Phuket (ภูเก็ต), pronounced (roughly) "pu-ged", is Thailand's largest island. It is 48 km in length, 21 km at its widest, and is in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges.
Cities
Only a few of Phuket's cities are not on the beach.
* Phuket Town — The administrative center of the province, and the island's main population center. Has the cheapest accommodation, but no beaches.
* Chalong Bay — On the east coast, home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage and the primary gateway to the islands off Phuket.
Other Destinations
Beaches
The major beaches, alphabetically ordered:
* Banana Beach ( Coral Island ) — 15 minutes from Chalong Bay. The very beautiful, quiet with all facilities featuring horn bill rainforest birds and fish life
* Bang Thao (Laguna Beach) — long, very quiet beach
* Cape Panwa — home to Phuket Aquarium
* Kalim Beach — a series of small beaches just to the north of Patong
* Kamala Beach — a quieter beach to the north of Patong
* Karon and Karon Noi Beaches — the second most-developed beach after Patong
* Kata Noi Beach — quieter sister of Kata Yai
* Kata Yai Beach — busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
* Laem Sing — small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
* Mai Khao (Sai Kaeo) (say my cow) — north of the airport, very quiet and far away from it all (tourists). Location of many posh resorts, but also local Thai villages and temples and restaurants (try Kindee near the JW Marriott for an incredible authentic--on a bamboo platform over the estuary-- Thai meal by an award-winning Thai chef)
* Nai Han and Ao Sen — a quiet beach (probably the best) in the south, near Phromthep Cape view point
* Nai Thon and Nai Yang — two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park
* Patong Beach — the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
* Rawai, Mittraphap and Laem Ka — set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach
* Surin and Pansea Beach — an up-and-coming upmarket destination
* Ya Nui Beach
Islands
There are dozens of small islands (ko) between Phuket and Krabi Province in the Phang Nga Bay. The following have accommodation:
* Ko Bon — 10 minutes from Rawai, an ideal island for a day of snorkeling and relaxing.
* Ko Hae (Coral Island) — 15 minutes by speedboat from Chalong Bay, accessible all year.
* Ko Lon — quiet, mostly Muslim island with a few bungalows
* Ko Mai Thon — gorgeous little island with only one (expensive) place to stay
* Ko Maphrao (Coconut Island)
* Ko Racha (Ko Raya) — consists of two islands (Yai and Noi), popular with scuba divers and a relaxing snorkeling destination.
* Ko Sire (Ko Si Le) — Sea Gypsy colony, connected to the mainland by a causeway
* Ko Yao — two islands halfway to Krabi, with four upmarket resorts
Understand
Phuket nestles in balmy Andaman Sea waters on Thailand's Indian Ocean coastline 862 kilometres south of Bangkok.
Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colourful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign trader’s ship logs.
In recent times, though, Phuket's top earner has been tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province. The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage now remains.
Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north.
Climate
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from March to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May to October, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider November to February the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.
Culture
Phuket is a melting pot of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Muslims and even sea gypsies. The majority of the population in the rural areas is Muslim. Outside of the provincial town, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern dialect which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The provincial town’s economy having boomed over the past decade has led to a lot of the youngsters leading similar lives to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the lifestyle of the urban Thai-Chinese resembles that of Bangkokians.
From Wikitravel
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Cities
Only a few of Phuket's cities are not on the beach.
* Phuket Town — The administrative center of the province, and the island's main population center. Has the cheapest accommodation, but no beaches.
* Chalong Bay — On the east coast, home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage and the primary gateway to the islands off Phuket.
Other Destinations
Beaches
The major beaches, alphabetically ordered:
* Banana Beach ( Coral Island ) — 15 minutes from Chalong Bay. The very beautiful, quiet with all facilities featuring horn bill rainforest birds and fish life
* Bang Thao (Laguna Beach) — long, very quiet beach
* Cape Panwa — home to Phuket Aquarium
* Kalim Beach — a series of small beaches just to the north of Patong
* Kamala Beach — a quieter beach to the north of Patong
* Karon and Karon Noi Beaches — the second most-developed beach after Patong
* Kata Noi Beach — quieter sister of Kata Yai
* Kata Yai Beach — busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
* Laem Sing — small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
* Mai Khao (Sai Kaeo) (say my cow) — north of the airport, very quiet and far away from it all (tourists). Location of many posh resorts, but also local Thai villages and temples and restaurants (try Kindee near the JW Marriott for an incredible authentic--on a bamboo platform over the estuary-- Thai meal by an award-winning Thai chef)
* Nai Han and Ao Sen — a quiet beach (probably the best) in the south, near Phromthep Cape view point
* Nai Thon and Nai Yang — two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park
* Patong Beach — the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
* Rawai, Mittraphap and Laem Ka — set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach
* Surin and Pansea Beach — an up-and-coming upmarket destination
* Ya Nui Beach
Islands
There are dozens of small islands (ko) between Phuket and Krabi Province in the Phang Nga Bay. The following have accommodation:
* Ko Bon — 10 minutes from Rawai, an ideal island for a day of snorkeling and relaxing.
* Ko Hae (Coral Island) — 15 minutes by speedboat from Chalong Bay, accessible all year.
* Ko Lon — quiet, mostly Muslim island with a few bungalows
* Ko Mai Thon — gorgeous little island with only one (expensive) place to stay
* Ko Maphrao (Coconut Island)
* Ko Racha (Ko Raya) — consists of two islands (Yai and Noi), popular with scuba divers and a relaxing snorkeling destination.
* Ko Sire (Ko Si Le) — Sea Gypsy colony, connected to the mainland by a causeway
* Ko Yao — two islands halfway to Krabi, with four upmarket resorts
Understand
Phuket nestles in balmy Andaman Sea waters on Thailand's Indian Ocean coastline 862 kilometres south of Bangkok.
Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colourful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign trader’s ship logs.
In recent times, though, Phuket's top earner has been tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province. The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage now remains.
Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north.
Climate
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from March to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May to October, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider November to February the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.
Culture
Phuket is a melting pot of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Muslims and even sea gypsies. The majority of the population in the rural areas is Muslim. Outside of the provincial town, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern dialect which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The provincial town’s economy having boomed over the past decade has led to a lot of the youngsters leading similar lives to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the lifestyle of the urban Thai-Chinese resembles that of Bangkokians.
From Wikitravel
