If you on the hunt for a great family-friendly holiday in Thailand then make sure you put The Slate Phuket on your short list! We’ve stayed there twice now as a family and it has far exceeded our expectations both times!
The Slate Phuket is a five-star boutique resort located on Nai Yang beach, a quiet area of northwestern Phuket just 10 minutes from the airport.
The hotel pays tribute to Phuket’s tin mining history in its design which is so unique!
Rooms
The resort is made up of 184 suites and villas ranging from 56 to 1,000 square metres so every room offers ample space for a family. We stayed in their entry level room, the D-Buk suite which is a large 76 square metre room featuring a king bed plus a double sized curtained Day bed area which can be converted into a bed for the children.
There is a huge walk-in wardrobe area in the suite. We have heard of parents staying with babies and toddlers to utilize the area for the child’s cot.
The majority of the D-Buk suites can be found on the ground floor however a few are located on the first floor. The ground floor suites have two patio areas and the first floor two balconies. If you are travelling with young children or those who like to climb I strongly suggest requesting a room on the ground floor as the balcony railings are wide enough for a child to crawl through and low enough for them to climb over.
Children under 7 can stay free of charge. Those aged 7 – 14 years have to pay an additional supplement of 1,177 THB per day which includes breakfast. Infant cots are provided free of charge.
Pools
There are 3 pools at The Slate with one dedicated to families and the other two adults only. The family pool is beautifully designed with beach access and a waterfall. The only thing is there is a lot of foliage around the pool so you can never get a clear line of sight from where ever you sit so you need to keep a close eye on unconfident swimmers.
There is a small paddling pool suitable for babies and toddlers.
There is a good amount of sun loungers around the pool and chilled water is provided. Food and drink can be ordered from The Underground Cafe from the comfort of your sunlounger.
Kids Club
The Tin Box Kids Club is open daily 9am – 12pm & 1pm – 5pm and caters for children aged 4 – 12 years. Children under 4 years must be accompanied by a babysitter or guardian. There is a small playground located next to the club.
The kids club offers a jam-packed timetable throughout the day. The morning starts with a simple beach activity such as scavenger hunt or seashell collecting. This is followed by movie time for younger children whereas those over 7 years can partake in water sports (weather permitting) such as kayaking or paddleboarding. After which kids can try their hand at Muay Thai Boxing, Yoga Thai Chi or Aerobics in the fitness centre.
After lunch, it’s time to get crafty with a range of activities such as gel candle making, Batik Painting, Tie Dye T-shirts and Rainbow in a bottle. I found the craft activities to be of really good quality, in other resorts we have stayed at these activities have always attracted an additional charge whereas at The Slate they are free. It’s lovely for the kids to have a lasting memento of their trip to bring away with them.
A big hit was the afternoon pool activities. Every other day you walk on water at the family pool with Zorb Balls. The kids loved them!
One activity not to be missed was the daily cooking school at Moo’s Kitchen. Again this was free but had to booked in advance the day before. The kids got to make pizza, cookies, spring rolls, sushi, jam tarts and apple doughnuts. On days where the item had to be cooked, they were treated to testing all the different ice cream flavours the hotel has to offer.
Between 5pm – 5.45pm there are family team games to be enjoyed such as Football, Volleyball, Badminton, Croquet and Archery.
Restaurants
There are eight restaurants and bars at The Slate Phuket. Breakfast and dinner are served daily at The Tin Mine. The breakfast buffet is up there as one of my favourite hotel breakfasts! There is so much variety!
The kids menu at The Slate is expansive, the fussiest eater is bound to find something on there that they love! There are western favourites such as Burgers, pizza, pasta and quesadillas to a couple of Asian dishes like chicken and wonton noodle soup and shrimp and vegetable fried rice.
Our favourite spot for lunch was the Tongkah Tine Syndicate which opens from 2pm. Ordinarily, that would be too late for our lunchtime but after such a huge breakfast we weren’t hungry any earlier! Here you can enjoy a game of pool or snooker and feast upon Asian tapas, pizzas or burgers.
We also enjoyed The Underground Cafe at The Slate Phuket which is located next to the family pool.
Other dining options include Rebar which is fantastic for cocktails and is located above Rivet which serves Japanese cuisine.
Black Ginger is the resort’s signature restaurant and is voted as one of the best restaurants in Phuket. To get there you need to take a journey across a lake on a pontoon that is pulled along a rope.
Image credit: Tripadvisor
If you fancy kid-free evening on Wednesdays and Saturdays the hotel runs a kids club between 6.30pm – 8.30pm which is complimentary and allows you to dine in one of the hotel’s restaurants whilst the kids are taken care of.
We preferred to dine out in the evening at one of the beach restaurants which are located a short stroll from the back entrance of the hotel. There are heaps of options but our favourite is Phen’s Cafe and Restaurant. The food and the service were fantastic and it was so nice to dine with your feet in the sand.
We loved our visit to The Slate Phuket and can’t wait to return! It’s definitely a resort that the whole family will enjoy as kids of all ages are well catered for.
The Slate Phuket Review – for more information visit https://slate.quo-digital.com
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After spending 11 years in London working in the television industry for the BBC, Jennie McNichol made the move to Perth in 2010. As the Co-Founder and Editor of Buggybuddys, she has been able to use her experience and passion for helping families to create a trusted online resource for parents across Perth.
Jennie is the proud mother of two daughters, aged 14 & 12 and is a big advocate of the family-friendly lifestyle that Perth has to offer.
