The speedboat to Coral Island takes twenty minutes off the Pattaya front, and the water clears as you go. The harbour murk gives way to a pale green that you can see the bottom through. We swam, ate grilled fish on the sand, and were back by mid-afternoon.

Tiger Topia at Sriracha is a working zoo, not a sanctuary. Tigers, crocodiles, an underwater tunnel where the rays pass overhead. The children pressed their hands to the glass for an hour. It is closer to a theme park than to the wild, and the day is built for that.

Safari World on the edge of Bangkok is a drive-through park. Giraffes leaning toward the bus, zebras crossing without urgency. The marine park does the dolphin and sea-lion shows. It is a full day, and a long one with small children, but it earns its place.

Sea Life Bangkok sits in the basement under the Siam Paragon mall. A glass tunnel through the shark tank, then Madame Tussauds upstairs for the waxwork photographs. An indoor half-day, and welcome in the city heat before the flight home.