We have just returned from 7 days at Gecko Villa in NE Thailand. We booked on the recommendation of friends and were delighted. Having our own independent house and pool made the stay a real holiday, rather than staying in hotel rooms, as did the hosts who live nearby and did all our cooking, cleaning etc. As the ownes have two sets of twins themselves, they were great with the family. Highly recommended! www.geckovilla.com For air travel in Thailand we used Nok Air (www.nokair.com) which again we can only recommend: much cheaper than Thai Airways, its parent company. we then travelled on to Laos and stayed in Luang Prabang...a delightful small town with beautiful scenery. There are many smaller guesthouses but for a splash of luxury try La Residence Phou Vao: a beautiful hotel with spectacular views. It's operated by Pansea Orient Express Hotels: www.pansea.com

Another vote for Thailand, we spent a month travelling around the north and a week on Kho Chang. We thought about Luang Phrabang but will make that trip next time. Parents who aren't sure about Thailand might consider thailand4kids.com, we bought there book after we came back but wish we had the information before going.