will be a highlight of your trip. Perfect for kids aged one and up, the children’s garden is renowned for its fabulous water play area.

There is a toddler zone for kids under 5, and a larger area for children 6 and over. With clean bathroom facilities and a shaded amphitheater, it’s obvious why this is a hot spot for families. Kids aged 6 -12 will also enjoy the Rainforest Tree Houses and the Adventure Trail nearby. You can visit this area for free, which is an added bonus in very pricey Singapore. Read more about our experience here.

This Family Zone also features fun play equipment for kids to enjoy.

Get more info on visiting Gardens by the Bay.

Mandai Wildlife Reserve (Singapore Zoo)

The Mandai Wildlife Reserve is a nature and wildlife destination that is home to the following major attractions:

Singapore Zoo: Famous open-concept zoo housing free-ranging animals.
Open daily from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM.

Night Safari: The world’s first nocturnal wildlife park, featuring tram rides and walking trails. Open daily from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM.

River Wonders: Asia’s only river-themed wildlife park, home to giant pandas and manatees. Open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Bird Paradise: Asia’s largest bird park which replaced Jurong Bird Park.
Open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Rainforest Wild: Adventure-based wildlife parks split into East and West zones.

Indoor Play & Edutainment: Includes Curiosity Cove (playscape for children) and Exploria.

Get more info on visiting Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

Read Busy City Kid’s review of Singapore Zoo here.

Afternoon Tea at Raffles

The Raffles Singapore is a historic, luxury colonial-style hotel, opened in 1887 and named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. Their afternoon tea is an elegant affair, both for the ambiance of the extremely refined hotel, and the delicious food on offer.

The Raffles afternoon tea includes delicate finger sandwiches, home-baked scones, exquisite cakes and seasonal treats, elegantly served on a silver stand with curated teas and champagnes. They offer a vegan menu and are happy to accomodate dietary requirements.

There is no special kids’ version of the afternoon tea, so I would suggest sharing a stand if you are visiting with a younger child, and if they are a bit of a picky eater, contact the hotel in advance and ask for substitutions that are simpler than what is offered on the menu.

Get more info on afternoon tea at Raffles.

High Tea at the Swissotel The Stamford

High tea at Swissôtel The Stamford in Singapore is available at SKAI, Singapore’s highest restaurant, on the 70th floor and featuring panoramic city views.

The current theme of the high tea is “Tea with a Little Hunny” celebrating Winnie the Pooh’s 100th anniversary. Check before booking to see if this theme has been updated with a new one.

The Swissotel do not offer a kids’ menu for their high tea, however the menu on offer is heavily discounted for kids, so I suggest checking the menu before booking to ensure your kids will eat it.

Get more info on current high tea offerings at the Swissotel Stamford.

ArtScience Museum

The ArtScience Museum past of the Marina Bay Sands resort in downtown / central Singapore. It features exhibitions that blend art, science, culture and technology through hi-tech exhibits that engage and immerse visitors through innovative and often interactive installations.

Their permanent exhibition, teamLab Future World, is a highly interactive world of art, science, magic and metaphor.

teamLab was an incredible hit even with a teenager. We spent hours exploring this hands-on interactive exhibit, including a slide, climbing a rope bridge and creating our own creatures which then came to life and joined digital worlds in front of our eyes.

The ArtScience Museum is one of our top picks for things to do in Singapore with kids and teenagers.

Get more info on visiting the ArtScience Museum here.

Merlion Park

Merlion Park is a famous Singapore landmark. The Merlion is a mythical creature representing the nation’s traditional name, “Lion City” and humble origins. The lion head honors Singapura (“Lion City” in Sanskrit and Malay), inspired by a legendary prince who reportedly saw a lion when he first landed on the island and the fish’s tail represents Singapore’s historical roots as a fishing village.

Disney Adventure

The Disney Adventure is Disney Cruise Line’s largest ship and its first to homeport in Asia, sailing 3- and 4-night round-trip voyages from Singapore.

Read about our experience and get tips for sailing on the Disney Adventure here, or more info on booking your own Disney Adventure cruise here.

Changi Airport

Ranked the world’s best airport airport, Changi has a lot of attractions to make the must-see list itself of things to do in Singapore with kids! The most famous being the Jewel Rain Vortex, but there are so many other things to do such as playgrounds, the bouncing net, cactus, bamboo and butterfly gardens, plus a movie cinema!

Get more info on attractions at Changi Airport.

Getting around Singapore

The best way to navigate Singapore is by train and bus. You can tap on and off with your phone if you have a bank card in your wallet. If travelling with kids who don’t have their own bank card, you can visit any SimplyGo Ticket Office located at MRT stations or bus interchanges to pick up a physical card.

Kids under 7 and under 0.9 meters tall ride Singapore‘s public transport for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult (you will need to get them a Child Concession Card from the SimplyGo Ticket Offices). Use Google Maps to navigate public transport.

Climate

Sitting just one degree north of the equator, Singapore is hot all year round, with average temperatures around 27°C to 28°C – although, with high humidity, it usually feels a lot hotter. Not surprisingly, it rains a lot in Singapore throughout the entire year, with heavy storms common from November to January.

Pack light, breathable clothes, a hat and sunscreen. The locals spend a lot of their leisure time in pools for a reason! I also advise taking a light, foldable umbrella with you at all times for both sun protection and also frequent storms. It’s best to go out in the mornings and then evenings when it’s cooler.

Where to stay in Singapore

Swissôtel The Stamford

On this visit we stayed at the Swissôtel The Stamford which is located inside the Raffles City Shopping Centre. The location is excellent – right on top of a shopping centre with plenty of dining options as well as a major train station making it very easy to get on a train without going outside in the heat.

The Swissôtel The Stamford is also walking distance to several attractions and has several restaurants inside serving delicious high tea and an incredible buffet breakfast.

Get more info on the Swissotel The Stamford.

First-timers’ Tips for Visiting Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

August 25, 2026 / Asia, China, Disney Travel, Disneyland, Theme Parks, Travel / 0 comment

Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

Shanghai Disney Resort opened on June 16, 2016, in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It’s the first Disney resort in mainland China and features the the largest castle of any Disney park, the world-first Zootopia-themed land, two themed hotels (with a third currently being built), and the shopping/dining district, Disneytown.

While the Shanghai Disneyland Resort China only consists of the one park, it is absolutely massive, at 225 acres in size. This makes making Shanghai Disneyland Resort bigger than both Disneyland Park (California) and Disneyland California Adventure Parks combined (157 acres).

Ride-wise, the park has 18 rides, compared to Disneyland California’s 35 (the park with the highest number of rides in it). You can guess from this that you will spend a lot of your day walking as it’s quite a distance between each ride, however not actually that many rides to do overall.

We spent two days in the park and devoted our time to exploring the unique features of the park as well as the top rides we had on our list to experience.

Key Features & Attractions at Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

Shanghai Disneyland Park

The main theme park, which features unique rides like Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure and a Zootopia-themed land, as well as the called the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Accommodation

Official Disney accommodation includes the luxury Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the family-friendly Toy Story Hotel. A third hotel is currently under construction.

We stayed at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel (See below for more info on the hotel).

Disneytown

Disneytown is a shopping, dining, and entertainment district featuring international places to eat and shop. Located adjacent to the park, Disneytown is also the location of the early entry access point for hotel guests.

Shops include LEGO, Pandora and Pop Mart. Dining includes the Cheesecake Factory. The huge inflatable Donald is a must-see for cute photos.

Wishing Star Park

Wishing Star Park is a large public recreational area featuring a lake with a bird sanctuary, walking paths and a bridge that connects to the start of the Disneytown district.

Unique Attractions at Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure

This ride is mind blowing! It starts similarly to the other Pirates rides around the world, but then morphes into an engineering masterpiece using massive wrap-around screens and advanced animatronics.

Zootopia Land and Zootopia: Hot Pursuit

The world’s first Zootopia-themed land, this is a very popular section of the park and is full of adorable photo ops. Zootopia: Hot Pursuit is the only ride in this “land”. It is a trackless, dark ride, putting guests into a police-car chase through the city’s districts.

Voyage to the Crystal Grotto

This is a slow boat ride that sails underneath the massive Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Camp Discovery Challenge Trails

The “trails” is very unique in that it is an interactive, rugged ropes course, set inside Adventure Isle featuring hidden ruins and waterfalls. It involves harnessing up and doing some active climbing.

Roaring Rapids

A river raft water ride that is centered around a mysterious cavern, and involves an encounter with a massive crocodile-like beast named Q’araq. This ride was closed in winter when we visited.

Top Attractions at Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

TRON Lightcycle Power Run

The original Tron ride, this is a fast, thrilling motorbike-style steel roller coaster that launches riders straight into sci-fi world of TRON. This ride is incredible and super popular so definitely needs early entry or a DPA to avoid a long wait.

Seven Dwarves Mine Train

Seven Dwarves Mine Train is an eternally popular family-friendly roller coaster featuring rocking mine cart vehicles, some lightly thrilling outdoor drops through a rocky landscape, and an indoor dark-ride scene with some very cute audio-animatronics of the dwarfs (singing in Mandarin). Similar to the other Mine Train rides around the world, this is a must-do ride for us in every country.

Parade

The Mulan float in the daily “Mickey’s Storybook Express” parade is only place in the world where you can see Mulan in her armour rather than her traditional princess dress!

Fireworks

Shanghai Disneyland’s nightly nighttime spectacular is called ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration. It takes place at the Enchanted Storybook Castle, typically starting between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM (most often around 9:00 PM), featuring projection mapping, lasers, water fountains, flames, and fireworks.

The fireworks can be watched from across the Wishing Star Lake. A great view point is from the back side of the Disneyland Shanghai hotel, which is another reason the hotel makes for an excellent accommodation choice.

Unique Architectural & Walk-through Highlights

Enchanted Storybook Castle and Once Upon a Time Adventure

Representing all of the Disney princesses, the Enchanted Storybook Castle is the largest castle in any Disney park. The castle houses a royal restaurant, a boat ride, and the Once Upon a Time Adventure walk-through.

Alice in Wonderland Maze

The maze is a whimsical, large-scale walkthrough hedge maze, themed to Tim Burton’s live-action Alice in Wonderland film.

Merchandise

A special mention for the adorable Duffy and Friends mech that is available in Shanghai! These characters are only available to purchase in Asia and Shanghai Disneyland Resort China has an excellent range in shops outside of the park in Disneytown as well as inside.

What you need to know when visiting Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

Early entry

Early entry at Shanghai Disneyland Resort China lets guests into the park an hour before general admission. There are two types of early entry: one is a benefit that comes with staying at one of the Disney hotels, and the other can be purchased online. One of the biggest perks to staying at an official Disneyland hotel is not just the early entry benefit, but the access into the park.

The early entry location for hotel guests is seperate from the main entry – it’s located across from the Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Disneytown, which takes you right into the middle of the park, near the castle area. This is hugely beneficial to getting into the park ahead of the crowds lining up at the front gate and we found we could easily knock out at least two main rides during early entry, before the main gates opened.

App / park wifi

Shanghai Disneyland Resort has the trickiest app system we have used at any park, as the app only works while on the park Wi-Fi. You cannot use your own roaming sim and VPN and also access the park app at the same time. We had to ask a cast member how to actually get this working and she showed us how to turn off our roaming, connect to the park Wi-Fi and how to access the app.

We had issues with connectivity due to the spotty Wi-Fi which can be stressful as the park tickets and DPA (fast passes) are all inside the app. You can however also use your paper ticket that is issued at the gate when you first enter the park and this is what we ended up doing for most of our visit to avoid any stress with the app.

Highly suggest downloading the app before entering the park (we downloaded all apps we might need before leaving Australia just to be safe).

Disney Premier Access / Fast Passes

Since there aren’t a huge amount of rides and the park is huge, you can guess what that means – lots of people queuing for rides.

While early access helps with a few rides in the morning, Disney Premier Access (DPA) helps with rides throughout the rest of the day. There are two ways they can be purchased: in advance as a bundle, or on the day as a single ride.

DPA is digital only and must be purchased inside the official Shanghai Disney Resort app.

Buying a bundle in advance is cost effective if you want broad coverage of rides. The biggest benefit is that the rides have no fixed return time, so you can redeem them whenever you like. The downside of the bundles is they usually include a ride that doesn’t need a DPA so you do end up with at least one pretty useless DPA that you’ve paid for.

Buying a single ride is great if you just want to do one or two rides and can be purchased on the day. The downside is you will be given a fixed return time and must redeem the DPA during that time window.

Communicating

We used Google Translate with mixed results in China. We were lucky to find quite a few of the staff at Shanghai Disneyland Resort could speak English. Staff who were English-speakers had a special badge designating their ability to converse in English and were often summoned at the hotel or guest services locations when we had questions.

The majority of staff didn’t speak English and we were extremely grateful for their kindness in assisting us even when they couldn’t understand a word of what we were saying.

We had several cast members fixing our phones for us to help us with connecting to the park Wi-Fi, for example, or showing us how to us the local payment apps that were all in Chinese. A huge thank you to the wonderful cast members at every location throughout the park!

Where to stay: Shanghai Disneyland Resort

We had an incredible stay at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. The Art-Bouveau-themed resort sits across the Wishing Star Lake from Shanghai Disneyland Resort, making it the closet hotel to the park.

Featuring 420 rooms and one restaurant, Lumière’s Kitchen, it’s a great base to explore the park and be able to return to the hotel to rest quickly or for a break to then go back again later to either the park or Disneytown.

We also enjoyed the cute little gifts that were included with the room.

The hotel offers water taxi or shuttle services to the theme park, however it’s only about a 15 minute walk, so we chose to walk to ensure we were at early entry as soon as possible and also to return again afterwards without waiting for a shuttle bus or water taxi to arrive.

Special Dining Mentions

Donald’s Dine ‘n Delights

Donald’s Dine ‘n Delights is a Donald Duck-themed casual bistro located in Disneytown just outside the main gates of Shanghai Disneyland. The menu features Western dishes with a twist and the food is the best we have eaten at a themed restaurant.

The CookieAnn Bakery Café

The CookieAnn Bakery Café is a 1950s vintage-styled lifestyle cafe located on Mickey Avenue at Shanghai Disneyland. They serve adorable baked goods and excellent crepes, which you can eat with a gorgeous castle view.

Lumière’s Kitchen

Lumière’s Kitchen is a Beauty and the Beast-inspired restaurant located on the ground floor of the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. The restaurant is buffet-style and features a character dining experience for breakfast.

Cheesecake Factory

This is just a standard Cheesecake Factory but it’s worth noting that its an easy dining option when traveling with people with dietary restrictions or picky kids who just want simple food.

Il Paperino

This Italian-style gelato and ice cream parlor located on Mickey Avenue inside Shanghai Disneyland Park is absolutely adorable.

We picked up a The Donald Duck Gondolier Sundae here, which is a delicious ice cream assortment inside a detailed, reusable plastic gondola boat complete with a small figurine of Donald dressed as a Venetian gondolier.

Get more tips for visiting Shanghai and China with our Three Day Shanghai Itinerary First Timer’s Guide.

Shanghai in three days: A first timer’s family-friendly itinerary

August 17, 2026 / Asia, China, Travel / 0 comment

Shanghai in three days: A first timer’s family-friendly itinerary

Shanghai is China’s most populous city. It’s a vibrant blend of old and new, with archaeological remains dating back 4,000 to 6,000 years, colonial buildings from the British and French trade that began i 1842, and modern, even futuristic, architecture of today. Shanghai in three days is an easy way to get an overview of what this incredible city has to offer travellers of all ages and backgrounds.

Shanghai in Three Days: what to see and do

The Bund and Oriental Pearl Tower

The Bund is an iconic waterfront promenade in old town Shanghai. It stretches along the west bank of Huang Po river and is lined by colonial buildings. Its spectacular to see both day and night. The the famous Oriental Pearl Tower is also bestviewed from the Bund. We suggest walking from the start of the Bund along the river and over the bridge into North Bund to the North Bund Gardens to the very popular reflective egg installation.

Yu Gardens

Yu Garden (or Yuyuan Garden) is a traditional Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District. Yu Garden was first built in 1559 during the Ming dynasty and is a beautiful place to explore in any season (even winter!). We particularly enjoyed watching the wildlife in the ponds, seeing species of birds we had never seen before.

Visit again at night to see the surrounding shops and markets lit up.

Hanfu hire and photoshoot

We booked in advance through a small business in WeChat, however there are many places you can walk into off the streets around Yu Garden where you can hire a hanfu and have a photographer take photos of you on the spot. We chose to do this during the day when there were less people. It was much more popular at night. It does take a while to do the traditional hair and make up, so allow a few hours if you choose this activity (and we highly recommend that you do!).

Nanjing Road

Nanjing Road is one of the world’s busiest shopping streets. It spans about 5.5 kilometres from People’s Square in the west to the historic waterfront known as the Bund in the east. There are so many stores we visited twice to see everything.

A few highlights for us on Nanjing Road:
Pop Mart
Chocolate Museum
White Rabbit Store
Qingzhi (famous hand cream with free engraving)
Miniso
MnM Store
Sanrio Gift Gate
Louis Vuitton Boat (at the end of the road)
Starbucks Roastery (next to the LV boat)

Tip: Save your feet by taking the Nanjing Road sightseeing trolley (often called the Dangdang tram). This open-air, electric mini-train carries passengers along the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street east-west between the The Bund (near East Nanjing Road Station) and People’s Square. Tickets Cost: 5 RMB per person for a one-way trip (about 1 AUD). Operating Hours: Daily from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM. Where to Board: Dedicated stations are located at both the east and west ends of the pedestrian zone.

Anfu Road

Anfu Road is a trendy 850-meter-long street located in the former French Concession of Xuhui District, Shanghai. Known for its leafy, plane tree-lined sidewalks and historic architecture, it has evolved into a vibrant cultural hub famous for independent designer boutiques, concept stores, and specialty coffee shops.

A few highlights for us:
13DE Marzo Cafe bear drinks
Adidas Originals Store (decorate your own pair of sneakers)
RAC Coffee & Bar (Shanghai-meets-Paris vibe)
Wiggle Wiggle (Korean store)
LookNow & Flow (great range of Jellycat)

Xuhui District / French Concession

Wukang Mansion (a famous mansion where locals go nuts trying to get a photo at the crossing)
Apoli Itabakery (a Harry Potter-vibed bakery)

Shanghai Disneyland Resort China

We also visited Shanghai Disneyland Resort China. You can read our tip tips for visiting here.

More places to see:

Shanghai Natural History Museum
snhm.org.cn/

Shanghai Museum
shanghaimuseum.net

Temples
Jade Buddha Temple, Jing’an Temple, Longhua Temple

Zhujiajiao Water Town
Zhujiajiao is the most famous ancient water town in Shanghai, located in the Qingpu District. Easily reached via Shanghai Metro Line 17 in about an hour, this 1,700-year-old town features Ming and Qing dynasty architecture, 36 ancient stone bridges, and narrow canal-side streets.

General Shanghai information

Shanghai in three days felt like a good amount of time for us. I could have done with one extra day, but overall, I think three days is pretty good for a taster of the city.

We felt incredible safe everywhere, probably largely due to the surveillance cameras set up all over the city. I don’t think it’s possible to commit a crime in Shanghai anymore.

Getting around: download the DiDi app to use to get cheap taxis all over the city.

Google maps does not work in China. Download Baidu Maps instead.

Paying: credit cards are not widely accepted. Download Alipay or WeChat and set these up in advance for easy payment everywhere.

Internet: we used Telstra global roaming and thinking it would be easier than setting up a new sim and activating it while travelling. While this worked seamlessly, I didn’t count on the WiFi in Shanghai being so bad in our hotels, so we quickly burned through the daily allowance.

VPN: Telstra roaming includes a vpn so that was taken care of with our phones, however we needed to download a VPN to our laptops/ iPads to be able to access certain websites. We used LetsVPN which was very easy to set up and use.

Communication: we used Google Translate and it was honestly not great. Thankfully the locals were very kind and helped us out whenever we needed assistance.

Entering China: At time of writing, Australian ordinary passport holders do not need a visa to enter China for stays of up to 30 days.

Where we stayed

The Waldorf Astoria on the Bund

We had an amazing stay at the Waldorf Astoria on the Bund. 10/10 location, room size and quality and service. The hotel is located right on the Bund and walking distance to many attractions including Nanjing Road and Yu Garden. The buffet breakfast was next level incredible.

Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide

June 13, 2024 / Asia, Disney Travel, Disneyland, Hong Kong, Theme Parks, Travel / 0 comment

Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide

Hong Kong Disneyland was the second Disneyland in Asia, opening in 2005 on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Disneyland is owned and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks.When building the resort, Disney attempted to avoid problems of cultural backlash by incorporating Chinese culture, customs, and traditions, including adherence to the rules of feng shui. Notably, a bend was put in a walkway near the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort entrance so good qi energy would not flow into the South China Sea.

The park consists of eight themed areas: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, World of Frozen and Stark Expo.

There are single tickets and annual passes, called Magic Access, that are available for tourists who visit Hong Kong Disneyland. The theme park’s cast members speak Cantonese, English, and Mandarin.

Make the most out of your trip with this Hong Kong Disneyland guide.

Transport to the park

The park is easy to reach via train (MTR service) on the purpose-built Disneyland Resort line, a themed shuttle train service between the Disneyland Resort station adjacent to the park, and Sunny Bay station, where passengers can transfer to the Tung Chung line for access to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, or Tung Chung.

Tips for visiting Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Stay onsite in a Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotel

While the park is easy to access via public transport, we highly recommend staying at one of the Disneyland hotels onsite for the full Disney experience. There are three hotels: Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Explorer’s Lodge and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. We stayed at Disney’s Explorer’s Lodge (read the review here) and thought it was the most immaculate of all of the Disney hotels we have stayed thus far.

While guests of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels do not receive any special perks regarding park access, they do have access to the free shuttle bus that runs between the hotels and the parks each day, plus the bonus of being able to use the facilities at any of the three hotels.

Each hotel has a range of beautiful facilities such as pools, shops and restaurants that extend the Disney experience beyond the parks.

Try the Disney Dim Sum

The Disney-themed dim sum is only available at Hong Kong Disneyland! Anyone can book a table at the Crystal Lotus restaurant inside the Disneyland Hotel to enjoy the special Disney-themed dim sum. We were even able to order special vegetarian dim sum in advance by emailing the restaurant.

The dim sum are so cute and shaped like Disney characters – an absolute must in our opinion!

Read more about the Disney Friends Dim Sum here.

Book a table to experience the dim sum here.

Book an Early Park Entry Pass

Anyone can book an Early Park Entry Pass, which lets guests enter the park an hour before the offical park opening time. Most visitors to the park tend to come later in the day, which means if you arrive early you will be able to get on rides without any queues as well as score some great park photos with no one else in them.

With early park entry, we found it possible to ride all of the rides we wanted to without any queues – so no need for the additional Premier Access paid passes.

Find out more about the Early Park Entry Pass here.

Premier Access Passes

If you’re not an early bird and don’t want to queue for rides, considering purchasing a Premiere Access Pass. The passes can be purchased for 3 or 8 rides, or individual rides (this is the most expensive option) and works like a fast pass, giving an alternative entry point to rides to skip the majority of the queue.

Find out more about Premiere Access Passes here.

Meet the characters

Character meet and greets are possibly even more popular at Hong Kong Disneyland than the rides, and attract massive queues. There are generally always characters in the entry plaza area, so if this is important to you, I would recommend meeting characters early in the day before the queues get too long and then having the option of purchasing Premiere Access Passes for popular rides afterwards if the park is busy.

We made it a priority to meet LinaBell, one of the Duffy and Friends characters that is exclusive to the Asian parks. The Duffy and Friends characters are hugely popular and have a designated area to line up and meet them. I highly lining up for this as soon as possible if it’s a priority, or purchasing an access pass to meet one character, which is what we did to meet LinaBell.

Visit the Castle of Dreams

Castle of Magical Dreams is the centrepiece castle of Hong Kong Disneyland. The castle replaced the park’s previous Sleeping Beauty Castle as part of the park’s 15th anniversary celebration, with a brand new design that pays tribute to the 12 Disney Princesses and 2 Frozen queens: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana.

Walk through the castle to the special princess meet and great area.

Enter the Magic World of Frozen

The Frozen-themed land in the world opened in 2023 in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The land includes two rides, Frozen Ever After, a boat ride through animatronic scenes from Frozen, and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, which is a short rollercoaster ride. Frozen Ever After is the longer and more popular ride, so we suggest doing this ride first.

The other entertainment option in the World of Frozen is the Playhouse in the Woods, which is a live show playing constantly all day where visitors can be part of the Frozen story with Anna and Elsa.

Shop the unique merchandise

A high priority for us was shopping the unique Duffy and Friends merchandise, which is specific to Asia. There are so many shops throughout the park featuring Asia-specific merchandise, especially the Duffy and Friends characters.

Eat all the snacks

Hong Kong Disneyland has some incredible snacks! Cakes, donuts, churros, ice cream, popcorn, and they’re all so cute!

Watch the fireworks

The fireworks occur every night over the Castle. The show when we visited was “Momentous”, an evening spectacular that included projection mapping, lasers, and searchlights, as well as pyrotechnics and water fountains. Spectacular! We purchased tickets to watch the fireworks from the prime location at the front of the castle, which meant we were able to enjoy the park and rides until closer to the fireworks began and then take our spot.

Find out more about visiting Hong Kong Disneyland.

Disney Explorers Lodge Hong Kong Disneyland Review

June 13, 2024 / Asia, Hong Kong, Travel / 0 comment

Disney Explorers Lodge Hong Kong Disneyland Review

Immerse yourself in the Disney magic with a stay at the Disney Explorers Lodge at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

The Disney Explorers Lodge was the 3rd hotel to open at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, on 30th April, 2017.

The hotel has an “adventure” theme with rooms themed to the four unique tropical climates of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa, and serving international cuisines from the five continents. The Disney Explorers Lodge has the motto “ad explorare et somniare” (“to explore and dream”).

The three hotels in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort are all in a row, making transport between the three and the park extremely easy. Guests are able to use the free resort shuttle bus to enjoy the facilities at all three hotels.

While the parks contain more than enough entertainment, if guests wish to extend their stay for some additional relaxation time, the hotels each provide Disney-themed recreational activities such as handicraft classes, poolside activities, ball games, and indoor exploration activities.

Examples of activities run at the hotel include tai chi, yoga, board game rental, badminton, mini golf, movie screenings and crafts.

Rooms

The rooms at the Disney Explorers Lodge are extremely spacious and well equipped with amenities including international power adaptors and toiletries.

In-Resort Transportation

Complimentary shuttle service is available between the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, Disney Explorers Lodge and the Hong Kong Disneyland Park. Departing every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the time of day, the shuttle can be picked up in front of the hotel to the right of the main lobby. Between the hours of 1am and 7am, shuttle service can be arranged by contacting the Bell Desk in the main lobby.

Raindrop Pool

At the edge of the Pool Garden is the Raindrop Pool, a large swimming pool surrounded by stone walls and paving. The Raindrop Pool is open 8am-10pm.

Resort Gardens

The Disney Exploers Lodge has four uniquely themed gardens: Kevin Garden, the South American garden; Little Squirt Garden, the Oceania garden; Hathi Jr. Garden the Asian garden and the Rafiki Garden, the African Savannah garden. Explorers will find elements of the different animations that are associated with the names of the characters that these gardens are named after.

Dining Options

Dragon Wind
A taste of ancient Chinese wisdom where guests can dine on rural and authentic Cantonese and provincial delicacies seasoned with classic herbs and spices in a harmony of the five elements.

World of Color Restaurant
World of Color Restaurant brings together the food cultures from across the seas, islands and continents along the old spice trails for a symphony of textures and flavors that is fresh and light.

We dined at the World of Color Restaurant and loved the food.

Chart Room Cafe
Chart Room Cafe is a quick service cafe with snacks and casual dining options. Food can be eaten in the seating area near by or taken back to your hotel room.

In-Room Dining
Choose from a variety of American and Asian favorites, as well as specialty items unique to the Disney Explorers Lodge. An 10% service charge will apply to all delivery orders.

Get more info on the Disney Explorers Lodge Hong Kong Disneyland here.

Disney Friends Dim Sum at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide

Disney Friends Dim Sum at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

June 3, 2024 / Asia, Hong Kong, Travel / 0 comment

Disney Friends Dim Sum at Crystal Lotus Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Enjoy Disney Friends dim sum shaped like adorable Disney and Pixar characters, exclusive to the Crystal Lotus restaurant inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

An absolute must when visiting Hong Kong Disneyland is sampling the special Disney-themed dim sum! These cute treats are not available at any other Disney park in the world.

The Disney Friends dim sum are not just cute, they’re extremely tasty, too. At the time of our visit, the options included:

Duffy & ShellieMay Steamed Sweet Bun
Winnie The Pooh Milk Custard Bun
Eeyore Red Bean Puree Bun
Piglet Seafood and Chicken Bun
Tigger Pork and Vegetable Bun
Mickey’s Double-Layer Turnip and Taro Pudding

Disney Friends Dim Sum is available daily for lunch and must be ordered at least 24 hours prior to your visit.

Book your Disney Friends Dim Sum visit here.

Read our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide here.

Best Tokyo DisneySea Tips

May 26, 2023 / Asia, Disney Travel, Japan, Tokyo Disney Resort, Travel / 0 comment

Best Tokyo DisneySea Tips

Get Tokyo DisneySea tips to make your trip fun and memorable.

Tokyo DisneySea is located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, about an hour from the centre of Tokyo, Japan. It opened on 4 September 2001. Tokyo DisneySea is owned by The Oriental Land Company, with intellectual property licensed from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks in the world not owned or operated by The Walt Disney Company in any capacity.

As of 2019, Tokyo DisneySea is the fourth-most visited theme park in the world and the second-most visited in Japan behind its sister park Tokyo Disneyland.

Upon opening, Tokyo DisneySea became the ninth park of the twelve worldwide Disney theme parks to open. It has an overall nautical exploration theme.

Getting to Tokyo DisneySea

The park is easily accessed by train. Catch the train to Maihama Station and then the resort monorail to the Tokyo DisneySea Station.

Stay Onsite

One of the biggest reasons for this is because hotel guests get early entry into the parks and their own special entry gates. The early entry was only 15 minutes at time of writing (May 2023) however this combined with a special entrance for hotel guests only meant we were able to get inside the park quickly and ahead of the general crowd and had ridden our first ride before most people were able to pass through the entry gates.

Offical hotel guests receive a special paper pass at check in that grants early access for each subsequent day of their stay (not available on day of check in). You will need to nominate at check in which park you wish to enter each day to be given a pass specific to the park.

We stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and loved it. You can read about our stay here. If you stay at the MiraCosta, the hotel is actually inside the park, the closest location you can get to Tokyo DisneySea. Photo above of the hotel from inside DisneySea!

Buy your tickets in advance

The tickets can be tricky to buy from the direct Japanese website, so I suggest if you are struggling to buy them from a third party like Klook (which is what we did). Klook also often has sales and you can purchase the park passes a bit cheaper through them.

At the time of writing (May 2023) single day passes are all that is available to each park, and you must choose which park to visit – no park-hopper tickets are available. The parks can sell out so I highly suggest booking tickets well in advance. If you stay at a Disney hotel, you are guaranteed entry to the parks however even if the parks sell out.

Arrive Early

The reason getting into the park as quickly as possible matters so much at Tokyo DisneySea is the lack of any kind of fastpass system. The only ways to skip queues are either to take the single rider line where offered and ride by yourself, or to purchase Premier Access for the most popular rides where offered. More on Premier Access further into this article!

Photo of our special entry and line above, when the general entry was a good 50 people long at the same time.

So the best way to avoid spending most of your day lining up is to get into the park as quickly as you can and getting to the most popular rides early in the day.

If you do not have early hotel access then I would advise arriving REALLY early like an hour early. If you can’t arrive that early than you’re best off arriving later in the day and just preparing yourself queue for rides and not get on many of them. Even with early entry I advise arriving at the gates about 45 minutes before the park opens.

Visit on a weekday

As the majority of visitors to Tokyo DisneySea are locals, weekends, school holidays and public holidays are the busiest times to attend. If you can visit the parks on a typical weekday, the parks are much less busy.

Make a plan for your day

Research what rides you want to get on in advance, look at the map of the park and plan where you are going to go first and subsequently. I advise knocking out all of the popular rides that you want to do first thing in the morning in an orderly fashion – pick the ride you want to start with and then the next that is closest to it and so on so you are moving around the park in a circle vs trekking back and forth and walking needlessly.

The food places get busy as the day goes on so I advise starting your day early and breaking for an early lunch.

If you wish to dine at a restaurant in the park, bookings open at 10am (JST) one month in advance. You can also try to book at 10am once you are inside the park.

Download the Tokyo Disney Resort App

I highly recommend doing this in advance. The app is useful for its map alone. You can also scan your tickets into the app as soon as you enter the park and then purchase Premier Access to certain attractions and events to reduce your wait time for popular rides and entertainment. See below for more details on Premier Access.

You can also use the app to lock in a time to visit popular shops like the ones that sell Duffy & Friends merch.

Have a ride strategy

If you have been to other Disney parks or plan to do so soon, then I highly recommend prioritising the rides that are unique to Tokyo DisneySea.

The unique rides not to miss are:

Journey To The Center of the Earth (a Jules Verne-inspired attraction that uses a similar ride system to Test Track at Epcot, with guests boarding “steam-powered” mine vehicles before embarking on trip to the planet’s core.)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (a submarine ride based on the Jules Verne book)
Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage (a boat ride similar to It’s a Small World, based on the popular Sinbad stories)

We also enjoyed Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (which is similar to the Anaheim version but themed to the Crystal Skull movie (and entirely in Japanese), the two story carousel in the Arabian area and Sourin’, which is also almost identical to the version in Anaheim except for the entry which has cool projections / animations on the walls and the end of the Sourin’ video which flies over Tokyo.

The most popular rides in the park are:

Toy Story Mania (basically identical to other versions)
Sourin’
Journey to the Center of the Earth

If you have been to the other parks I wouldn’t pay for the Premier Access passes to Sourin’ or Toy Story Mania, nor would I line up for the crazy wait times to ride them. If you must, however, then I suggest heading to these rides early or purchasing them on Premier Access.

Buy Premier Access

Premier Access is currently the only way to skip queues for rides at Tokyo DisneySea. This service, available for a fee, will allow guests to select designated times to be admitted to and enjoy certain experiences. Premier Access best accessed through the Tokyo Disney Resort mobile app, which I highly recommend downloading in advance.

Each park ticket can be used to purchase one Disney Premier Access at a time.
Guests ages 3 and under will be able to access the experience with an accompanying person who has purchased Disney Premier Access.
You will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access for another attraction 60 minutes after purchasing Disney Premier Access, or after the start time of your purchased Disney Premier Access, whichever is earlier.
If you would like to purchase Disney Premier Access for the same attraction again, you may do so after using the Disney Premier Access you have purchased or after the designated time to use your Disney Premier Access has passed.
Disney Premier Access can be purchased by using the Tokyo Disney Resort App.
Only credit cards are accepted as method of payment. Please see here for information about the credit cards accepted.
Guests who do not have the Tokyo Disney Resort App or a credit card will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access at Main Street House (at Tokyo Disneyland) or Guest Relations (at Tokyo DisneySea).
Disney Premier Access is available in limited numbers and may sell out. Please check the Tokyo Disney Resort App in advance for availability.
To make bookings and purchases you must log in with a registered Disney Account. If you do not have a Disney Account, please register from here (user registration on the bookings/purchases page).

Using Premier Access to View a Parade / Show

Guests can select a designated time for admission in advance, and enjoy parades or shows from a designated viewing area.

You will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access for another parade or show 60 minutes after purchasing Disney Premier Access, or after the admission time of your purchased Disney Premier Access (for parades or shows,) whichever is earlier.
For certain parades and shows, the location for viewing performances within the viewing area will be specified in advance. On your day of visit, please view the performance from the specified location with a corresponding number at your feet. (The number indicating your specified location will be displayed on the screen of your device after you have completed your purchase of Disney Premier Access.)

Toy Story Mania!
Tower of Terror
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Soaring: Fantastic Flight

	Disney Premier Access Experience	Price
Parade/Show	Believe! Sea of Dreams	2,500 yen per access
Attractions	Soaring: Fantastic Flight	2,000 yen per access
	Toy Story Mania!	2,000 yen per access
	Tower of Terror	1,500 yen per access
	Journey to the Center of the Earth	1,500 yen per access

How to buy Premier Access

Premier Access is available once your tickets have been scanned upon entry into the park. Most tickets need to be printed and presented on arrival for scanning, such as those purchased through third party vendors such as Klook (which is what we did).

Once your paper ticket has been scanned and you are in the park, one person in the party should scan all the tickets into their mobile app and control the Premier Access bookings for the entire party. It’s easy enough to scan the tickets into the app while walking to your first ride, then select from the Premier Access menu which attraction or show you wish to purchase.

Tokyo DisneySea

Visit the Mermaid Lagoon

While this is very much geared towards younger children, I highly suggest checking it out even if you have older kids or no kids. The exterior facade is made to look like the Palace of King Triton, with the inside designed to resemble an underwater world with rides, play areas and places to eat. The detail in this area is incredible and visitors of all ages will enjoy a stroll around the lagoon.

Tokyo DisneySea

Try the popcorn

Popcorn is the most popular snack at Tokyo Disney Resort! Not only is the popcorn unique and available in crazy flavours found nowhere else, but Disney’s popcorn buckets are also pretty special and worth taking home as a souvenir. They are often ‘limited’ and only sold at specific locations within a park, with most buckets not likely be found at other Disney parks.

The buckets are typically pretty pricey, with an average cost of ¥2,600 to ¥3,400. You can buy popcorn without a souvenir bucket for vastly less. Flavours on offer include Honey, Strawberry Milk, Cookies & Cream, Matcha White Chocolate, Curry, Garlic Shrimp.

Eat all the food

While the green mochi Toy Story Aliens are the most instagrammed snack at Tokyo Disney Resort, I highly recommend trying a bit of everything!

We loved the churros, which are also available in a wide variety of exciting flavours, and the celebration drinks, which come with cubes of jelly in them.

We also loved the tropical ice blocks! They are amazing.

When it comes to dining, you can make a reservation at a restaurant or you can play it by ear at a quick service food spot. This is what we chose to do since we don’t like being tied to reservations and we had a fantastic quick service lunch at Zambini Brothers’ Ristorante squeezed in between rides.

Try a vending machine

The Tokyo Disney Resort vending machines are insanely cute! The drinks inside are themed to the parks.

Meet or watch the characters

The characters are typically available in large numbers towards the front of the park rather than being scheduled for short periods allover the park.

It’s possible to see and meet a huge number of characters all in the one area. We were so excited to see characters we’ve never seen at any other park including the entire cast from Pinocchio.

Buy the all Merch

The merch at Tokyo Disneyland is definitely different to the American parks! The Duffy and Friends line is only available at the Asian parks (you will need to use the app to reserve your spot to enter the store inside the park, it is so popular).

The ears are also different and extremely cute (and cheaper than the American ones!) as are the souvenirs like little bento and cutlery boxes. There are also cute pins that are stamped Tokyo Disney Resort so unable to be bought anywhere else.

I also loved the tote bags specific to the park and cute little plushes that are bought to hang off them. You will see locals with their bags covered in these plushies.

Use the Disney photographers

The photographer system works differently in Tokyo. You cannot get a digital copy of a photo unless you have a Japanese mailing address (do not ask me why). The photographers will take a photo on their cameras and give you a paper ticket to collect the print later in the day to purchase if you choose to do so. The photographer will also take photos for you on your own camera.

Watch the parades and shows

Tokyo DisneySea is not just about rides, it’s also about the entertainment. I highly recommend looking at the schedule and seeing at least one parade or show during your time at the park.

The Japanese locals love the shows and parades and get a spot a good 30-60mins before they start, so I highly suggest doing the same if you want to be able to see well. You can also book a time and seat for some entertainment using the app after entering the park.

Get Tokyo Disneyland Tips here.

Get more info on visiting Tokyo Disneyland.

Best Tokyo Disneyland Tips

May 24, 2023 / Asia, Disney Travel, Japan, Tokyo Disney Resort, Travel / 0 comment

Best Tokyo Disneyland Tips

Get Tokyo Disneyland tips to make your trip fun and memorable.

Tokyo Disneyland is located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, about an hour from the centre of Tokyo, Japan. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States, it opening on April 15, 1983.

Tokyo Disneyland is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses intellectual property from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks in the world not owned or operated by The Walt Disney Company in any capacity.

The park is known for its extensive open spaces to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park. It is definitely very noticeable how well the park is designed to accommodate people comfortably compared to its American counterparts.

As of 2019, Tokyo Disneyland is the most visited theme park in Japan and the third-most visited theme park in the world behind Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort.

Getting to Tokyo Disneyland

The park is easily accessed by train. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station.

Stay Onsite

We stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and loved it. You can read about our stay here.

Buy your tickets in advance

Arrive Early

The reason getting into the park as quickly as possible matters so much at Tokyo Disneyland is the lack of any kind of fastpass system. The only ways to skip queues are either to take the single rider line where offered and ride by yourself, or to purchase Premier Access for the most popular rides where offered. More on Premier Access further into this article!

So the best way to avoid spending most of your day lining up is to get into the park as quickly as you can and getting to the most popular rides early in the day.

Visit on a weekday

As the majority of visitors to Tokyo Disneyland are locals, weekends, school holidays and public holidays are the busiest times to attend. If you can visit the parks on a typical week day, the parks are much less busy.

Make a plan for your day

The food places get busy as the day goes on so I advise starting your day early and breaking for an early lunch.

If you wish to dine at a restaurant in the park, bookings open at 10am (JST) one month in advance. You can also try to book at 10am once you are inside the park.

Download the Tokyo Disney Resort App

You can also use the app to lock in a time to visit popular shops like the ones that sell Duffy & Friends merch.

Have a ride strategy

I highly recommend prioritising the rides that are unique to Tokyo Disneyland – these are also the most popular rides:

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast (this ride is next level amazing)The Happy Ride with Baymax (Super cute but not worth lining up for a long time to do)
Pooh’s Honey Hunt (Super cute and gets busy)
Monsters, Inc. Hide & Go Seek (Incredible animatronics and also gets very busy)

We also enjoyed
Space Mountain (Basically identical to the one in Disneyland Anaheim, much less jerky than the version in WDW Florida)
Big Thunder Railroad (Our favourite of the Big Thunders out of Tokyo, Anaheim and WDW.)

Our ride strategy was to purchase Premier Access to the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast for 12pm since most people head there at park opening, and instead to head to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt which is not available on Premier Access.

After Pooh’s Hunny Hunt we head to The Happy Ride with Baymax, then Monsters, Inc. Hide & Go Seek, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad, knocking out all the main rides by lunch time with a max of 15-20 min queuing per ride. We ate at a quick service restaurant and then head to Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.

Buy Premier Access

Premier Access is currently the only way to skip queues for rides at Tokyo Disneyland. This service, available for a fee, will allow guests to select designated times to be admitted to and enjoy certain experiences. Premier Access best accessed through the Tokyo Disney Resort mobile app, which I highly recommend downloading in advance.

Each park ticket can be used to purchase one Disney Premier Access at a time.
Guests ages 3 and under will be able to access the experience with an accompanying person who has purchased Disney Premier Access.
You will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access for another attraction 60 minutes after purchasing Disney Premier Access, or after the start time of your purchased Disney Premier Access, whichever is earlier.
If you would like to purchase Disney Premier Access for the same attraction again, you may do so after using the Disney Premier Access you have purchased or after the designated time to use your Disney Premier Access has passed.
Disney Premier Access can be purchased by using the Tokyo Disney Resort App.
Only credit cards are accepted as method of payment. Please see here for information about the credit cards accepted.
Guests who do not have the Tokyo Disney Resort App or a credit card will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access at Main Street House (at Tokyo Disneyland) or Guest Relations (at Tokyo DisneySea).
Disney Premier Access is available in limited numbers and may sell out. Please check the Tokyo Disney Resort App in advance for availability.
To make bookings and purchases you must log in with a registered Disney Account. If you do not have a Disney Account, please register from here (user registration on the bookings/purchases page).

Disney Premier Access Experience	Price
Parade/Show	Disney Harmony in Color	2,500 yen per access
Parade/Show	Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights	2,500 yen per access
Attractions	Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast	2,000 yen per access
	The Happy Ride with Baymax	1,500 yen per access
	Splash Mountain	1,500 yen per access

Using Premier Access to View a Parade / Show

Guests can select a designated time for admission in advance, and enjoy parades or shows from a designated viewing area.

You will be able to purchase Disney Premier Access for another parade or show 60 minutes after purchasing Disney Premier Access, or after the admission time of your purchased Disney Premier Access (for parades or shows,) whichever is earlier.
For certain parades and shows, the location for viewing performances within the viewing area will be specified in advance. On your day of visit, please view the performance from the specified location with a corresponding number at your feet. (The number indicating your specified location will be displayed on the screen of your device after you have completed your purchase of Disney Premier Access.)

Tokyo Disneyland

How to buy Premier Access

Try the popcorn

Popcorn is the most popular snack at Tokyo Disney Resort! Not only is the popcorn unique and available in crazy flavours found nowhere else, but Disney’s popcorn buckets are also pretty special and worth taking home as a souvenir.

They are often ‘limited’ and only sold at specific locations within a park, with most buckets not likely be found at other Disney parks.

Eat all the food

While the green mochi Toy Story Aliens are the most instagrammed snack at Tokyo Disney Resort, I highly recommend trying a bit of everything!

We loved the churros, which are also available in a wide variety of exciting flavours, and the celebration drinks, which come with cubes of jelly in them.

We also loved the tropical ice blocks! They are amazing.

Try a vending machine

The Tokyo Disney Resort vending machines are insanely cute! The drinks inside are themed to the parks.

Meet or watch the characters

The characters are typically available in large numbers towards the front of the park rather than being scheduled for short periods allover the park.

It’s possible to see and meet a huge number of characters all in the one area. We were so excited to see characters we’ve never seen at any other park including Marie.

Watch the glass blowers

Inside the Cinderella Castle is a shop where you can purchase glass souvenirs.

What is even more special is that the glass blower works inside the shop so you can watch him while you’re browsing.

I highly recommend taking home a glass souvenir if you have the luggage space.

Buy the all Merch

The ears are also different and extremely cute (and cheaper than the American ones!) as are the souverniers like little bento and cutlery boxes.

There are also cute pins that are stamped Tokyo Disney Resort so unable to be bought anywhere else.

I also loved the tote bags specific to the park and cute little plushes that are bought to hang off them. You will see locals with their bags covered in these plushies.

Use the Disney photographers

Get more tips on visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

6 Reasons To Stay at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

May 8, 2023 / Asia, Japan / 0 comment

6 Reasons To Stay at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

When we travel to a Disney park we love to stay at the official Disney hotels where possible. The added benefits of staying at a Disney hotel plus being in the Disney “bubble” for our entire stay makes every trip that big more magical.

There are different perks to staying at each Disney resort around the world: here is why you should stay at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel on your next trip to Japan (if your budget allows).

The closest hotel to Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is the closest hotel to the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland. The ease of walking out of the doors and straight through security and then the entrance gate, and then also how fast and easy it is to get back to the hotel again at the end of a day at the park is a huge perk that can’t be underestimated in my opinion. To us, this alone makes it worth the stay.

It’s also very easy to get to Tokyo DisneySea. The monorail is a few steps from the door and takes you directly to DisneySea in 7 minutes.

Adorably Themed Rooms

While the standard room is Victorian-themed in-line with the theming of the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, there are ultra adorable themed rooms as well. Choose from Tinker Bell, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella.

We chose the Alice in Wonderland room for our stay. While it did cost significantly more for a themed room, we had no regrets.

Our room was filled with Alice in Wonderland-themed furniture and motifs of the Queen of Hearts, the Card Soldiers, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. In addition to two regular beds, this room has a trundle bed that can be pulled out.

Free room amenities to take home

I looooove the free hotel-themed take home items! Each day these items were replenished as well so we had plenty to take home as souvenirs and gifts.

Toothbrush
Room slippers
Amenity kit (cotton swabs, cotton balls, hair elastic)
Re-usable hotel-themed shopping bag
Complimentary Mineral Water
Children’s slippers
Children’s toothbrush
Children’s mug

You can use the complimentary pyjamas (for adults) in the room and request children’s sizes, however these must stay at the hotel.

Disney Hotels Exclusives

Special products are available for purchase to Guests staying at a Deluxe Type Disney Hotel (Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta). I bought one of these tote bags and clip on toys as a special momento of our stay.

Guaranteed admission to the Parks

One major benefit if you visit in peak season is that guests of the hotel are guaranteed admission to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, even when admission is being restricted due to high attendance.

“Happy Entry” Early Park Entry

Guests staying at a Disney hotel are be eligible for “Happy Entry,” a Disney hotel benefit that allows Guests to enter Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea through a Special Entrance for Disney hotel guests 15 minutes earlier than other Guests.

When checking into the hotel you will be asked what days you have purchased park tickets for and be given a little paper slip per person per day for 15 minute early admission to the parks. Note that not every park is available for early entry each day and the schedule is not published anywhere that we were able to find, and also that this benefit is not available on the day of check-in but is available on the day of check-out.

Park admission time for Guests staying at a Disney hotel is shown on the Special Entrance Pass.

Good to know before you go

How to book a Tokyo Disneyland Resort hotel

Bookings are open from 11am (JST) three months in advance through the Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservations & Tickets website. Up to five consecutive nights and three rooms can be booked per booking.

Go here to reserve your room.

A helpful guide to booking your room is here.

Hotel information

Check-in: 3pm Checkout: 12pm. You will not be able to check in early so there is no point in asking.

The hotel features restaurants which need to be booked in advance of your stay for optimal days and times. It is difficult to book on arrival as the restaurants are busy and book up well in advance.

There is a small convenience store with very basic food items and necessities however the prices are high. There is a 7-Eleven a 15 min walk from the hotel that is well stocked and reasonably-priced.

You can purchase quick meals from the convenience store and ask the staff to heat them up for you at the counter after payment.

Room categories

All 706 guest rooms feature designs of the Disney Characters. Guest rooms are divided into four categories. Rooms with a view of Tokyo Disneyland are categorized as Park View, and the ones with a frontal view of Tokyo Disneyland as Park Grand View.
Concierge Rooms and Suites come with breakfast, and also include access to an exclusive lounge offering check-in/checkout and beverage services.

Themed rooms are located at the back of the hotel and do not have a view of the park. Ours had a view of this beautiful garden.

Cancellation fees and booking changes

This was confusing to us so it’s worth mentioning. If you want to start your stay earlier than dates you have already booked, you must cancel your existing booking and book a new room from scratch. You cannot add dates onto the start of your booking.

You may cancel your booking and have your deposit refunded as per these conditions:

・If a cancellation is made prior to the following dates when a cancellation fee will be charged, the full amount of the deposit paid will be refunded.
・If a cancellation is made after the following dates when a cancellation fee will be charged, the deposit minus the cancellation fee will be refunded in accordance with the conditions of accommodation contract of each hotel.

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
Disney Ambassador Hotel
Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta
-14 to 8 days before your stay: 10,000 yen per room
-7 to 2 days before your stay: 20,000 yen per room
-Day before, on the day of your stay, or no-show: 30,000 yen per room

Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel
Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel
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Where To Stay In Phuket Thailand (With or Without Kids)

June 5, 2018 / Asia, Phuket, Thailand / 0 comment

Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, is home to stunning white sand beaches, beautiful rainforests, luxury resorts and cultural attractions. With thirty stunning beaches, visitors are spoiled for choice! For first time visitors, choosing a location can make all the difference to a holiday, be it relaxing or adventurous, kid-friendly or party-central. This guide will help you decide where to stay in Phuket.

I’ve asked some experienced travel bloggers for their recommendations of where to stay in Phuket. There’s an option to suit all holidays and budget.

Where To Stay In Phuket Thailand (With or Without Kids)

Patong Beach

This west-coast resort town is well-known for Bangla Road, which has the highest concentration of bars and nightclubs anywhere in Phuket and is the main source of nightlight for the whole island. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and attractions in the area, many of which aren’t so kid-friendly.

Tips for staying in Patong

The Bangla Road area is not for children. At night it closes for an all-in street party, with lots of things very inappropriate for kids, but fun to walk down for older people, teens and up.

There are basic restaurants for picky kids like Molly Malone’s pub, McDonald’s and the Hard Rock Cafe. The tuk tuk are a must, especially at night when there is music playing and the tuk tuks are lit up. Our little ones absolutely loved them and called them disco tuk tuks.

One restaurant I would recommend is “On The Rock”, between Kata and Karon beaches. A bit more up market, with beautiful food and a fabulous location with a spectacular sunset. On The Rock is a short tuk tuk ride from Patong.

Patong Beach tips and images thanks to Caroline of Caroline_HarperTravels

Where to stay in Patong

Duangjitt Resort & Spa

This large resort is a perfect spot for families on a budget. The grounds are massive with room for kids to run and play. It has the cutest kids’ club we have ever seen and the breakfast was very good.

The resort has two huge pools, one is so large you can’t see the whole thing without walking around, and it’s also only about 30 metres to the beach, so super close for little legs. There is mini mart opposite the entrance for supplies and offers interconnecting and family rooms.

Find rates for Duangjitt Resort & Spa

Pra-Nang Villa

The villa was magnificent, with a view over Patong Beach. It came with a car and driver making it easy to go up and down the hill to the shops, beach, restaurants and markets. The villa was staffed, so breakfast was cooked and prepared for us each every day.

The five bedrooms all have ensuite, plus there was a two-level pool and games room with pool table and gym equipment.

It was a more expensive way to stay, but we had a family of 11 staying, making it the perfect choice.

Get more info on staying at the Pra-Nag Villa here.

Patong Beach accommodation and tips by Caroline of Caroline_HarperTravels

Holiday Inn Resort Patong

I know what you are thinking. Patong? That crazy party town? With kids? No, I’m not crazy. Indulge me for just a moment! Yes, Patong is known for the nightlife but it certainly does not exclude families. The trick is to pick the perfect accommodation so when the hectic pace gets too much for the wee ones you have a safe place to relax. Once you step through the gates of the Holiday Inn Resort in Patong you instantly feel the tension slip away. The kiddies will love the resort pool which is big enough to never fell crowded and the adults will love the swim up bar to indulge while keeping a watchful eye. Rooms are spacious enough to fit a family of four all in the one room and inter connecting rooms are available. Kids have their choice of a variety of activities at the Kids/ Club and the girls loved the Thai dancing class.

Step out onto the street and treat them to a delicious crepe from one of the many street vendors (with sprinkles of course!) and a visit to the beach, which is just steps away, is a must. Little shopaholics will love haggling at the many markets for a bargain and when the sun sets treat them to one Patong’s many cheap eats. We loved Sweet Restaurant and they always produced a complimentary after dinner treat for the girls which was a wonderful touch.

If your little ones are Hello Kitty fans be warned there is a dedicated shop that we HAD to visit every night and dragging Miss C out without tears was a touch problematic!

Thanks to Allison Smith, Flights to Fancy

Get rates for the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket here.

Find and compare accomodation in Patong here.

Kata Beach

A popular location for surfing and diving, plus for families looking for a relaxing holiday on the beach. There are several restaurants, shops, activities and pretty views in the area.

Where to stay at Kata Beach

Kata Leaf Hotel

I loved Kata Beach’s chilled out vibe and minimal party scene, which make it an ideal spot for families. The beach is sheltered by the bay, and it’s calm waters were great for the kids. It was relatively clean, and a relaxing change from the busier beaches to the North. I didn’t like the lack of sidewalks at the South end of town. At times it was a bit nerve-wracking walking the streets with the kids because of this. And although it’s not crazy busy, the beach was still busy enough to attract it’s fair share of hawkers selling everything from t-shirts to beer! I find it hard to relax when I’m constantly telling someone “no” (I have to do this enough with my kids!).

We stayed in a small hotel towards the south end of town, the Kata Leaf. The rooms were spacious and it was tucked away off the street, so it was nice and quiet. The best part was the covered patio in front of the room where we could relax in the evening while the kids slept inside.

Kata Beach images and accommodation thanks to Kyla Hunter, whereistheworld.ca

Get rates for the Kata Leaf here.

Kata Noi Resort

We found Kata Noi, a small, quiet beach just south of more popular Kata Yai (Kata Beach) to be perfect for staying with our elderly parents and one-year-old son. The luxury Katathani Resort takes up most of the beach, but blends in to the background so you barely notice it.

We loved staying at the small guesthouse Kata Noi Resort. We had access to the same gorgeous beach for a fraction of the price, and we had a private villa with swimming pool only a few minutes walk from the beach.

See here for more information on Kata Noi for families.

Thanks to Nick Kembel, Spiritual Travels

Get rates for Kata Noi Resort here.

Find and compare accommodation in Kata Beach here.

Karon Beach

A relaxed beachside community with shopping, nightlife and a good choice of budget restaurants. There are plenty of beautiful resorts to choose from in the area, at budget-friendly prices.

The closest attraction is Wat Suwan Khirikhet. We spent a beautiful morning at the temple engaging with the monks and their pet chickens.

Where to stay at Karon Beach

Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort And Spa

We highly enjoyed our stay at the Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort And Spa. The low-rise resort sprawls around three pools, with a distinctly jungle-feel to it thanks to all of the gorgeous plant life. The hotel features a kids’ club, excellent breakfast with custom-made omelettes and five resorts.

The Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort And Spa is extremely family-friendly. We found a tent in our bedroom filled with toys for our daughter to play with, she found a little treat on arrival and discovered a scavenger hunt trail to get her busy around the resort.

Read more about our stay at the Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort And Spa here.

Find and compare accommodation at Karon Beach here.

Bang Tao Beach

The second-longest beach on Phuket is home to a mix of budget and mid-range hotels in its south end, luxury resorts in its central area, and five-star properties in its northern end. Bang Tao is a quiet spot with a few beach clubs and restaurants.

Where to stay at Bang Tao Beach

Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa

We arrived at the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa late at night from our flight from Bangkok. Thankfully, the receptionist was very understanding that we were tired and checked us in quickly. During the short waiting time, we got cold wet towels to clean our faces – a lovely gesture.

We had decided to splurge a little and got the three bedroom villa of the hotel with a private pool. And it was absolutely worth it. We could just open the sliding door of our huge living room and jump right into our own pool. An absolutely amazing experience with maximum privacy.

The hotel itself is in a very quiet location, a couple of km from the beach. They also have a beach club and a private shuttle that goes there every couple of minutes. For us it was fine since we didn’t need to spend all day on the beach. The facilities of the hotel were all top notch – several pools, a fitness area and a really great breakfast.

Thanks to Mike of 197 Travel Stamps.

Get rates for Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa here.

Find and compare accommodation at Bang Tao Beach here.

Mai Khao Beach

The longest beach in Thailand is a quiet, relaxing location for a holiday. All you’ll find at Mai Khao Beach is a few luxury resorts and the Splash Jungle Water Park, making it the perfect spot to escape and do absolutely nothing. The majority of the beach lies inside the Sirinath National Park, where Giant Ridley Sea Turtles lay eggs between November and February.

Where to stay at Mai Khao Beach

Sala Phuket

Phuket is mostly developed in the south, so for serenity and seclusion on arriving, I personally prefer to escape north from the airport. And here we would stay on Mai Khao Beach, an area which remains relatively unspoilt when compared to Phuket’s more popular beaches. But seclusion does have its downsides, and there is very little entertainment or excitement in the area, so you’ll have to make-do with the sea views, soft sands, and natural surroundings (although resorts will always offer the usual tours and excursions in the Andaman region).

There are only a handful of high-end resorts along Mai Khao Beach, and to date we have stayed in a couple, although the stand-out stay is undoubtedly SALA Phuket Resort & Spa. A rather fancy, boutique-styled escape, with private pool villas, and beachfront views.

Mai Khao images and accommodation thanks to Allan Wilson, live-less-ordinary.com.

Get rates on SALA Phuket Resort & Spa here.

Compare accommodation at Mai Khao Beach here.

Kamala Beach

Kamala Beach is located approximately 5km from Patong. It’s one of the smaller towns in Phuket and is still a fishing village, even though tourism also makes up for the local’s income. It’s quieter and more relaxed here compared to other tourist areas in Phuket, and also a bit cheaper.

There’s a lot of greenery in the area, giving it a jungle feeling. Kamala Beach is safe for children and a great place for snorkeling.

Kamala is not the place for parties and doesn’t have as large range of restaurants as nearby Patong, for example. But, In short Kamala Beach offers everything for a relaxing vacation in Phuket.

Where to stay at Kamala Beach

Keemala Phuket

If you want to spice things up, I really recommend staying at the luxury resort called Keemala, which is just a few minutes driving upwards from the beach. Keemala offers that jungle experience as you’ll be staying in villas located in the middle of the jungle with private pools, spa and delicious food.

Thanks Alex at swedishnomad.com for the Kamala Beach tips and hotel recommendation.

Get rates for Keemala Resort here.

Compare accommodation in Kamala Beach here.

Rawai Beach

Recognisable for the long-tailed fishing boats anchored along it, Rawai Beach is a great location for island-hopping to nearby Coral and Racha islands. It’s a quiet area with a few shops and restaurants, and is located close to attractions such as Promthep Cape and Phuket Big Buddha. Rawai Beach is renowned as an excellent location particularly for families.

Where to stay at Rawai Beach

Find and compare accommodation at Rawai Beach here.

Surin Beach

We stayed in this quiet town and enjoyed its peacefulness. Surin Beach doesn’t have much in the way of restaurants or things to do in the area, but does have a beautiful beach and some lovely resorts to stay at.

Where to stay at Surin Beach

Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort

We stayed at the Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort, a 4-star resort is a short walk from Surin Beach, about 25 minutes from Phuket airport. The resort is large without feeling overwhelmingly huge – it’s big enough to have a lot of great facilities, but small enough to get to know the staff and for them to learn our names. The incredible buffet breakfast has something to suit everyone, the pools are massive and beautiful, and the kids’ club offers plenty of activities.

Read more about our stay at Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort here.

Find and compare accommodation at Surin Beach here.

Phuket Town

The urban centre of the island, Phuket Town is a unique location with pastel coloured buildings lining its streets, great restaurants, shops and attractions such as the Phuket Trickeye Museum. Staying in Phuket Town is great for getting a local experience.

Where to stay in Phuket Town

Find and compare accommodation in Phuket Town here.

Naithon Beach

Phuket’s Naithon is a sleepy beachside village, away from the hordes at the popular resorts town. One of the last bastions of undeveloped loveliness on the island, Naithon offers a taste of Phuket as it was a couple of decades ago, and visitors won’t find much more than a gorgeous beach, shady trees, a few seafood restaurants and a hotel or two. While the quiet might not appeal to some people, it’s exactly the kind of place we love, because sand, sea and sunshine are all we need to be happy.

Where to stay at Naithon Beach

Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach Resort

The Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach is a jaw-dropping beachfront resort and without doubt, our favourite hotel in Phuket. Just 10 minutes from the airport, the resort is a place where gracious Thai hospitality meets absolute luxury. Accommodation is light, chic and spacious, with separate living and sleeping quarters that are perfect for families.

There’s a choice of amazing restaurants, two pool zones, one near the kids’ club as well as an infinity pool that offers what must be some of the most spectacular pool views in Phuket. Speaking of the kids’ club, with computer games for my eldest and a ball pit for my little one, it was a hit with both. Offering peace, tranquility and the right amount fun, this is a resort that nails it on every level.

Thanks to Aleney at Boyeatsworld.com.au for the tips and hotel recommendation.

Get rates for the Pullman Phuket Arcadia here.

Tips for visiting Phuket

What to avoid

Please don’t ride elephants, watch an elephant show or have your photo taken with an animal on the street (such as monkeys). These animals are treated cruelly and participating in these activities enables the businesses to continue to run. More info on animal cruelty in Thailand here.

When to visit Thailand

We visited Phuket at the end of monsoon season (early October), and did experience quite a lot of rain. The rain was mostly in the mornings and late afternoon/evening, however, so there was still enough of the day that was try to get out and enjoy.

What to pack

Mosquito repellant
Sunscreen
Scarf to cover shoulders if visiting temples
Loose, light layers
Hat, swimmers, sunglasses, goggles
Comfortable walking shoes

What to wear

The Thai people tend to dress quite conservatively. Tourists can wear shorts and tanks tops, but avoid showing too much skin when you’re not at the hotel. If you’re visiting a temple, wear pants or a skirt that covers your knees. Some temples will also require shoulders being covered.

Food and Water in Thailand

Take care when eating and drinking water in Thailand. Do not drink water from anywhere other than a sealed bottle in Thailand, or drink anything that comes with ice. Do not eat fresh fruit and salads as they have been washed in tap water. You could get seriously sick if you do. Only eat cooked food and fruit that you can peel yourself.

Money in Thailand

1AUD is about equal to 30THB. A plate of Thai food at a local restaurant will cost about 50-60THB.

Getting around

Common forms of transport

Red buses: We caught one and it cost 40THB for the three of us. It’s basically a small bus with the back area wide open. Please jump on and off when they need to.
Tuk-tuk: Around 100THB for a short distance. Ask for the cost in advance and wedge kids in the middle, tight.
Taxi: Arrange the amount in advance. Call for a taxi from hotels.
Hire car and driver: We hired a car and driver to take us to Old Phuket Town and Big Buddha. It was quite pricey, at 700THB an hour, with a minimum of three hours plus the fourth hour for free.

What to do and see in Phuket

Phuket attractions

From Old Phuket Town to the Big Buddha and beautiful Wat Suwan Khiri Khet temple, there’s plenty to see and do in Phuket if you get sick of swimming at the beach!

Read more about our favourite attractions and things to do in Phuket here.

Phuket Day Trips

We took a magnificent day trip to Phang Nga Bay, also known as the James Bond Island tour.

Read more about our Phang Nga Bay tour here.

Other popular day trips include Phi Phi Islands with Maya Bay and Monkey Beach, Similan Islands, Coral Islands, Racha Islands, Khao Lak, Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi.

Phuket with kids

Phuket is an excellent choice for a family holiday. We highly enjoyed our vacation here with our daughter, who was five years old at the time.

Tips for visiting Phuket with kids

Most hotels are family-friendly, so it’s not hard to find a resort with beautiful pools and catering to families. Check out the hotels above as a starting guide.

What to look for: pools with slides or shallow ends, kids’ club, kids’ meals, family activities and a safe location away from nightlife.

Most upmarket resorts will offer western food on the property, making it easy for families with picky kids to make sure they still eat something if they won’t want to try the local cuisine.

Pick up sand toys for a few dollars from cheap stores near the beaches and use them both at the resorts as well as in the sand. We got endless hours of amusement for about $2 AUD.

Leave the resort! It can be so easy to just stay inside the property and relax – and never leave the resort. I get it. Travelling in a foreign country with kids can be daunting. However, kids will love seeing what local life looks like in Thailand.

My best memory of our Phuket stay was when we visited Wat Suwan Khiri Khet temple in Karon and my daughter struck up a friendship with the local monks over their pet chickens, despite neither party being able to speak the other’s language. It’s moments like this that really make travel memories special for us.

Read more about things to do in Phuket with kids here.

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