Fun Start Phuket
Family Sports and Leisure Club
Those
of us with children in Phuket often find ourselves looking for new ways to
keep our little monsters entertained. In fact, there are so many families
with young children in Phuket that it has always surprised me that there
are not more businesses tapping into this potential market. There are plenty
of private schools catering to the children's education but what about
their leisure time?
Well the people who run Headstart International School have spotted the rich potential of this market and they have opened a facility specifically aimed at filling kid's leisure time with healthy exercise and entertainment. The new facility is called Fun Start and it is located in Kathu in the centre of Phuket.
Fun Start is affiliated with Headstart International School and the kids from the school do use the facilities. However, it is not limited to children at the school. The club is open to all and there are a variety of programs, memberships or daily entry fees available.
The facility is based around a swimming pool at the back of Chalekeree Village in Kathu. They have several play rooms around the pool and also enough space at the back for a golf mini driving range and even a nice pitch-and-putt golf course. The swimming pool and golf are probably the main attractions at Fun Start but they also have other options to keep the kids busy.
The main swimming pool is 20-meters long and there is also a shallow pool for the smaller kids to play. Fun Start offer group or private swimming lessons and these are certainly some of the most popular classes with young children impressively pounding up and down the pool all evening. The emphasis of the lessons is still very much on letting the kids have fun while they improve their swimming skills.
The other big attraction at Fun Start is the golf. They have a mini driving range and again they run classes for groups or individuals. It is amazing to see how quickly the kids start to develop a smooth natural swing. I have been trying for years and I still try to belt the ball as hard as I can. As well as the mini driving range they also have a putting green and a nice little pitch-and-putt course.
The golf and the swimming are clearly the most popular activities at Fun Start but they have a few other options to keep the kids entertained.
For the smaller kids there is the 'Little Rascals Play Center'. It has a ball pen with a slide. There is also a play area with all manner of toys to keep the kids busy. The play center is supervised to keep order while also giving the parents the chance for a break.
For the older kids there is a games room with table football, pool and computer games. Also we must not forget the trampoline by the pool. The kids do truly like bouncing on the trampoline.
Fun Start also have a few other classes available. There are martial arts classes for judo and karate. They also have art classes for the more creatively inclined and you may even find cooking classes for any budding young chefs.
What about the parents? Well of course you are welcome to help supervise your little ones but if you fancy a break there is a coffee shop with snacks and light meals. If you want to spoil yourself as well as your children then you could take advantage of the mini spa and have a massage, facial or one of the many other pampering services they offer.
Fees
If you expect to be a regular visitor you can get your child a monthly membership at Fun Start for around 1,200 baht a month. This allows them access to the pool, trampoline, all the games rooms and reduced rates for the golf.
You could enrol your children into any of the classes and the good thing about this is they also get membership of the club for the duration of the course. So for example you can enrol into a months art or Karate classes for 1,500-baht (1 art lesson a week or 3 karate lessons a week) and also get a month membership of the club. Some of the other courses such as golf and swimming are more expensive but they are still a good deal if you are going to be a regular visitor.
If you are not likely to be a regular visitor you can still treat your child to a day at the club. A day pass costs 350-baht at the weekend and 250-baht in the week. You can get half day passes for less.
How to get There
Fun Start is located at the back of the Chalekeree Village Housing Estate on Pra Phuket Gaew Road, Kathu. That is the road that runs from the Caltex Gas Station (outside Patong) to Tesco Lotus. If you come from the Caltex Gas Station end then the entrance to the village is just after the Shell Gas Station. You will see the big sign.