Phuket’s undiscovered beach areas (part 1)

Beaches on Phuket such as Kata, Karon and Patong are world-famous and holidaymakers arriving here from across the planet flock to these extremely popular tourist hot-spots. However, due to this mass tourism many people complain about these beaches having lost their charming ambience.

They are convinced that Phuket can’t claim anymore offering a tranquil tropical island destination. These main beach areas are spoiled by too large visiting crowds. Sunbathers occupy the whole beaches’ length, often in three to four deep rows. In addition, there are the banana boats, noisy jet skis, and parasail boats ploughing their way through the once serene waters, while too many vendors ply their stuff up and down the sandy beaches. They believe Phuket’s reputation as an idyllic island getaway is totally destroyed and today solely caters to the party people’s crowds. Phuket full travel guide

Unfortunately these disappointed travellers didn’t take some time exploring the less unknown beaches Phuket has on offer. Around the island there are over 40 beach areas and each traveller could find a spot suiting their taste. If a less crowded beach with good tourist amenities is what you’re looking for then Kamala, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Surin and Bang Tao would definitely not be disappointing. Still really tranquil beaches are available at Mai Khao and Nai Thon on the northern part of Phuket.

Still even these beach areas are rather popular and described in most of the tourist guide books. In this article, I will provide info on Phuket’s beaches that still retain unexplored to most of the common holidaymakers. I won’t even mention Yanui and Laem Sing in the following list of recommended beaches. These are the “Pearl of the Andaman’s” secret beaches.

Pansea Beach
Stunning and tranquil Pansea Beach is located directly at Bang Tao’s northern edge. Boasting two luxury resorts yet the soothing tranquillity on this beach area remains. Kata Island is positioned just offshore sheltering the shallow bay from the ocean’s waves resulting in being it always serene. Swimming isn’t possible due to the too shallow waters and visitors can reach the island on foot when the tide allows it. This beach is superb for paddling and most ideal for kids to play. Refreshments aren’t catered for here so it might be handy bringing along some food for having a relaxed picnic.

Banana Beach
Situated between Nai Thon and Bang Tao, the gorgeous Banana Beach offers an enchanting 200 metres stretch of sand boasting waving trees and rock formations. It is a great spot for swimmers as well as snorkelling enthusiasts. This beach isn’t facilitated with lodging establishments and there is only one restaurant at the beach’s southern part. Normally there aren’t more than a handful of sunbathers on this beach, which access the location by long-tail boats.

Pon Beach
Positioned north of Patong’s headland, the remote tiny Pon Beach, nearby busy Patong, surprisingly only draws a limited amount of visitors. Some grazing cattle and a few farming huts is all that you’ll find here. The rocky seabed isn’t really great for swimmers but the snorkelling is excellent.

There are normally a few locals offering sunbathing chairs to rent and selling cold beverages. A small barbecue can be provided by them as well to prepare your own food. You might have to pay a little charge to cross the private land reaching this idyllic beach.

Freedom Beach
This awesome beach can only be reached by boat. Freedom Beach is located south of Patong entirely around and all the way back towards the beach of Karon. Visiting this lovely spot is definitely worth the trip by boat. Visitors here may enjoy the relaxed bathing and superb snorkelling options. This beach is never crowded and houses a few good restaurants. Fortunately most people in Patong never heard of this wonderful beach!

Enjoying the tranquility on Freedom Beach

Stay tuned for Phuket’s secret beaches part 2! 
 

Divers cleaning up Racha Yai and Racha Noi Island

Last week more than 150 kilos of garbage such as household trash, clothing, three tyres, plastic bottles, and fishing nets were collected by a group of divers, which supported the Earth Day activities by cleaning up Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi’s beaches and the surrounding underwater areas, about 12.5 miles south of Phuket. 

More than 30 enthusiastic persons accommodated one of the scuba diving boats. The entire underwater rubbish collection required only two 60-minute lasting group dives, the owner of a reputed dive school said.

No doubt about it! A beach like this must remain clean 

The cleaning underwater activity was just one of the diving company’s important environmental actions, showing our commitment to protect and maintain the area’s superb dive sites, the owner said. “We decided to cleanup these particular waters as our agency usually operates here between early June and early October. We use and enjoy these sites so obviously we maintain their quality.”  

Complete Phuket diving resource 

Brief introduction to some of Phuket’s popular beaches

Phuket boasts some of Thailand’s most stunning beaches; each featuring its own special facilities. These superb beaches make Phuket an ideal holiday destination and many tourists arrive here year-round.

Phuket’s tropical beaches attract visitors from all over the world and the majority of the tourists spend their vacation on one of the “pearl of the Andaman’s” renowned superb beach areas. A wide range of attractions are offered including: sailing, swimming, sunbathing, fishing and surfing. This destination’s beaches are appreciated by international tourists and Thai holidaymakers alike.

The eye-pleasing beaches feature pleasurable soft white sand, warm crystal blue waters and balmy air. Many feature waving palm trees. Most of the beaches are facilitated with convenient guest amenities such as food stalls and restaurants. Renting a motorcycle gives you the option to conveniently explore all of the island’s finest beaches.

Phuket’s fantastic exotic beaches attract tourists year-round

Bang Tao is one of Phuket’s longer beaches (five miles). This beach’s crystalline sand and the tranquil ambience is what mainly attract the many tourists. This beach area features several  very glitzy resorts, but the area is laid-back and represents plenty of lodging options for all tastes along with good facilities for water sports enthusiasts. .

Plenty of Casuarina trees can be found on Nai Yang Beach while a national park is positioned in the northern section of this gorgeous area. Usually tourists here spot Ridley Sea Turtles as well. Nai Yang provides a peaceful escape from the other parts of Phuket and is an ideal destination for the budget-minded traveller, offering inexpensive accommodation options.

Beautifully positioned around a headland, just north of Patong is Kamala Beach providing a most welcome escape from its never sleeping neighbour. This fairly developed and relatively small beach area, unlike Patong isn’t invaded yet by mass tourism.

Undoubtely the most famous and most crowded beach is Patong. It is the core of the island’s tourist industry boasting a pulsating nightlife, outstanding shopping options and a wide range of first-class hotel and resort facilities.

Perhaps one of the kingdom’s most beautiful beaches, Karon is located south of Patong and has a pleasurable chilled atmosphere. The long sweeping beach is very clean and easy accessible due to the public road, lined along it.

Rawai is especially popular among the island’s ex-pat community. Once this southern tip of Phuket was a lively fishing town. Today Rawai Beach features a tranquil and idyllic ambience with several outstanding seafood eateries. 

Phuket Island guide 

Sex trade on Phuket and Thailand

Probably not that many like Pattaya, but Phuket with Patong’s naughty nightlife and the bustling Bangla Road attract plenty of sex tourists as well. Most of the main cities and popular travel destinations in Thailand such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and of course Pattaya have their own red light districts. The sex trade in Thailand is still a hot issue, often discussed in the printed media, on the internet and once in a while even in a small pub on Phuket…

Sometimes, when I feel like socialising and going to the city for a cold beer, I meet this Thai middle-aged dude in my favourite pub, always starting this discussion about the sex trade on Phuket, while furiously attacking the farangs, from which too many only visit Phuket looking for sex. He’s convinced that most of us simply pay a considerable amount of cash for our beautiful young girlfriends or wives and only look down on Thai cultural traditions.

I always try to make him understand that his generalising point of view certainly does many foreigners a huge wrong. No doubt about it! This kind of traveller does exist and a certain amount of Japanese, Chinese, European, and American visitors do come regularly to Phuket only for getting their sexual kicks. Sex tourist is the name what we collectively give them and to the majority of the common travellers they are trash.

Who firstly appeared, the sex tourist or the bar lady? They dually evolve via demand and supply. In Thailand as well as in other South East Asian countries such as Cambodia and the Philippines there is an enormous contrast between poverty and wealth, providing the standard hotbed for developing a sex industry along with an influx of its customers.

So now you might think that getting rid of extreme poverty will probably solve the problem as all the ladies could quit their disrespectful jobs in the bars and once there aren’t any bar girl anymore there also won’t be any sex tourists. Phuket nighlife scene online

After looking at numerous of the sex industry workers’ family backgrounds, It became very clear that most of them certainly weren’t gamblers, alcoholics, drug addicts or members of broken and troubled families at the time they started to work. Some of these girls got involved with alcohol and drugs at a later date.

I’ve told the Thai guy in my favourite little pub that he not should blame the sex tourists but instead better trying to figure out the economic and social situation, providing the availability of these young girls. Finding the correct answers isn’t easy. Could it be the lack of honest jobs, low self-esteem, lack of decent education, laziness, not knowing how to plan the future or acceptance of fate.

All of you who are planning to meet a bar lady in a Phuket night spot, I would like you to ask her one simple question. Would she give up her present life style for a job at McDonalds, making about 4,500 baht per month? Perhaps I may not be right, but probably a bar girl who just started would prefer frying hamburgers all day and the more experienced lady would rather keep her present job… 

Comprehensive Bangkok evening entertainment guide  
 

An ideal new getaway resort on Patong

Perhaps you’ll be surprised by the fact that not each foreign visitor staying in Phuket’s most popular tourist spot of Patong wishes to be accommodated directly by the beach area. This is great news for the Millennium Resort Patong which opened its doors four months ago. Actually this accommodation establishment on Rat U-thit Road consists out of two hotels, which are housed in the huge entertainment complex and shopping mall named Jungceylon. It is positioned at the crowded intersection with the well-known Bangla Street. From the resort the beach area is still easy to reach on foot.

Fabien Linsay is the general manager of the Millennium Resort and first he couldn’t figure out why some vacationers preferred his resort instead of a hotel room offering beach and ocean views. It didn’t take long for him to find out that certain holidaymakers wanted all the modern comforts of a three-star rated big-city establishment for their beach vacation. This means they wish to stay in a hotel close to such recreational facilities as shopping malls, movie theatres, plenty of restaurants and a bowling alley. In addition, the vibrant nightlife scene of Bangla Street and the mega-supermarket Carrefour are just a very short distance away.

The two hotels offered by the low-rise resort are known as the Beachside and the Lakeside. Both names are rather strange as there is neither beach nor lake to be found here. I did choose for a guestroom in the 224 accommodation units boasting Lakeside section. This facility opened last year in December a little earlier as the 197 rooms offering Beachside. Each hotel is facilitated with its own indoor swimming pool. The Beachside offers the principal lobby lounge and the Straits Dining Bar 8 Degree while Lakeside features a large fitness room, the Escentika Spa, the Bistro, banqueting amenities and a relaxed bar. 

Both the lodging establishments are immaculate having a refined atmosphere and offer an exclusive getaway providing a most welcome retreat from Patong’s craziness. Some of the Lakeside’s spacious superior guestrooms are equipped with balconies overlooking the gymnasium and swimming pool. Positioned on the 4th floor, are several Cabana-style hotel rooms available, providing direct access to the swimming pool. The guest units are connected by open-air corridors.

Each guestroom comes with a full set of modern comforts including tea and coffee making equipment, hairdryer, high-speed internet connection, telephone, TV, mini fridge, stereo, safety deposit box and iron and ironing board. The kiosk downstairs is open around-the-clock selling beverages and snacks. Guests also have the convenient option to pop into one of the nearby outlets or Carrefour to buy their own stock of provisions. Being one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations Phuket and Patong have a wide range of different accommodation establishments on offer. By browsing this safe, easy and discounted rates offering online booking service you can find many more excellent Phuket hotels and resorts. You definitely will find something suiting your needs and budget.     
  

Koh Tapao Noi, new eco-tourism destination in Thailand

Probably within six weeks The Thai Navy will open Tapao Noi Island off Phuket for eco-tourism. Representing a lighthouse, this tranquil destination is a little more than an island. However, most likely it is going to be the Phuket area’s newest tourist attraction. The Royal Thai Navy, which currently manages Koh Tapao Noi, has realised an eco-tourism project that definitely will increase the island’s number of visiting tourists. The project is waiting for the green light, which should be given by the Navy chiefs.

Today, there are five employees from the department living on the island. It is their task to warn ships, should they get too close to the coast, by keeping the lighthouse alight. In addition, they maintain reports on seismic, climate-related and tidal issues. The lighthouse chief is convinced that increasing visitors will not damage the island’s ecology. The project will provide one 700 metres long and one 500 metres long nature trail offering great bird-watching options. More on what to see in Phuket

Approaching Koh Tapao Noi

The island’s lighthouse was constructed in 1890 during King Rama Vs reign. The building will be another interesting attraction for visitors. Solar energy provides the energy for the lighthouse’s lamp. Every 15 seconds, 24 hours per day the light in the 11-metres high tower flashes.

Koh Tapao Noi also houses around 50 couples of hornbill. These birds are difficult to find in Thailand. The Navy officers spend a monthly amount of 1,000 feeding rice and bananas to the birds, which have become used to contact with people. Feeding these birds will be the main activity for visitors to the island.

 Observing hornbill on Tapao Noi

There’s even the option to visit Tapao Noi Island before the start of the eco-tourism project. At the Ao Makham Pier boats can be rented for about 300 baht. The short trip will not take more than 15 minutes. Ao Makham is located within less than four miles from Phuket City and is accessibly by bus.

Running your own pub on tropical Phuket, a dream or nightmare?

During a busy year, more than four million travellers arrive in Phuket in the south of Thailand. Usually most of the first-time visitors are impressed by the seemingly worry-free island life and a few like it so much that they are willing to make the big step setting up a new life on Phuket. However, these adventurers will also soon realise that there almost aren’t any job opportunities for them on the island.

Besides teaching English one of the other few options is to start up your own business and still many foreigners are convinced that running a bar is the easiest way of making a living. Many people only dream about living a laid-back life as bar owner while spending a lot of time on the beach and in the evening having a good time with the many customers. But can a dream scenario like this ever become reality?

The first research I did to make sure if owning a bar could be lucrative was to gather as much as info possible about the possibilities. I had discussions with property agents, pub owners and even several girls working in bars. Finally I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t worth to try.

 Better think twice before starting a pub on Phuket!

As a newcomer to Phuket I was rather naïve in the beginning and wasn’t aware of the numerous pitfalls that bar owners would have to confront. However, I heard so many stories about foreigners having lost huge amounts of money all because of the lack of experience and certain knowledge. To start with, ‘being the owner of a pub’ is a misnomer as you’ll have to lease the property at most likely very uncomfortable terms.

It is simply very hard to earn sufficient income from a pub year-round and in fact the majority of those who try to establish a bar fail or give up within a period of two years or even less. Even if you succeed in making a decent living, your official working status will most likely be illegal. Thai law does not protect foreigners owning a little business.

All these facts concerned me but they surely were not my most serious concern. The most significant factor making the decision not to start a bar was the present owners’ lifestyles. I’ve met and became acquainted with several bar owners and when I realised how they lived, I had absolutely no doubt! This was not the kind of lifestyle I was looking for. Brief online guide to living on Phuket.

Don’t let me be misunderstood as I really can enjoy nightlife while washing away a few cold beers. But having to spend each night at the same old pub as a job isn’t exactly great fun. In addition, the job running a bar often goes hand in hand with obvious health-related issues. Phuket nightlife guide.

Until this day I’m still very satisfied making that important decision not getting involved in the bar business scene on Phuket. By now I consider some pub owners to be good friends but not even for one second I envied their way of life. Isn’t it ironic that many of the foreigners starting a pub have travelled to Phuket, settling down trying to achieve a more relaxed and enjoyable way of living their live. Phuket provides the paradisiacal living environment they’ve always dreamed of and making money by running a bar is the way of realising their plans. Forget it! The real problem is that all the hard work trying to successfully run their business excludes them from experiencing the relaxation they were looking for…

Phuket, a sailor’s paradise

Imagine that your boat is the only one from horizon to horizon, gently navigating on the mystical waters off an untouched, secluded, tropical island shore. No! This is not only possible in a magnificent dream. Boating enthusiasts might experience this as a common reality when sailing in the blue waters around Phuket in the south of Thailand.

The weather in this popular cruising and holiday destination is truly unique too as here there never will be winter while typhoons and hurricanes never take place in this area. Year-round temperatures are generally between 24° and 31°C while the seawater’s temperature almost never drops below 28°C.

Geographically positioned in the Andaman Sea, regional yachters know Phuket the best due to its reputation boasting the country’s most comprehensive sailing facilities.

Phuket is one of the globe’s finest cruising bases. Sailors have the option to make unforgettable boating trips to destinations such as the breathtakingly beautiful Similan Islands, Phanga Bay’s stunning limestone karsts or Burma’s practically untouched Mergui Archipelago.

The Butang Group is almost uninhabited and belongs to Hat Chao Mai National Park located to the south, featuring 51 islands. This environment boasts a rich and unusual wildlife. The mysterious Tarutao Island can be accessed by a short navigation eastwards. This unspoiled island lies only four nautical miles away from Malaysian Langkawi Island and from Phuket it can be reached within one day sailing. Mountainous Tarutao is blessed with numerous hidden creeks and spectacular caves.

The jaw-dropping Phang Nga Bay itself is bounded by the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang-nga featuring more than 100 islands and vertically, out of the ocean rising, sheer-sided mountains. Some of Thailand’s most famous photographic tourist images were shot here. Phang Nga Bay has become an extremely popular tourist destination with kayakers and day trippers exploring the bay’s ocean caves and islands. However, despite being a well-visited spot, by mid-afternoon the superb bay is nearly deserted.

For sailing fanatics who demand high standards of luxury and modern comforts during their sea voyage, today Phuket houses three marinas of international-standards! These include: the Boat Lagoon Marina, the Yacht Haven Marina, and the new Royal Phuket Marina. In the near future more marinas will open.

Attracting about 100 yachts, the annual King’s Cup Regatta in Phuket each year takes place during the first week of December. Taking place during Chinese New Year is the more laid-back Phanga Bay Regatta attracting about 40 competitors for a more relaxed week. Compared with all the others this regatta probably features the most dramatic panoramic background. Phuket’s newest regatta is known as the Phuket Race Week. This sailing competition takes place during windy weather conditions in July.

Whether participating in one of the tropical island’s regattas or leisurely sailing among the tranquil islands in the region, the welcoming friendly locals, tasty cuisine and the charming cultural traditions all make Phuket a world-class boating and yachting destination. Phuket offers sailing adventures you won’t easily forget! Phuket water sports guide.

Preserving Paradise

Resisting the development of too many tourist facilities, which choked the neighbouring islands, the residents of Lanta Island are welcoming eco-sensitive tourism.

As the tourism industry in Thailand is allowed to ruin gorgeous beach areas and islands as if these precious locations of natural beauty were ordinary coal mines, a group of hotel owners and locals on Koh Lanta are determined to avoid the development that would ravage the valuable quality of their living environment. Their greatest wish is to retain the island’s natural and pristine landscape for many generations to come.

They’ve learned enough from the disastrous developing mistakes made on the neighbouring island, Phi Phi Don. Not that long you could read in almost every Thailand guide book about Phi Phi Don being Krabi’s true gem. Tourists to Thailand were recommended to experience the serenity and beauty of the country’s natural seashores. No more! The crescent twin bays boasting fabulous white sandy beach areas and Phi Phi Don’s geographically uniqueness have been drastically changed. Today, this destination is crammed with too many beer bars, shops and guesthouses ravaging what once was a pristine natural environment.

What happened on Phi Phi Don made Paninart Tiyaphorn realise that Koh Lanta must be saved. In 2001 she and her friends built the Pimalai Resort & Spa on the island. Perhaps this is Thailand’s last spot of untouched natural beauty.

Koh Lanta has the reputation being a beloved backpackers’ destination. The island with its numerous neat, broad and relatively seclude beaches provides the perfect getaway as it has truly the ambience that so many travellers to Thailand are looking for. However, this atmosphere is little by little changing, causing concerned locals and environmentalists to fear that Koh Lanta might be the profitable mass tourism’s next victim. 

Hotel establishments and first-class resorts have begun to replace the common thatch-roofed bungalow accommodations, but fortunately until now the island’s relaxed tranquil charm is still present. Also the sea-gypsies are starting to get worried and Som Changnam, who is the head of one of their communities, said: “If we do not demonstrate against the development of profit-driven tourism projects we will lose our houses. Over the past 20 years we all have witnessed the forced departure of our sisters and brothers off Koh Phi Phi due to the lack of shoreline for their boats and houses while also the living costs have decreased to levels which can not longer be afforded by most of the natives.”

Having watched themselves how tourism industry has driven away locals from their homeland, communities of local islanders have come to the conclusion that they really need to put down deeper roots on Koh Lanta in order to survive. The local youth needs decent education so they will be proud of their roots. A cultural centre and living museum should also be necessary to reach this goal.

Koh Lanta houses three different cultures. The Muslims, indigenous sea-gypsies and the Chinese all have integrated well and live peacefully together. Lanta is positioned on a historic trade line between China and India and for a long time travellers have been drawn to settle on the island mainly due to the availability of numerous natural resources. Having prevailed on the island for generations, subsistence livelihoods are the main reason Lanta remains in its natural condition.

Paninart was always aware of this fact and when tourists started to get interested travelling to Lanta her business partners wanted to make sure that their resort would complement and not overrun the area of exceptional natural beauty. They constructed the Pimalai Resort in a way it perfectly blends in with the natural environment. During the building activities there weren’t any trees cut down and until today there was never even one tree cut of by the resort.

There’s not much room between the resort’s bungalows as this spared many trees. Indeed, when approaching it from the ocean, the resort and spa is hardly noticeable. Guests here have the feeling they’re lodging in the middle of the jungle. Pimalai Resort is facilitated with its own state-of-the-art water treatment device, which also clearly explains the determination of this unique resort to preserve Koh Lanta.

By now Pimalai’s actions to preserve Lanta have been noticed and the resort is rightfully receiving one award after the other. More comprehensive info on the resort’s facilities and location is available on their online booking service.

Koh Racha Yai, the ultimate dream getaway

Koh Racha Yai is one of the most perfect paradisiacal getaways on our planet. This gorgeous island provides a most welcome escape from the hectic western world. The waters are true turquoise and the sands snowy white. Its exceptional natural beauty impresses the visitors and some even suddenly seem to realise that they have to reassess life’s priorities. The last time I went diving was two years ago and I looked forward to some new diving adventures during my stay on Koh Racha Yai.

As we walk to the dive site I watch the scene of several beginners in the shallow water, just off the beach of Balok Bay, paying attention to their teacher. Mon, our dive master informs us that the site where we will go underwater is at least ten metres deep. Suddenly I get that happy feeling again and realise that the ocean causes this.

One I am in the blue sparkling sea the marine life and coral reef seem like old buddies. It is truly something like a reunion. The gigantic force of the Tsunami scattered many reef balls throughout these waters. I watch a lionfish and, a gladly taken up its residence, big moray eel. Than I spot three tiny food-picking filefish, a lonely cute-looking boxfish and a large shoal of brightly coloured parrotfish. Tranquilly moving on the seabed I see a small stingray while a group of cuttlefish gently glides by. Nearby an abundance of anemones a lobster finds shelter hiding away in stag horn coral.

On the northern part of Racha Yai you’ll find Siam Bay. Here you have the option to watch a manmade sculpture park, which is positioned underwater. It’s the area’s newest diving playground boasting models of two elephants, a huge pearl oyster, decorated traditional arches and several Yaks (demonic creatures which feature in ancient Buddhist stories).

This small getaway at Racha Yai makes me realise this is simply the finest dive spot, mainly due to the bay’s natural shelter. Mon tells us that beyond the bay, there aren’t any large reefs but only submarine cliffs. Last year, nearby Koh Racha Noi, he’d spotted a few sharks and manta rays. Racha Yai’s nearby located sister island Racha Noi is uninhabited and rugged. The ocean here provides a great playground for advanced diving enthusiasts.

There are only two Racha island destinations, positioned within less than 15 nautical miles off Phuket’s shore. Mon informs us that once they were just insignificant sailors stopovers but it rapidly changed when the divers arrived. The crews of the Phuket regatta still use them as a touch point. Today, Racha Yai has become a year-round popular dive site. The island’s tourist infrastructure is capable of handling its new visitors’ demands. Solely on the western part, an untouched lush vegetated area retains.

In general European and South Korean holidaymakers flock to Racha Yai between December and March. During this time the hotel rooms are for about 80% occupied.

Bungalows set amidst nature 

Due to a network of pathways, the island can easily be explored on foot or by bicycle. Balok Bay is the most popular destination and located on one side of it lies the smaller Ter Bay. You’ll discover Siam Bay by climbing up the hill. Konkare Bay features another small secluded beach. For a while you won’t have to worry about the daily pressures of life, the paradisiacal and laid-back atmosphere will simply make you forget about that!

Life on the four bays is uncomplicated: people take a fast boat trip to a dive spot, stroll for five minutes to observe the majestic sunrise and sunset, climb a small hill to another gorgeous bay, or just chill in bed. Probably there will be many visitors dreaming that our entire planet were as idyllic and tranquil as this wonderful island.

You can access Racha Yai Island by speedboat or longtail boat, which depart from Chalong Bay in Phuket.

The trip by speedboat from Chalong Bay in Phuket to Racha Yai takes about 45 minutes

Depending on what type of vessel you travel with, the duration of the trip is between 45 and 65 minutes. The hotels on the island offer a pick-up service, which will meet you at the shore. There are plenty of travel agencies in Phuket organising   all-inclusive daytrips. Complete South Thailand guide.
               
The Raya Resort is one of the island’s cheaper quality establishments. Daily room rates here start at 1,000 baht. Wonderfully positioned, the mid-range Ban Raya Hotel offers guestrooms between 1,900 and 6,000 baht. Most suitable for the wealthy holidaymaker is the luxurious Racha. This first-class hotel charges nightly room rates ranging from 8,500 to 50,000 baht.

Phuket hotels/resorts online