The Story of Our Trip to Thailand: Part 2

Change of Plans

In the first part of my story, we were just starting to plan our big family vacation. The original plan was simple: go to Koh Samui, stay at a friend’s house, and keep it easy. But as soon as the rest of the family joined the group, things started to shift. It turns out some of the other family members had a bad experience on Samui before. They also kept saying that Samui is too expensive for a group of 11 people, especially when you look at the price of food and transportation for a crowd that size.

So, we had to find a way to make everyone happy. This was the first time I realized that being the leader of a group of 11 means you have to be flexible. I didn’t mind changing the original plan if it meant the whole family would be smiling. But then, some of the family members suggested a new location: Pattaya.

When I heard that, I opened my eyes wide and thought, "What are they talking about?" Anyone who knows anything about Thailand thinks of Pattaya as the "Sin City." I was confused. What were they thinking, bringing a 5-year-old and an 80-year-old to a place like that? I was worried about the atmosphere and what the kids would see on the streets. It didn't seem to fit our family vibe at all.

Friends' Advice (and why they were wrong)

I started looking around and talking to friends at work. A lot of them have been to Thailand more than a few times, so I thought they would have good advice. Every time I mentioned Pattaya, they gave me a strange look. They asked me, "What have you lost in Pattaya?" and "Why would you take kids there?" They insisted it was not a place for families and told me I was making a mistake.

But I decided to do my own research. I learned something very important: just because someone has been to Thailand a few times, it doesn't mean they know everything about it. People get stuck in their own ideas and only see the surface. I started reading blogs and looking at family travel forums, and I realized that my friends at work were actually wrong. They were looking at Pattaya through an old lens, and they didn't see the new, family-friendly side of the city.

Pattaya for Families

Apparently, there is actually a lot to do in Pattaya with kids and families if you know where to look. It’s not just about the nightlife. There are great, massive hotels with amazing pools, vibrant night markets that are safe for everyone, and modern malls that look like airport terminals. They have some of the best water parks in all of Thailand there, too.

I will tell you later how we actually changed the original plan on-site and decided to go with our whole family to Ramayana Water Park. It was an incredible day - even Grandma and Grandpa were having fun in the pipes with the cooling water! Seeing them enjoy themselves alongside the kids made me realize that Pattaya was the right choice after all.

Above all, I saw that Pattaya was much cheaper than most other places in Thailand, especially compared to the islands. You can get everything there-from a 200-baht foot massage to cool attractions for the kids. I also found out about a great island nearby named Koh Larn. You can take a public ferry for a very small price and enjoy a beautiful beach all day long. (We actually did that, but I will save those details for the third part of our story).

After reading everything I could, we made the choice. We ordered our first hotel in Pattaya: The Amari. It was in a perfect location. It was right near a 7-Eleven store and very close to the Terminal 21 mall and the night market. It’s funny-we don't have 7-Eleven stores in Israel, so for us, 7-Eleven became one of the main attractions of the trip! Everything in our planning started to revolve around "where is the next 7-Eleven?" We became obsessed with the toasted sandwiches and the cheap drinks. I’ll definitely write more about our 7-Eleven journey later.

Building the Trip with Google Sheets

A lot of people told me, "Just go with the flow. Thailand has its own rhythm." But I am not a "go with the flow" kind of guy when I have 11 people counting on me. I don’t like to leave things open. I need to have a plan, especially with my mother’s insulin and the kids' energy levels. I couldn't just land in Bangkok and hope for the best with a group that size.

So, I did what I do best: I started to build a plan in Google Sheets. I needed to see the days, the hours, and the locations all in one place. It made me feel like I was in control of the "nightmare" I thought I had created. Here is what the first part of the sheet looked like:

• Day 1: Arrive in the evening and head straight to the Night Market for our first real Thai meal.

• Day 2: Visit the Sanctuary of Truth-a massive wooden temple-and then spend the afternoon relaxing by the hotel pool.

• Day 3: A full day trip to Koh Larn beach to get our first taste of white sand and blue water.

• Day 4: Nong Nooch Tropical Garden to see the flowers and the shows.

• Day 5: Visiting the Floating Market to see how people sell things from boats.

• Day 6: Saying goodbye to Pattaya and finally heading toward Koh Samui.

The Way to Koh Samui (Day 6)

We didn’t remove Samui from our plan; we just moved it. Now, to get from Pattaya to Samui, there was more than one way to do it. Two of the options involved a long road trip to Surat Thani followed by a slow ferry. That would have taken all day. The other plan was shorter but much more expensive: drive back to Bangkok and take a direct flight to Samui.

Because we were such a large group with elderly parents and young children, we didn’t want to waste a whole day on a hot bus or a boat. We decided to go with the direct flight. This was my next big logistical task: buying tickets for all 11 of us on Bangkok Airways. Since they are the only company that flies directly onto the island, they can be pricey, but for the comfort of the family, it was worth it. The plan was getting better and better. I knew in my mind that some of it might not happen exactly as written, but I still wanted a solid frame for our vacation.

Koh Samui and the Bophut Choice

When I started looking for hotels on Samui, I got a bit lost. There are so many areas. Chaweng and Bophut were the most recommended for families, but as I mentioned before, some of my family had a bad experience in Chaweng years ago. They remembered it being too loud and too crowded.

Because of that, we settled on Bophut. We booked rooms at the Holiday Inn Resort in Fisherman’s Village. The place looked incredible in the pictures, and there were so many good reviews everywhere. My friends at work even recommended it after they stayed there with their own families. We booked the rooms for five nights.

These were the attractions I planned for us on Samui:

• Wednesday Afternoon: Arrive, settle into the hotel, and head to the Fisherman’s Village Night Market. It’s a great market that happens every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

• Day 2: Secret Koh Samui Jeep Tour (to see the jungle and the hidden spots).

• Day 3: Take a boat to Pig Island for some snorkeling and relaxing.

• Day 4: Ziplining through the canopy for the kids (and the brave adults!).

• Day 5: A total day off for relaxing by the pool or the beach.

Bangkok: The Final Days

As the weeks went by, the plan kept getting bigger. We could finally see the "big picture." It was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, something none of us would ever forget. We just needed to plan the three final days in Bangkok, but we weren't in a hurry for that part. We felt like the main plan was ready.

For Bangkok, we booked the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Our plan was to visit the classics: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, ICONSIAM for the luxury vibes, and MBK for the final shopping spree before heading home.

This was how the trip was supposed to happen. I had my Google Sheet, my tickets, and my insulin cooling plan. But, as often happens with big plans, what happened next on the real trip was a little bit different. I will tell you all about that-and the surprises we faced-in the third part of our story.