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Thailand Beaches
Phuket island


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Intrepid offer many south-east Asia and Thailand tours, including competitively priced but good quality beach or culture holidays for singles, couples or families. e.g. Ko Samui Beach Break | Phuket Beach Break | Southern Encounter | Krabi Beaches | Brochure

phuket, karon beach pictures, thailand

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Karon beach, Phuket, in December. 1 of 21 pages.

Ko Lanta beaches | Krabi beaches | Phi Phi beaches | Kha Lak beach | Ko Samui beaches | Pattaya | Ko Samet

Thailand Beach Pictures | Thailand Travel | Longtails | Thailand Beaches Info | Thailand Beaches Map

Non-beach Thailand Photos: Thailand Pictures

Plus: Comfortable, superb sand, easy to reach from Phuket airport, plenty of bike-rental trips and night action available, few longtails.

Minus: Chunky waves early in the season, some beaches colonised by package people, some beaches a little sleazy, overdeveloped, not so cheap.

Phuket beaches are similar, mostly with soft sand, clear warm water and enclosed in pretty bays, so pages are organised by accommodation available, e.g. best big budget, best isolated...Each section has one large picture followed by three small ones.

Phuket is the largest of Thailand's islands and the country's most popular sand and sea destination, though much of it is tourism of the package kind.
Access is easy via the international airport, and roads are excellent. Recent development has spoiled a lot of the sights and tranquility of the island, but brought reliable power and water supplies, comfortable hotels, cold beer and good varied food to the beaches - and isolationists can still find secluded spots.
Phuket town/port has no beaches or significant night life, but good local craft shops and a lively market. It's a useful transit point for inter-island ferries to places such as Phi Phi Don, Ko Lanta or Krabi.
The beaches worth lying on are all on Phuket's [pron. Pooket] west coast, with the busiest and being Patong in the centre.
Bugbog researched and photographed all 11 beaches during December. This is the start of the best season in Thailand but weather was often unusually cloudy, very hot [over 30C] and all the island's west shores had 1m - 2m waves, making sea lazing hazardous for adults and dangerous for small children. These kind of waves are not uncommon at this time of year. Unfortunately the waves tend to rise suddenly for a short distance, so they're not wonderful for surfer dudes, but rideable.
Phuket is not a cheap island by Thai standards. Backpackers on a tight budget or travellers seeking a quieter life would fare better on other islands such as Ko Lanta or Ko Samet.

Thailand Beaches Pictures © Julian Loader