A family getaway to the tropics is meant to be a relaxing affair, so the last thing you’d want to do is to spend your precious vacation hours worrying about the needs of your little ones. But with some smart travel planning, you won’t have to deal with these holiday blues.

It starts with refining your accommodation search – you need to sieve out vacation rentals that tick all the right boxes when it comes to being child-friendly. If you’re not quite sure about the family-friendly features you need to keep an eye out for, have a look at our family essentials checklist below:

The absolute essentials:

For families travelling with babies:

• cots
• high chairs
• car seats

For families travelling with young children:

• Kids’ bedroom: These rooms usually come fitted with bunk beds.
• Kids’ bedroom attached to the master bedroom: Offers a convenient sleeping arrangement for parents with young children. Bathrooms may be shared or separate.
• Toys and books
• Babysitting services: May be available at an additional cost or free-of-charge depending on the villa.
• Plastic cutlery
• Enclosed living area

Safety features:

• Pool fence
• Pond fence
• Stair gates
• Closed stairway

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The nice-to-haves:

Services

• Daily breakfast provided: Rounding up the entire family for a breakfast meal outdoors can be a hassle – especially when you’ve got to wrestle the young ones out of bed. With an in-house chef you’ll jump right out of bed, to a table filled with decadent breakfast treats. Yummy!
• In-house chef: In the mood for lounging indoors all day? Here’s where it comes in handy to have a personal chef whip up an array of local and international dishes.
• Laundry services: No more worrying about stains or splatters – you’ll get your clothes the next day sparkling clean and smelling good.
• Car & driver included with stay: A car and driver (8 hours per day) are included with stay at certain villas. If the villa you’ve got your eye on doesn’t come with this service, don’t worry – your villa manager will be able to help you with hiring a private driver.

Facilities:

• Shallow pool / Wading pool
• Entertainment room: Amenities in entertainment rooms differ across villas. Examples of entertainment facilities that such rooms come equipped with include media equipment (TV sets, DVD players), billiard table, a miniature library, indoor bar and board games.

Others:

• Central location: If you plan on filling up your itinerary with trips to explore the streets, shops, cafes and dining establishments in town, it’s best that you rent a villa set within walking distance from the central. Heading out will be a breezier affair when you don’t need to hire and wait for a private driver for each and every trip.

Resources for planning a family-friendly getaway:

• Phuket’s kid-friendly beaches
• 5 family-friendly restaurants in Phuket
• 7 Kid-friendly travel activities
• Family-friendly guide: Where to go at night in Phuket

See our villas in Phuket. Selected and inspected by Villa-Finder.com