Flight Review: Bangkok to Koh Samui (40 mins to 1 hour)

I couldn't book us on to the direct flight from HKG to Koh Samui so we went indirect via Bangkok.  The only benefit to this was that we cleared immigration in Bangkok and avoided the often lengthy queues at Koh Samui.

Despite the long walk between gates, I do love Bangkok Airways.  Anyone flying with them gets access to their lounge which has loads of free food, newspapers and computer terminals.  I think they might be the only airline to provide this and it's great for kids.

Outbound we were on one of their little propellor planes (1 hour) and inbound on a jet (40 mins).  They serve a meal on both legs and the staff are very friendly.  On the jet there are tvs that hang down from the ceiling but on the propellor there's nothing so make sure you bring an activity for your kids.

We were able to bring our buggy direct to the gate and I kept my baby in the Baby Bjorn for the duration of the flight.

I have also just signed us up for their Frequent Flyer programme which I wish I'd done years ago!

Immigration, HK Airport & a new baby

For HK Residents, I believe (although not 100% sure) kids have to be around 11 to get an ID card.  Therefore if you are traveling with your little ones, gone are the days when you can jetset through the electronic immigration aisle.
You will now have to queue in the HK Resident channel (although there never seems to be a massive queue here) and if you look really harassed and have a screaming baby they may usher you through the Diplomat Channel if there's nobody there.
My 3 month old baby does not have her visa yet in her passport.  I have her visa on a loose bit of paper (note to self, must not lose this!) and I always travel with a copy of her birth certificate.  I have had a bit of bother the last few times I've been in and out of HK as they take their time looking at the visa paper and questioning the passport.  So it's better to be prepared with the birth certificate and never forget your own HK ID card!

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport - aka the marathon airport

If you are transiting through Bangkok's International airport then make sure you leave plenty of time to catch your connecting flight.  I swear it took about 45 minutes to depart our plane, pick up new tickets from the Bangkok Airways transit desk and then walk the ten thousand miles to the domestic flight gates!  Be sure to keep your stroller and not check it all the way through to your final destination as you will need it.  And you can stick toddlers on the luggage trolley for a nice ride!

The never ending walkways....

Flight Review: Cathay HK to Bangkok

We've just come back from a fantastic villa trip with a group of families to Koh Samui.  More on that later as I thoroughly recommend the villa company we used.

Unfortunately as it was Chinese New Year, I couldn't get us on to the direct Bangkok Airways flights so we flew via Bangkok.

As the flight was 9am, we decided to use the In Town check in the day before so that we could leave a little later the next morning.  Thank goodness we did this as a few hours later my other half developed gastro and was pretty much useless for the next 24 hours.

The plane was one of Cathay's ageing 777s so although it was a bit ropey looking, the seats by the bulkhead were generous.  It was also nice to be sat in a 3 by the window.  Even better was the fact that by total coincidence friends of ours with their children were sat directly behind us.

The skycot was pretty big so the baby was happy and Daisy and her friend played happily for 2 hours underneath the skycot.  As always, the Cathay staff were friendly and helpful.  Cathay will always provide a nappy pack including nappy, nappy sack, Mustela cream and a kids pack.  We were able to take the buggy straight to the plane and then it was waiting for us as we got off at Bangkok.

Book your child's meal on plane

Just a quick post this one - always remember to check you've booked your kids meal for the plane.  I've forgotten a few times and of course my darling greedy toddler will happily chow down on anything but it's safe to say the typical kids meal of nuggets, chips and chocolate milk is better than an adult one!

Packing for toddler and baby for 3 hour flight

I recently flew from Hong Kong to Phuket on Dragon Air.  I hadn't flown Dragon Air for ages and made the assumption the plane would be a bit worn around the edges (correct!) and no seat back tvs (correct!).  I packed the following for my toddler and 10 week old baby

BABY (10 weeks old)
2 sterilised bottles with boiled water (security were fine with this)
1 empty sterilised bottle
3 powder feeds in formula container
3 cartons of Aptamil (again security were fine with this)
2 bibs
1 change of clothes
Nappy kit containing 6 nappies, wipes and nappy sacks
Blanket
Lamaze toy (we were given a bassinet and I attached it to the side so she could stare at it happily)

TODDLER (2.8 years old)
2 nappies (she's potty trained but I find it easier to stick her in nappy on plane)
1 pair knickers
Teddy that goes everywhere
Sticker book (see previous post)
DVD player and DVDs
Snack
Calpol

Villa vs. hotel

If you are lucky enough to be contemplating this debate (I wish I was right now!) then I would say they both have pros and cons depending on size of group and type of holiday you're going for.
I've stayed in private villas in Thailand and Bali and because I was part of a bigger group, it actually worked out a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel.

If I was going away with my family, I think I would prefer to stay in a hotel, take advantage of all the facilities and have the buzz of other families around us.

If I was going in a bigger group, a villa is definitely the way forward.  You can let kids have their midday naps whilst you hang out by the pool, have use of a kitchen, leave all your kid stuff lying around the villa for when they need it, stick them in front of the tv when they're bored.....

We have been to numerous villas in Koh Samui, Thailand over the last few years and always use:

www.samuivillasandhomes.com

You can select either Signature villas which come fully staffed or their (still fantastic) Boutique villas but add on chef etc.

For Bali I have used

www.balivillas.com

You can get some incredible villa deals including chef, driver, maid, babysitter especially in Bali.  Hmmm, it's making me want to get booking my next trip away!

Flight Review: Dragon Air HK to Phuket (3 hours)

We have just come back from our winter holidays to Phuket where we rented a villa with family from the UK. Dragon Air sent us a text 24 hours before our flight asking us to check in at least 3 hours in advance given the huge anticipated traffic at HK Airport.  As that would mean waking up even earlier we decided the smart thing would be to check in the night before at HK's In Town Check In at IFC Mall.  Very wise move, we got the seats we wanted, checked in all our luggage so in Friday we could relax and take our time to the airport.

Positives:
All in all a decent flight with good service.  We were able to take the buggy up to the gate and then given family priority boarding.
We were assigned the bulkhead and they also provided the bassinet for my 10 week old.  She was already filling it out quite nicely so not sure how you would put a bigger baby in there!

Negatives:
The Airbus plane felt very old & worn and... there were no tvs on the back of seats!  Luckily we had brought our trusty DVD player to entertain the toddler.
Also I forgot to book my toddler a children's meal, I must remember to do that for the next flight we go on!
We were also delayed by an hour on the return leg although this is something you can't account for.  On the upside, Dragon Air are excellent at notifying you about this so we were able to spend longer in the villa.

Sticker books

I've recently done a couple of flights with my toddler and I absolutely love these sticker books.  You can keep them as a surprise for the plane journey and I guarantee you at least 15 minutes of peace and quiet.  You can buy them for less than 3 pounds on Amazon - bargain!

Coping with jetlag

Jetlag is no fun for anyone.  I've actually found that my toddler seems to be much better at handling it than I am!  On our last few visits back and forth to the US and UK she's adapted within the first few days.  My tips on this are:

• Let them do whatever they want to do on the flight, there's no point trying to force sleep on a toddler. After a few hours of tv and plane food she's normally well on her way to sleep in a darkened cabin
• As soon as you get to your destination, immediately stick them on local time.  
• If I arrive early in the morning, I would still let my toddler have a lunchtime nap but wake her after 2 hours and put her to bed closer to 8-9pm
• My dad swears by sunlight to help reset your body clock so get outside and have a walk in the fresh air
• Just before bed try some calpol/antihistamine/any drug that may send them off to sleep easier...