Posts
Travelling to Phuket with my children was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I wanted a holiday that felt peaceful, affordable and full of culture — and Phuket delivered all of that and more. This itinerary includes everything we actually did, what we spent, and what I recommend for other families, especially mums travelling with kids.
Before you plan your stay, make sure to read my Novotel Phuket Review. I shared everything — real prices, food options, kids’ activities and honest pros & cons:
📍 Where We Stayed
We stayed at Novotel Phuket, a family-friendly hotel with a big pool, kids areas, clean rooms and easy access to shops, 7-Eleven, massage places and food stalls.
👉 Watch my full Novotel vlog on TikTok: “See my room, pool, food and full experience.”
🗓️ Day 1: Arrival, Settling In & Pool Time
After a long flight, we took the first day slow. We checked into the hotel, explored the pool area and grabbed snacks from 7-Eleven:
- Toasties (75 THB)
- Fruit drinks
- Water + snacks for the kids
💸 Budget: £3–£5
🗓️ Day 2: Beach Morning & Local Cheap Food
Phuket beaches are beautiful and free. We spent the morning relaxing by the water and taking photos.
For lunch, we tried local food stalls:
- Chips: 100 THB
- Fresh fruit bowls: 50–80 THB
- Banana + chocolate roti: 60 THB
- Spring rolls with glass noodles (very tasty + sauce): 10 THB
💸 Budget: £5–£7
🗓️ Day 3: Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
This was the highlight of our entire trip. We visited an ethical elephant sanctuary where the elephants are rescued, healed and cared for with love. No riding, no chains — just freedom and food.
My kids fed the elephants, learned their rescue stories and felt completely safe. The staff even gave us free jungle bananas and drinks.
💸 Price: £19 (instead of £90–£139 using the Look For Great Savings app)
👉 Watch my Elephant Sanctuary vlog on TikTok: “See the elephants we fed, the sanctuary environment and what the day actually looks like.”
🗓️ Day 4: Waterpark Day (Budget-Friendly)
We visited a family-friendly waterpark — another big win with the kids.
💸 Price: £9 using app discounts (instead of £50–£100)
Bring snacks and water to save money.
🗓️ Day 5: Street Food, Relaxation & Market Exploring
On Day 5 we explored more local stalls:
- Fruit stalls (very fresh + cheap)
- Sandwiches: 110 THB
- Iced coffee: 45–80 THB
- More spring rolls because the kids loved them
This day is perfect for relaxing, swimming and recovering from activities.
🗓️ Day 6: Kamala Night Market (MUST DO)
This was one of the most exciting evenings on our trip. Kamala Night Market is lively, colourful and full of food, toys, clothes and souvenirs.
Transport was very affordable using Grab:
- Novotel Phuket ➝ Kamala Market: 200 THB
- Kamala Market ➝ Novotel Phuket: 215 THB
💸 Total for the round trip: 300 THB (£6.50)
Food we tried at the market:
- Fresh fruit bowls
- Roti
- Grilled meat skewers (10–20 THB each)
- Spring rolls (10 THB)
- And my son tried crocodile! He genuinely liked it — such a fun and memorable moment.
Markets in Phuket are safe for families, and this is a must-do activity.
🗓️ Day 7: Slow Day, Pool Time & Last-Minute Shopping
On our final day, we kept things easy:
- Pool time
- Beach walk
- Last souvenirs
- Quick 7-Eleven meals
💸 Budget: £4–£6
On our final day, me and my daughter also visited the hotel’s Kids Stay & Play Centre, which was honestly one of the best parts of the trip for her. The centre is fully equipped with a PlayStation area, books, soft toys, pretend kitchen sets, slides and creative play activities. The staff were extremely friendly and gentle with the children, offering things like face painting and supervised games throughout the day.
What I loved most is that the centre is run by qualified staff with first-aid training, so parents can relax knowing their little ones are safe. You can even leave your children there for supervised play if you need a moment to unwind or enjoy other parts of the hotel. It’s such a great service and makes Novotel even more family-friendly.
💸 Total Weekly Spend (Including Markets + Snacks + Transport)
For myself, a teenager and a one-year-old, our full 7-day spend came to around:
£300 total
This included:
- Street food
- 3-meals-a-day budget plan
- Markets
- Waterpark
- Elephant sanctuary
- All Grab transport
🍗 Affordable Food Options in Phuket (KFC on Grab App)
One thing that really surprised me in Phuket was how affordable some food options were when ordering through the Grab app (their version of Uber Eats). If you're travelling with kids or just want something quick and familiar, KFC on Grab is really budget-friendly and so convenient.
Here are some real examples of the prices I saw and paid during my stay:
- Value Meal #2: 129 THB (fried chicken, fries and Pepsi)
- Zinger Burger Combo: 139 THB
- Chicken Delight Box: 269 THB
- Chick ’N’ Roll Wrap: 55 THB
- Grab Snack Bucket (promo): 199 THB — includes fried chicken, nuggets, fries and sides.
- Koom Sure Bucket: 229 THB — large bucket of chicken for sharing.
For context, 129–199 THB is roughly £2.80–£4.50 in the UK, which is extremely affordable compared to UK fast-food prices. This made it easy to keep food costs down on days when we were out exploring or too tired to sit in a restaurant.
The Grab app is also easy to use, safe, and delivers directly to most hotels, including Novotel. I highly recommend downloading it if you’re travelling with kids — it saved us more than once!
📹 Watch My TikTok Vlogs for More Details
👉 Elephant Sanctuary vlog 👉 Novotel Phuket stay vlog 👉 Phuket food prices 👉 Phuket budgeting tips 👉 Night market clips
Follow me on TikTok for more travel tips, mum hacks and real-life budgeting.
Connect with me
🌐 Blog: ClaudiaLifestyleBlog.com
📸 TikTok | Instagram | Pinterest
Facebook community Women Who Move
📩 1:1 Coaching Email:
claudiadimes2020@gmail.com
