The main international beach resorts of Thailand are located in the South, on either side of the Malay peninsula. The major destination is Phuket, a large island on the West coast. With an international airport, half-dozen or more large beaches and more than 100 hotels in every price range, Phuket is a mature destination with something to offer just about everyone.
On the other side of the peninsula a much smaller island has been developed to rival Phuket. Samui has a small, but award winning, airport with flights from Phuket, Bangkok, Singapore and elsewhere. The mood is more laid back, and the beaches on the East coast of the island are wonderful.
Two other locations, both near Phuket, are the Phi Phi Islands and Krabi province coast. The Phi Phi islands are small and must be reached by boat through Phuket or Krabi. Krabi covers the coast of the mainland off which Phuket lies. There are a few isolated luxury resorts here that are particularly popular with honeymooners. Krabi can be reached through Phuket, or to its own provincial airport.
The latest 'up and coming' destination are the beaches near the Khao Lak-Lamru National Park in Phang Nga province. Aside from escaping the crowds that flock to Phuket and elsewhere, most people who seek out Khao Lak are divers wanting to make trips to the Similan and Surin Islands. However, this was the area of Thailand hardest hit by the December 2004 tsunami, which wiped out almost all of the resorts along this stretch of coast. The area is recovering, with several new or rebuilt resorts already open.
The south is so big, we've divided it into several sections. The Andaman Coast pages provide more details on the areas of interest around Phuket; the Gulf Islands section will give you an overview of Samui, Pangan and the popular diving base of Tao Island; while the Deep South pages will give you a look at the often overlooked area closer to the Malaysian border.
Other Places of Interest
Ranong
Hot Springs
Numerous hot springs can be found around Ranong town, and the area has developed something of a spa culture. Note however that some of the treatments (notably black sands) have been found to be more toxic than beneficial, so be careful.
Victoria Point
A ferry can take you across to the southern-most point in Burma, which is now the site of several casinos.
The time was when people would fly into Phuket, spend a few days on the beach, and fly out. These days, people want more. More adventure, more privacy, more luxury, etc. Fortunately, the area around Phuket is well-endowed with hidden bays and natural scenery. There are now accommodations of all types and other tourist services available all around the mainland surrounding Phuket.
Phang Nga Bay Area Map Phuket Phuket was probably the first truly international resort in Thailand.
Chumpon province is where the southern region of Thailand begins. There aren't many sights to see in the province itself, but he islands off the coast offer some of the best diving in the world. Most people simply pass through the province on the way to Koh Tao, but there are more and more hotels and resorts opening on the mainland.
Thailand's deep south stretches from the Malaysian border up through the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, Songkhla, Satun, Phatthalung and Trang. The provinces nearest the border can feel more like Malaysia than Thailand, with the population in the countryside being mostly Muslim Malay, while in the cities you'll find large Chinese communities.
Thailand's Deep South Much of the deep south is relatively un-developed for tourists. Facilities can be a bit thin on the ground, but fortunately that means there aren't many tourists either.
The islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Surat Thani and Chumpon provinces have become quite popular among tourists from all walks of life. The biggest of the islands, Samui, has grown from a place where most of the accommodations were simple bungalows with no water and no eletricity to an international resort with the full range of accommodations, although bungalows are still very much in favor.
It was only to be expected that as Samui itself became more mainstream, the backpacker set would look for newer places off the beaten track (read: cheap). As it turns out, they didn't have to look far. A short ferry ride north from Samui brings you to Koh Phangan.
Koh Phangan Click on a sight for more information. Even smaller than Samui, most of Pangan is still in pristine condition and the best way to get around the island, from one beach to another, is by boat.
The Phi Phi islands lie near the mouth of Phang Nga bay at about an equal distance from Phuket and Krabi towns. Although technically part of a national park, the islands have been developed almost as long as Phuket. There are two main islands in the group. Only the largest, Phi Phi Don, hosts tourists. The smaller island, Phi Phi Lay (or Phi Phi Le), is spectacular in its own right, and frequently visited on day trips from the larger island.
Krabi could well be described as the 'new Phuket' for the amount of development, much of which has taken place in just the last few years. Krabi's popularity is mainly due to its combination of fantastic limestone cliffs which march right down to sparkling white sandy beaches. Of course, there's also the clear waters filled with spectacular corals as well.
Map of Krabi Province Nakorn Si Thammarat
The province of Nakorn Si Thammarat certainly deserves more attention from tourists that it gets, especially from those interested in Thailand's rich cultural heritage. The area around Nakorn Si Thammarat town has been settled for at least 2,000 years, and it is through this ancient trading port that the form of Buddhism practiced through the country today first entered the region. Those looking for wilder beaches where they may have some degree of solitude won't be disappointed either.
Map of Patthalung Province Patthalung province occupies the western shore of the great inland sea known as Thale Luang in Thai. The provincial capital itself is a relatively modern town, having been founded by Rama III in the nineteenth century. The town is attractively set between two sharp peaks.
Phattalung is famous as the place where shadow puppetry was first performed in Thailand. Its still one of the few places where traditional performances can be seen on a regular basis.
Map of Phang Nga Province The time was when visitors to Phang Nga province were confined to day trippers from Phuket who came by bus or boat to see the fantastic scenery of Phang Nga Bay. That began to change around the turn of the century, and by 2005 the area around Khao Lak beach was attracting thousands of travelers, and international hotel chains were beginning to build in the area.
Phuket is Thailand's largest island, a idyllic site for the country's premier international beach resort. Much of the island's charm is that the ocean facing west coast is lined with a series of bays where white sand beaches span between two rocky points. This makes for a series of relatively intimate places rather than one big unbroken stretch of sand lined with high rise hotels and packed with people. See the Phuket beaches page for an overall map to the main beaches and towns of the island.
Samui is the largest of about 80 islands lying off Surat Thani province. Tourists started visiting here in the early 1970s and the place started to gain popularity among the backpacker set as Phuket's rising number of visitors started making it too expensive. An airport opened in the late 1980s made the island easier to get to for the general public and Samui is now almost equal in popularity with Phuket.
Map of Satun Province Satun Province, hard up against the Malaysian border, is where you'll first land in Thailand if you 'island hop' up the western coast of Malaysia -- which is not an entirely bad idea. Ferries from Langkawi Island as well as Kuala Perlis in Malaysia. Although a great many just pass through, there is reason to stay on in Satun for a few days.
Satun Sights Thale Ban National Park Covering 102 square kilometers (40 square miles) of the Thai coastal area between Satun town and the Malaysian border, the Tale Ban National Park consists mostly of pristine rain forests containing a huge variety of wildlife as well as spectacular waterfalls.
Located just south of the newly popular Krabi province, Trang shares its northern neighbor's spectacular limestone cliffs and white sandy beaches. Development is starting to creep south from Krabi, and with the opening of its own airport, Trang appears to be the next big destination.
Map of Trang Province Trang Sights Trang Town The city of Trang itself has apparently been settled for more than 2,000 years. It was known as an important trading center beginning as far back as the first century.
It's a topic that seems to come up quite regularly on the discussion boards: Whether to go to Samui or Phuket. The question usually revolves around the weather. The two islands do have distinctly different rainfall patterns. If you're planning your trip for January to April, there's not a significant difference, but from May to September Samui is quite a bit drier than Phuket. The situation then reverses itself from October to December.
