Best of Pattaya & Bangkok Getaway

Land at Suvarnabhumi and skip the Bangkok check-in entirely - the two-hour road transfer straight to Pattaya beats unpacking twice. Thailand sits only 1.5 hours ahead of India, so the evening is genuinely usable: take it on Jomtien beach, the calmer, family-friendly end of town.

Coral Island morning: the speedboat out to Koh Larn, clear shallows, optional watersports, and back on the mainland by mid-afternoon. In the evening, the famous cabaret spectacle - with children in the group, book the earlier show, which is exactly the same production at a saner hour.

See the Sanctuary of Truth in morning light, when the carved teak monument photographs best, then split by group: Nong Nooch gardens for families, pool hours for the tired. A note we give everyone: keep evenings to Jomtien and the northern end - central walking-street Pattaya after dark is not for families.

Roll up the highway to Bangkok, check in, and take the city from the water first: a Chao Phraya dinner cruise is unapologetically touristy and still worth doing once, gliding past lit temples and bridges with dinner served on deck.

Temples before the heat: the Grand Palace and Wat Pho open the day - shoulders and knees covered, carry a stole - and ignore anyone at the gate claiming the palace is closed today; that is a shopping detour in disguise. Afternoon for Chatuchak if it is a weekend, MBK or Platinum if not.

Last morning free for a final market run, then out to Suvarnabhumi with three hours in hand - the airport is vast and queues swing without warning. Mango sticky rice at the gate counts as a proper Thai goodbye. Airport-bound taxis take longer than the map suggests in the evening rush, so leave sooner than feels necessary.