Phuket

Thailand's largest island 360 sq mi is the jewel of the Andaman Sea. It is 415 mi/670 km south of Bangkok. Phuket is well known as the site of Patong Beach, a popular tropical beach resort. It's justifiably popular: Patong is less congested than Pattaya and has a wider variety of other attractions nearby. It's high crowded in places, and the dumping of raw sewage into the sea spoils more and more beaches. The overfished waters no longer provide good catches. Phuket's restaurants are excellent, and there are still plenty of beaches for snorkeling and other water sports. If you're visiting November-February, you can watch giant sea turtles going ashore to lay eggs on Mai Khao Beach. The beach resorts are about 10 mi/16 km from the town of Phuket, which has a mixture of colonial and Chinese architecture but is really rather ordinary. Excursions can be made to the Phi Phi Islands, Phuket, Phang Nga Bay and Tham Lod. Plan to stay three nights in Phuket.