Krabi or Koh Samui with kids?
Written October 2026
Krabi puts kids on longtail boats under limestone cliffs, with monkeys at the Tiger Cave Temple. Samui puts them in calm, shallow water, with coconut palms, a kids' club and a family duplex close by. Krabi is more of an adventure and Samui more of a beach holiday, and your kids' ages point to one or the other.
With small kids, Koh Samui. The beaches on the north and east coasts are calm and shallow, and the airport is on the island with flights from Bangkok (Krabi's is on the mainland, forty minutes from the beaches). With older kids, Krabi. The cliffs, the islands and the hot springs are a bigger adventure, and the resorts with kids' clubs sit on their own bays under the cliffs.
The coasts have opposite seasons. Krabi is on the Andaman side, dry from November to April. Samui is in the Gulf, dry from about January to August and wettest in November. Go to whichever coast is dry when you can travel.
Krabi, for the cliffs and the boats
Centara Grand Beach Resort Krabi
Krabi
Alone on its own bay under limestone cliffs, which you reach by boat or a cliff path from Ao Nang. With a waterslide and a kids' club that has its own teen zone, there's little reason to leave once you're on the bay.
- Connecting rooms
- No
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra
Krabi
A 400-meter lagoon pool winds through the gardens and does the work of a beach here, on the quiet Klong Muang coast north of Ao Nang. The kids' club does batik and mini chef classes.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort
Krabi
Next to the Sofitel at Klong Muang, on a calmer beach with mangroves through the grounds and a boardwalk for a small kid's walk.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Krabi Hot Springs Wareerak
Krabi
Warm mineral pools beside a river and a hot waterfall, an hour inland with no boat involved. Kids can move between hot, warm and cool pools, and the river is there to cool off in.
Tiger Cave Temple
Krabi
About 1,260 steps go up a limestone peak to a golden Buddha, good for a kid of eight or more who likes a climb, and the macaques at the bottom of the stairs are plenty for younger ones.
- Restroom
- Yes
Koh Samui, for the swimming
Amari Koh Samui
Chaweng, Koh Samui
It sits at the quieter north end of Chaweng, the island's main beach, away from its noise, with a separate kids' pool and a playground. The two-bedroom family duplexes give a family two floors.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resort
Koh Samui, east coast
On a quiet bay on the east coast, with indoor laser tag and a beach club across the road that has four pools and a kids' waterslide.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Nora Beach Resort and Spa Koh Samui
Chaweng, Koh Samui
Family suites and interconnecting villas at the north end of Chaweng, and both pools have a shallow kids' pool of their own.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Anantara Lawana Koh Samui
Chaweng, Koh Samui
The smartest of the four, right on the beach, with family villas that have their own pool. The kids' club takes ages four to twelve and teaches Thai boxing, and there's kids' yoga too.
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Photo credits
Phai Plong Bay, Krabi: Богдан Сбитный (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Klong Muang Beach, Krabi: Stefan Fussan (CC BY-SA 4.0) · A longtail boat off Koh Kwang beach, Krabi: Caitriana Nicholson from 北京 ~ Beijing, 中国 ~ China (CC BY-SA 2.0) · The hot spring waterfall at Khlong Thom, Krabi: ::::=UT=:::: (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Tiger Cave Temple: Stefan Fussan (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui: Thajsko (CC BY 3.0) · Lamai Beach, Koh Samui: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy (CC BY 2.0)