Fun

Muay Thai is Thailand’s national sport.

Thai kickboxing wasn’t on my radar prior to our trip, but after a couple weeks in Thailand and seeing adverts for Muay Thai events just about everywhere it was beginning to look like a fun family team building activity that we could all do together.

In Railay I watched an 11 year old and his father have a great time during a practice session and I was sold.

I spent a while searching for a place to do Muay Thai with tour small children and came up short-handed.

Internet searches for “kid friendly” and “Muay Thai” were not very productive. I emailed places in Phuket and Bangkok but most were very vague about age restrictions, cost and whether or not they would train our family together.

Muay Thai is fun for the entire family

We were lucky to happen upon the Lanta Sports Resort Muay Thai complex in Koh Lanta while riding our mopeds around the island in search of an apartment to rent for the week.

The complex itself is hidden down a dirt road with only the tiniest sign marking its presence.  You would never know that it was a renowned Muay Thai center if you weren’t looking. The road is difficult to navigate on a moped but if you hang in there you will be welcomed by what may be the finest Muay Thai complex in all of Thailand, and it just so happens to have a fabulous kids program.

After speaking with reception we were able to negotiate a great deal that included a huge, airy pool side room with our own kitchen and 3 days of Muay Thai kickboxing for the family at an exceptional rate.

The information regarding the kickboxing itself is lacking and almost everyone who comes to take a class (including the guests at the sport resort) have a confused look on their faces. Like many places in Thailand there were no set times or schedules posted and it seemed like even training times could be negotiated to fit your needs. Many of the trainers speak little English and the girls in the office inside were well-intentioned but it was hard to get a straight answer.

That being said, it is pretty straightforward if you are determined to figure out what is going on. You can book private training or join a group session. Group sessions run from 8-10 am and the beginners session are at 10 am. They have a dedicated kids class in the afternoon at 3 pm.

The first day we took a class together at 10 am which was a blast. The next several days we split up, where I trained in the morning and the kids would take the afternoon class. The kids really enjoyed training with all the other children.

Why to consider Lanta Sports Resort for Family Muay Thai Training

There may be other places to take Muay Thai classes in Thailand but I never found one quite as nice and quite so child friendly. The grounds are impeccable and the trainers are gentle and work well with children.

The cost for a kids training session is 300 THB or roughly $9, the adult session is $12 per adult per 1 hour session. If you stay at the resort 2 sessions per day are included in the price and like I said, it is a wonderful resort. It is not on the beach, but it is a short walk to the beach which is just accross the street.

The staff at reception are not the warmest but they get the job done. When I asked them why they didn’t advertise their resort they looked at me like I was crazy. The truth is that this resort is extremely popular and beloved by the local Swedes who come here by the hoards during their winter season. If you arrive in January-March like we did you will realize very quickly that most of Koh Lanta is a German and Swedish hot spot. They love their Muay Thai and so do their kids who heavily populate the 3 pm class. If you are booking after the first week in February you better make reservations well in advance. Especially if you want one of the cheaper rooms.

You can check the latest prices at the Lanta Sports complex on Agoda or consider booking as well at the White Flower Apartments. We stayed here after we left the sports complex and it is a great value.  Again, book early if you can.

Koh Lanta Kickboxing

Also, if you are wondering if taking your kids to a kickboxing event is appropriate? My answer is yes, consider staying up late one night an attending one of the evening competitions that is put on my the sports complex. We had a great time!

After 1 week in Bali our family was craving an ideal location for surf and fun with the kids.  We happened upon Balian Beach after changing plans to avoid the overpriced Gilis.

Here is What we Wanted

  • Great beginner/intermediate surfing right outside our door (check)
  • Surfboards to hire/rent (check)
  • A nice pool for the kids (check)
  • very close to the beach (check)
  • A spacious room (big check)

We found it all (and more) at Pondok Pitaya on Balian beach.

Although the surf was a bit bigger than I would have liked while were there, everything about Balian beach and Pondok Pitaya was perfect.

They had babysitting, yoga, message, wonderful surfing, surfing lessons, board rentals, good food, a great atmosphere and lots of vacationing families.

We stayed there for 5 days and 6 nights

The afternoon wind could be strong, but the morning and early evenings were perfect. The surf favors a 5-6 food swell with a mid to high tide. It can go from perfect to quite big overnight and is a bit fickle. There are strong rips and a rocky bottom so it is not great for surfing with small children.

The cost of a driver to Balian Beach from the East Coast of Sanur was 400,000 Indonesian Rupiah… About $35 US.

Surfboard rentals are right next to the hotel and should be no more than 50,000.  There were boards of all sizes in mediocre condition for rent.

You can get lessons from a great instructor for about $35 US.

The message and yoga options are large and varied, on-site they are more expensive than you will find in the bigger cities.

The accommodations are unique and very, I call them super bungalows.

You are right on the beach and you can see the surf from your bed.

Tide shifts are huge and there is a very strong rip so again be forewarned.

Prices on Bookings.com tend to be the best. Pondok Pitaya on Bookings.

You may also want to double check on Agoda to find the best price. Pondok Pitaya on Agoda

We made Plettenberg Bay our 5’th stop on our 5 week tour of South Africa adventure:  Cape Town → Hermanus  → Oudtshoorn →  Wilderness  →   then here at Plettenberg Bay.

Plettenberg Bay is a perfect stop for families. It has nice family beaches, a quaint downtown, reasonably price accommodations (on the off season at least) and great activities for adults and kids alike.

Breakdown of costs for 3 nights and 3 full days for a family of 4 in Plettenberg Bay

  • Accommodations –  $226  for 3 nights in a 4 star B&B (we splurged)
  • Excursions – $110
  • Groceries – $41 (lasting 4 days)
  • Eating out – $36

Total cost:  $413

Things to do with families in Plettenberg Bay

All the guidebooks and the millions of pamphlets that populate the walls of every public enterprise around South Africa will lead you to three places:

  1. Birds of Eden
  2. Tenikwa
  3. Monkeyland

Surprisingly, I enjoyed these place in this order, completely the opposite of what I thought heading into our journey.

Birds of Eden

Birds of Eden – This place was a delight,honestly amazing! Walking into the dome you will definitely feel like you are a tribute in the hunger games. That is where the parallels end, well except for the talking birds of course.

This can be done on the same day as Monkeyland, although we did this second and by the end our kids were tired and wanting to be carried.  We had some great food and played with the adventurous birds during our mealtime.

Tenikwa

Tenikwa – I would say this was right on par with Monkeyland. The only reason I am ranking it third here is because this might be the only place in the world you can interact one on one with Cheetahs, Servile’s and African wildcats. Our kids loved it and so did we.

There are two options for small children. You cannot take kids under the age of 16 on the morning and evening cat walks (the cats will want to eat them) so you can do the 1 hour standard tour or you can do the 2 hour children focused learning tour. We opted for the 1 hour tour because in our experience this is about right at the point our 4 year old starts to lose focus. If you have kids 6 and up I would do the 2 hour tour. Make sure you book in advance.

Monkeyland

Monkeyland – Just one hour like Tenikwa but it will be a memorable one. Interact (but don’t touch) the monkeys. We loved the spider monkeys and all it was very educational. Neat being in the enclosure right along with the monkeys.

I would recommend doing this first then going over and checking out the Birds of Eden which is self guided and can be enjoyed att an easy going pace.

Where to Stay with Kids in Plettenberg Bay

Swallow’s Nest: We ended up at a B&B ran by a Dutch couple and their son. We talked them down to 700 rand a night for a really nice 2 bedroom cottage overlooking the entire bay. They had a good internet connection a small pool (that was too cold for the kids unfortunately) and the best part…. The most amazing breakfast I have ever had.

Honestly I would probably recommend the beach-side backpackers just because their location is a bit better and it is probably a bit more budget friendly for families but this breakfast was so good I may actually consider going back someday for that alone.

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Eat:

We made breakfast our one big meal and prepared sandwiches and the like at home for the rest of the time. But there are tons of quaint small restaurants in town that can be enjoyed, there is a nice big grocery store in the center of town which we used to buy our food.