Southeast Asia's hotels, scored for families with kids. Nobody pays to rank. Scored for families. Nobody pays to rank.
Koon Seng Road, Singapore
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
The hotel you'd put your family in.
We're still scoring hotels here. Nobody pays to rank.
Malaysia
The KLIA Ekspres train runs from the airport to KL Sentral, where you can change to the LRT for KLCC or the Monorail for Bukit Bintang, so a hotel near one of those lines makes arrival day easier. Thunderstorms are most frequent in April to May and October to November, usually in the evening.
coming soon
Photo: "Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Skyline-03" by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
Malaysia · George Town and Batu Ferringhi
George Town's old centre is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of shophouses, clan jetties and markets, while Batu Ferringhi is the beach strip, with a night bazaar after dark. There's no city rail yet (the first LRT line is still being built), so Rapid Penang buses link the two.
coming soon
Photo: Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
Thailand
Bangkok has two airports, so check yours before picking an area. The Airport Rail Link runs from Suvarnabhumi to Phaya Thai, where it meets the BTS Skytrain, and Don Mueang has its own station on the SRT Red Line; the rainy season usually runs from mid-May to mid-October.
coming soon
Photo: Dominic Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
Indonesia · Canggu, Seminyak and Ubud
Seminyak and Canggu sit on the coast in Badung, among beaches, villas, cafés and beach clubs, and are closer to the airport than Ubud. Ubud is inland in Gianyar and known for its painting, dance and traditional music.
coming soon
Photo: "Muncan Bali Indonesia Rice-paddy-along-Jalan-Raya-Muncan-01" by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
Vietnam (Saigon)
Metro Line 1 runs from Ben Thanh, in the city centre beside Ben Thanh Market, east through Thao Dien and An Phu, which helps if you stay along that line. It doesn't reach Tan Son Nhat airport, so plan on a road transfer from there.
coming soon
Photo: "Oficina Central de Correos, Ciudad Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 2013-08-14, DD 07" by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
Philippines · Metro Manila, including Makati and BGC
Makati has MRT-3 stations along EDSA, including Ayala and Buendia, while BGC has no rail station yet, so plan on getting around by road there. The rainy season runs from June to November, and typhoons peak from July to October.
coming soon
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). Credits
We're still scoring hotels here.
What guest reviews say about room size, family and connecting rooms, and getting a cot.
What guest reviews say about kids' pools, play areas and kids' clubs.
What guest reviews say about food for children: kids' menus, plain dishes and breakfast choices.
What guest reviews say about noise in the room at night, from traffic, bars, building work or other guests.
What guest reviews say about halal food available at the hotel or nearby.
We'll publish exactly how scores are made when the first rankings go live.
What guest reviews say about room size, family and connecting rooms, and getting a cot.
What guest reviews say about kids' pools, play areas and kids' clubs.
What guest reviews say about food for children: kids' menus, plain dishes and breakfast choices.
What guest reviews say about how clean the room, bathroom and bedding were.
What guest reviews say about whether the air-con kept rooms cool, and about noisy or leaking units.
What guest reviews say about noise in the room at night, from traffic, bars, building work or other guests.
What guest reviews say about hot water and shower pressure.
What guest reviews say about how new or recently renovated the hotel feels, and about wear and tear.
What guest reviews say about how helpful and friendly the staff were, including with children.
What guest reviews say about the location, including getting around and what's within walking distance.
What guest reviews say about whether the stay felt worth the price.
What guest reviews say about power cuts, and whether the lights and air-con kept running during them.
What guest reviews say about whether the rooms and hotel matched the listing photos.
What guest reviews say about halal food available at the hotel or nearby.
No hotel can buy a place.
What we earn is never a sort key.
We never take your payment.
We don't have any booking partners yet. When we add one, we'll list it here.
SEA Hotel Index scores hotels in Southeast Asia for families travelling with kids. Each hotel gets one score from 0 to 10, and lists are sorted by that score, never by what anyone pays. We're still scoring hotels, so no scores are published yet.
Every hotel gets one score from 0 to 10, built for families with kids. It combines 14 factors, and a third of the score comes from the kid factors: room space, kids' facilities and kid-friendly food. The rest covers the basics, led by cleanliness, air-con and quiet. Nobody can pay to change a score.
Nobody pays to rank. SEA Hotel Index is run independently by Ben, and no hotel can pay to be listed, to rank higher or to be left out. We may add affiliate links to booking sites later, and we'll disclose them when we do. If you book through one we may earn a commission, but it never changes the order.
We're starting with six destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City and Metro Manila. In Penang we cover George Town and Batu Ferringhi, and in Bali we cover Canggu, Seminyak and Ubud. Metro Manila includes Makati, BGC and the airport area.
We haven't set a date yet. We're still scoring hotels, and we'd rather show you a short list we trust than a long one we don't. Each destination's rankings go live once enough of its hotels are scored.
SEA Hotel Index was started by Ben, a Malaysian parent who has lived and worked around the region. It is run independently by Ben. No hotel group, booking site or investor owns any part of it.
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