Where better to go
Thailand is a large country where everyone can find their favorite place. Someone goes to the mecca of all digital nomads - surrounded by the mountains of Chiang Mai, someone in the urban Bangkok, but when you have a small child who is just learning to walk, the solution is simple - the sea, sun, and sand. In Thailand there is a choice: the Andaman Sea washes it from the west side and the Gulf of Thailand from the east. It is possible to visit both there and for one's rest to choose two islands from different sides of the Malacca peninsula: a quiet island of Payam near the border with Burma and a local "Goa" - the island of Pangan.
Ko Phayam is a very small (5 by 10 km) quiet island on the west coast of Southern Thailand, close to the Burma border. Beautiful white beaches and cashews jungles bribe with their simplicity and tranquility. There are no cars on the island, as well as pedestrians - just motorbikes, bicycles and an ideal concrete road. The island is positioned as a reggae-island, a kind of Asian Jamaica, so no techno, hip-hop or, God forbid, a Goa trance you will not hear here, only Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry. Frequent islanders are French and German hippies and hangouts with children. Housing - a variety of beach bungalows without a kitchen. There are no ATM exchangers on the island, so you should take a pack of local currency with you. Holiday is mostly beach-based, but it will be enough for you: here on the beach your child will go for the first time independently, try mango, papaya, passion fruit, and a jewel-fruit. Recently there was no permanent electricity or internet on the island, but today it is in the past: electricity is uninterrupted, mobile internet 4g.
Ko Pha-ngan is a quite famous party island near Samui. It is not as calm as Ko Pha-ngan, here you can already find wide roads full of cars and bikers that came to the biggest Asian disco FullmoonParty, huge food courts, and parties for all tastes. But even here you can have a good time with children. To do this, you can rent a nice house with a kitchen and air conditioning near one of the many beaches. In the high season, which is quite difficult to find accommodation, experienced travelers look for and book it in advance at least six months. If you come to the island out of season, it's easier to find your own accommodation. You rent a bungalow for the first time, rent a bike and go to many condominiums in search of accommodation. Luck is sure to smile at you.
Lifehack. You can search for accommodation through Airbnb or Booking, and then go and talk to the owner directly and get a house at a more affordable price.
Tourists with families who are interested in infrastructure and amusement parks should choose Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Hua Hin. Chang Island is another island for a relaxing holiday. And for those who love sparsely populated beaches, you can choose the provinces not yet affected by mass tourism - Ranong, Trang, and Satun.
Housing
For short trips, it is best to choose a comfortable house, hotel room or bungalow in a resort as close to the beach as possible - so that you don't have to go every day or what is worse to go with your child to the sea. If your stay is for a month or more, it is advisable to rent a house with a kitchen where you can cook on your own. Remember that renting a house is much cheaper than renting a house.
If the children are small, it is a great idea to rent a wooden house: it is easier to breathe and the floor is wooden, which means that every fall of the child on his knees or other body parts will be less painful. Also, if the children are young, you should pay attention to the veranda, which is located quite high above the ground, was tightly fenced and had a gate at the exit to the stairs. Then you can safely let the child out for fresh air, without fear that he inadvertently fall from the height. Apart from the danger, there are pluses in the altitude above the ground: local rams and other tropical animals will be harder to get to you.
In Thailand, street laundries are very common. Right outside are washing machines and dryers, where you can wash up to 10 kg of laundry for $0.5-2. Mobile internet is almost everywhere 4G, local SIM card with unlimited internet costs about $10, each cafe has a good wi-fi, there will be no communication problems.
to be continued in the next part...