Thailand with a 4 y/o and 1 y/o

My husband and I will be going to Thailand in Feb/March for 4 1/2 weeks. We plan to start our vacation out in Chiang Mai and venture on from there - possibly Chaing Rai and then we want to head south to Krabi - if anyone has any accomodation suggestions, I would love to hear from you. Also, my husband will be working in Vietnam (all over) for the last 10 days of our trip and I want to find a place on the beach with my 2 children while he's away. I was thinking Koh Samui or stay in the Krabi/Phuket area - would enjoy any feedback. I'm wanting a hotel that has babysitting services so I can have a breather now and then and also don't want to be paying $200/night.

Thank you.

For Chiang Mai I'd recommend Chiang Dao Nest, it's out of the city but offers great countryside and the owners make an effort for families - They offer airport transfers and can advise on local trips/things to do and see for families.

For that beach, I'd suggest Kho Lanta.

Take a look at Travelfish.org for reviews of both of these suggestions, and I've PM'd you a website with Thailand Family specific advice.

Hi. I've traveled all around SE Asia with my kids. You'll love it.

The best beach area for kids in Thailand is Railay in Krabi Province (Sunrise Tropical Resort is good). My 2nd favorite is Bophut on Samui (World Resort is great and very good value). Neither of these places are "resorts" but nice hotels with swimming pools and breakfast included.

Good luck!

David Robert Hogg,
My Little Nomads - the travel with kids website

In Chiang Mai, my preference would be to stay within the old city walls. It's a LOT quieter traffic-wise, which is a consideration with kids the age of yours. TONS of really great food and restaurant options there too. We treated ourselves to a nicer hotel than usual for a few days there -- it may be out of your price range but it was absolutely fabulous. It was called Tamarind Village. In Chiang Rai we stayed at a place called Laluna. It was a bit out of the way and the rooms were a bit dark but quite clean (they were dark because the windows were tinted); but the major draw at that hotel was the absolutely spectacular swimming pool. Your kids will LOVE that pool. For the Krabi area, I would second the recommendation of Koh Lanta and I would stay in Long Beach (Khlong Dao). It's ideal for families. Our hotel was quite nice but wasn't the kind of place that offered babysitting so I don't have any ideas for you there -- but the whole stretch of Khlong Dao has a number of upmarket-type places that could very well offer some babysitting. Enjoy, I wish it was me returning!!!