Staying at the Holiday Inn Mai Khao Beach – The Best Family Resort in Phuket

Family-friendly paradise in Phuket? I promise it exists. I’ve been to Phuket many times over the past decade, and repeatedly been disappointed with the beaches and the hotels. But then I found the Holiday Inn Mai Khao Resort, which in my opinion, is easily the best family resort in Phuket.

The Best Family Resort in Phuket?

It’s quite a big accolade to give a hotel – but the Holiday Inn Mai Khao is definitely deserving. From its huge expansive beach, to brilliant family-friendly swimming pools. I could have easily spent two weeks here.

In this guide, I’ll detail some of the best things about the Holiday Inn and why it’s great for families. I’ll also share some of the best things to do near Mai Khao beach for all the family.

Mai Khao: Paradise in Phuket

Firstly, the beach. Just wow. It blew me away. I think it might one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to in the world. The beach stretched for miles into the distance and there was no-one else around during my early morning walk. I actually arrived after sunset so couldn’t really get an idea of the beach. Such a surprise and so wonderful!

Mai Khao is exactly as I imagined Phuket to be 20 years ago. Golden, silky soft sand sloping gently into warm calm waters, and backed by pine forest. And it’s set within the Sirinat National Park. No rocks, no coral, no rubbish, no bins, no beach huts, no umbrellas, no shops, no stands, no nothing! All other hotels are set back from the beach, so you can’t see them in any direction.

Getting to the hotel

The Holiday Inn Mai Khao Beach Resort is just 15 minutes or so north of Phuket International Airport. The transfer is really quick, and I truly marvelled at how such a beautiful beach could be so convenient. Some of the other major beach areas in Phuket are more than an hour’s drive from the airport, and are far less nice.

The rooms

Waking up each morning at this resort was a dream. I could see the sea between the towering trees from our gorgeous room located at the front of the hotel. It glistened blue in the early morning light, quite magical.

There’s a really great variety of rooms at the Holiday Inn Mai Khao, covering all family sizes and needs. Some of the rooms on ground level provide direct access to the huge swimming pool that snakes its way and the resort.

The room on the upper levels, particularly those at the front, offer spectacular views.

Activities for kids

The Holiday Inn Mai Khao is a fantastic kid-oriented resort. There’s a huge number of outdoor activities in and around the resort, from cooking classes, muay Thai classes, towel folding, watersports, bicycle tours and games afternoons.

Tours outside the hotel are easily arranged too, such as white-water rafting, the elephant sanctuary or to central Phuket.

For younger guests, aged 4 to 12, the hotel offers a super cool ‘hotelier’s programme where kids can get behind the scenes of the hotels’ inner locations. They get to meet the staff and have some ‘hands-on’ experience helping to run the hotel!

Holiday Inn Resort Mai Khao – The Best Family Resort in Phuket

So that’s my quick guide covering why this is the best family resort in Phuket. Enjoying a stay in this tropical getaway is the trip of dreams. Mai Khao is one of the least developed areas in Phuket, and in Southern Thailand. The blissful crowd-free beach stretches on for miles in every direction – it’s a true Thai paradise.

Why not check rates for the Holiday Inn Resort Mai Khao here?

If you’ve enjoyed this post, feel free to share using the below links. Do let me know if you have any questions too and I’ll be happy to help. If you’re thinking of visiting the Phi Phi Islands too whilst in Thailand, don’t forget to check my guide on this here!

If you’re looking for other beach destination guides in South East Asia, please do check out some of my other posts. I have several guides on Bali, including the best beach clubs to visit in Bali and the best beaches in Uluwatu. I’ve also written a complete guide to the beach towns in beautiful Sri Lanka too and a guide to Boracay in the Philippines too, both two other destinations I really love.

Wanna see more? Check my Instagram here, my Facebook here or my Twitter here!

Disclaimer: This visit to the Mai Khao beach in Thailand was entirely paid for by myself. There was no involvement from the tourism board or the hotel. This is an independent guide.

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