THE EAST COAST OF PHUKET ISLAND

Tin mines and docks take up a lot of Phuket’s east coast, which is thus neither scenic nor swim able. East of Rawai, the sizeable offshore island of Lone Island pretects the broad sweep of Ao Chalong, where many a Chinese fortune was made from the huge quantities of tin mined in the bay. Ao Chalong tapers off eastwards into Laem Panwa, at the tip of which you’ll find the Phuket Aquarium, 10km south of Phuket town and accessible by frequent songthaews. Run by the island’s Marine Research Center, it makes a poor substitute for a day’s snorkeling, but not a bad primer for what you might see on a reef. The research center is also involved in the protection of marine turtles; there’s a hatchery on the premises, although it’s out of bounds to casual visitors.

Around the other side of Laem Panwa, the island’s main port of Ao Makham is dominated by a smelting and refining plant, bordered to the north by Siray Island, just about qualifying as an island because of the narrow canal that separates if from Phuket. Tour buses always stop here to spy on Phuket’s largest and longest-established chao ley community.

THACHATCHAI NATURE TRAIL

41km north of the Thalang intersection, just 700m south of the Sarasin Bridge exit to the mainland, a sigh east off Highway 402 brings you to the Thachatchai Nature Trail, part of the Sirinath National Park which covers the west-coast beaches of Hat Mai Khao and Hat Nai Yang. Although probably not worth a special trip, the trail does combine nicely with a visit to Hat Mai Khao or Hat Nai Yang – and it’s free. Any bus running between Phuket town and the mainland will drop you at the sign(it’s across the road from the old headquarters of the Sirinath National Park, now moved to Hat Nai Yang),

HAT RAWAI AND ITS ISLAND

The eastern side of Laem Promthep curves round into HAT RAWAI, Phuket’s southernmost beach and the first to be exploited for tourist purposes. Twenty-five years on, the developers have moved to the softer sands of Kata and Karon and returned Rawai to its former inhabitants, A few bungalows still open here, but most visitors come either to eat seafood in one of the open-air seafood restaurants on the beachfront, or hire a long-tail out to the islands offshore. Of these, Khai Nok Island, Hai (aka Coral Island), Racha Yai Island and Racha Noi Island are good for snorkeling and diving – the visibility and variety of the reefs around Racha Island in particular compare with those off Similan Island further up the Andaman coast, and make a popular destination for Phuket’s diving centers.

HAT NAI HARN AND LAEM PROMTHEP

Around the next headland south from Kata Noi, HAT NAI HARN -18km Southwest of Phuket town – is generally considered to be one of the loveliest beaches on the Phuket island, given character by a sparkling saltwater lagoon and dominated by the luxurious hotel, the Phuket Yacht Club.

Follow the coastal road 2km south and you’ll get to a small bay which has coral reefs very close to the shore, though the currents are strong and the sewage pipes uncomfortably close. A further 1km on, you reaches the southernmost tip of the Phuket at the sheer headland of Laem Promthep. Wild and rugged, jutting out into the deep blue of the Andaman Sea, the cape is one of the island’s top beauty sports: at sunset, busloads of tour groups get shipped in to admire the scenery – and just to ensure you don’t miss the spectacle, a list of year-round sunset times is posted at the viewpoint. Several reefs lie just off the cape, but it’s safer to snorkel from a boat rather than negotiate the rocky shore.

AO KATA YAI AND AO KATA NOI

Peaceful AO KATA YAI is a few minutes drive around the headland from Karon (17km from Phuket town), but both prettier and safer for swimming thanks to the protective rocky promontories at either end. The northern stretch of Kata Yai is completely given over to the unobtrusive buildings, and then it’s a lengthy trek down to the rest of the accommodation at the southern end, where you will find the restaurants, bars, mini-markets, tour operators and transport rental outlets. A headland at the southernmost point divides Ao Kata Yai from the much smaller AO KATA NOI, which is an attractive little gold sand bay, very popular and so quite crowded with parasols and deckchairs. Kata Noi has its own small cluster of businesses including a mini-market, several restaurants and bars, transport rental and even a tailor’s shop.

AO KARON

20km southwest of Pheket town, AO KARON is only about 5km south from Patong beach, but a lot less congested. With the help of a healthy scattering of café-bars, restaurants and relatively inexpensive guest houses, Ao Karon generally tempts the younger couples and mid-budget backpackers away from its increasingly manic neighbor. Although the central stretch of beach front is dominated by large-capacity hotels, the beach itself is completely free of developments, and elsewhere you’ll find mainly low-rise guest houses and bungalows, some of them set around gardens, interspersed with stretches of undeveloped grassland.

While long and sandy, the beach offers very little in the way of shade; south of the Phuket Arcadia it feels quite exposed because of the road that runs right alongside it, and it almost disappears at high tide. That said, it’s a popular place to swim, and local entrepreneurs rent out parasols and deckchairs on some stretches. Be warned that the undertow off Ao Karon is treacherously strong during the monsoon season from May to October, so you should heed the warning signs and flags and ask for local advice – fatalities are not uncommon. For the rest of the year there’s plenty of scope for water-sports here; windsurfing is good all year round, and the reefs around the tiny island of Ko Pu, just off the headland separating Karon from neighboring Ao Kata Yai to the south, make for enjoyable snorkeling. The tiny bay just north of Ao Karon – known as Karon Noi or Relax Bay – is almost exclusively patronized by guests of the swanky Le Meridien hotel, but non guests are quite welcome to swim and sunbathe here. For inland entertainment, you could do a round at Dino Park mini-golf, next to Marina cottages on the Kata/ Karon headland, which is part of a pseudo-prehistoric theme park comprising a dino burger bar, a dino restaurant and an erupting “volcano”; or try the House of Horror theme park on Patong

NIGHTLIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT ON PATONG BEACH

There are too much of Patong’s nightlife is packed into the strip of open-air bar-beers along Soi Bangla and the tiny sois that lead off it. The gay entertainment district is mainly concentrated around the network of small sois and dozens of bar beers in front of Paradise Hotel on Thanon Raja Uthit. If you’re looking for something else with your kids in the evening, the recommended place is House of Horror theme park on Thanon Prachanukho at the southern edge of Patong beach (daily 5pm-2am), where an old hospital has been converted into sixteen horror chambers, each inspired by a different horror movie and populated by role-playing actors to get you spooked. Alternatively, survey the nearby transvestite Simon Cabaret, or the spectacular show at Phuket Fantasea.

HAT NAI YANG

The long curved sweep of HAT NAI YANG, despite also being part of the Sirinath National Park, 5km south of Hat Mai Khao and 30km north of Phuket town, has become fairly developed, albeit in a relatively low-key way, with around thirty open-air restaurant and small bars set up along the beachfront road and the track that run off it, tour agency, transport rental, mini-markets and internet center. The beach is a pleasant place to while away a few hours, ideally around lunch or dinner time when you can browse the restaurant menus at leisure – barbecued seafood and wood fired pizzas are the local specialties. The very popular Sunday pastime with local Thai families is eating out here in the shade of the trees that run along the bay. The beach is fairly clean and fine for swimming, shallow reef about 1km offshore from the national park headquarters, which are a 15 minuets walk north of the tourist village. The recommended place where you should visit when you’re staying here is Thachatchai Nature Trail, more convenient if you have own transport.

HAT NAI THON

Go to south of Hat Nai Yang down is the next bay is HAT NAI THON, small, one of the least commercialized beaches on the Phuket Island. The 500m long gold-sand bay is shaded by casuarinas and surrounded by plantations of coconut, banana, pineapple and rubber trees. There are not too many places to stay at the beach, a few jeeps for hire and a restaurant attach to each hotel. But there’s good snorkeling at reefs that are easily reached by long-tail boat.

HAT KAMALA AND LAEM SINGH

Sandwiched between the beach and the inland Muslim village of Ban Kamala, small of HAT KAMALA, about 200m west of the main Patong-Surin road and 26km northwest of Phuket town. Hat Kamala has an almost Mediterranean ambience and is one of the most appealingly low-key resorts on Phuket, with cheerfully painted houses, no high-rises or big hotels. Aside from the accommodation which is clustered either side of Thanon Rim Had has several restaurants and bars, transport rental, internet access center, mini-market, health center, post office and tourist operator. The Phuket Fantasea entertainments complex is about 1km northeast of Hat Kamala on the main Patong-Surin road. A few hundred meters north of the cemetery, a couple of steep paths lead west off the main road and down to LAEM SINGH cape, a pretty little sandy cove that’s a picturesque combination of turquoise water and smooth granite boulders. It’s nice for swimming and very secluded.

AO SURIN (AO PANSEA)

The bay south of Ao Bang Tao, beyond Laem Son cape, favorite haunt of royalty and Hollywood stars is AO SURIN (sometime known as AO PANSEA). Nearly always a peaceful spot, it boasts Phuket’s most indulgent resort, the Amanpuri, part of the super exclusive, Hong Kong-based Aman chain, where luxuries include a personal attendant, a private Thai-style pavilion and unlimited use of the black marble swimming pool. Also here are the delightful traditional-style thatched villas at The Chedi, whose published prices start at a slightly more reasonable.

AO PATONG

The most popular and developed of all Phuket’s beaches, AO PATONG 5km south of Ao Kamala and 15km west of Phuket town, 3km long good sand and plenty of shaded by casuarinas and parasols beach. There’re the densest concentration of top hotels, restaurants and bars including the island’s biggest choice of water-sports and diving centers. On the downside, a congestion of high-rise hotels, tour agents and souvenir shops disfigures the beachfront, and limpet-like touts are everywhere. Entertainment plazas are mushrooming all over Patong beach, each one packed with hostess bars and strip joints that make this the most active scene between Bangkok and Hat Yai. Before long, this might be a second Pattaya.

Patong beach just keeps on growing outwards and upwards, which can make it hard to orientate yourself. But the resort is strung out along the two main roads – Thavee Wong and Raja Uthit, that run parallel to the beachfront, spilling over into a network of connecting sois which in turn have spawned numerous pedestrian only “plaza”, while the landmark sois connecting them have become established entertainment zones: Soi Bangla and its offhsoots throb away at the heart of the nightlife district, while the more sedate Soi Post Office is dominated by tailors’ shops and small cafes and restaurants.

AO BANG TAO

The 8km long of AO BANG TAO is effectively the private beach of the up-market Laguna Resort, an “integrated resort” comprising five luxury hotels set in extensive landscaped grounds around a series of lagoons. There’s fee transport between the hotels, and for a small fee all Laguna guests can use facilities at any one of the five hotels which include 15 swimming pools, 30 restaurants, several children’s clubs, a couple of spas and countless sporting facilities ranging from tennis courts to riding stables, windsurfers, and hobie-cats to badminton courts. There’s also the 18 holes Banyan Tree golf course, the quest Laguna outdoor sports center and a kid’s activity center called Camp Laguna, with activities for 8-18 years olds ranging from abseiling and rock climbing to team games and arts and crafts workshops.

PHUKET TOWN

Thought it has plentiful hotels and restaurants, Phuket Town stands distinct from the tailor-made tourist settlements along the beaches as a place geared primarily towards its residents. Most visitors hang about just long enough to jump on a beach-bound songthaew (local minibus), but you may find yourself returning for a welcome dose of real life; Phuket town has an enjoyably authentic market and some of the best handicraft shops on the island. If you’re on a tight budget, the town is worth considering as a base, as accommodation and food come a little less expensive, and you can get out to all the beaches with relative ease. Bear in mind, though, that the town offers little in the way of nightlife, and as public transport to and form the more lively beaches stops at dusk, you’ll have to either rent your own wheels or spend a lot of money on tuk-tuks.

Aside from a manically bustling market on Thanon Ranong there’s not a great deal to see, though a two-hour wander around the streets will take you past several faded colonial-style residences built by Chinese merchants at the turn of the century. Recognizable by their doors and shutters painted in pastel pinks, blues and greens, a string of these elegant old mansions lines Thanon Talang: the carved lintels and brightly painted shutters of the building next door to the Chinese temple are definitely worth an upward glance. You’ll find relics of other historical buildings on Thanon Yaowarat, and on Thanon Ranong, Thanon Phang Nga and Thanon Damrong.

Kids usually enjoy the Phuket Butterfly Farm and Aquarium, located a couple of kilometers beyond the northern end of Thanon Yaowarat at 71/6 Soi Paneang in Ban Sam Kong, but though there are heaps of butterflies of various species, and a few reef fish, there’s a lack of specific information. There’s no public transport to the butterfly farm, but a tuk-tuk from the town center is available. If you have your own vehicle, follow Thanon Yaowarat as far north as you can and then pick up the signs for the farm.

HAT MAI KHAO BEACH

Phuket’s northwest coast with the longest and least-visited beach, the 12km Hat Mai Khao Beach, which starts a couple of kilometers north of the airport and 34km north west of Phuket town, and remains almost completely unsullied by any tourist enticements, with to date just a couple of discreet budget accommodations hidden behind a sand bank at the back of the shore. Together with Hat Nai Yang immediately to the south, Hat Mai Khao constitutes Sirinath National Park, chiefly because giant marine turtles come ashore here between October and February to lay their eggs. Mai Khao Beach is also a prime habitat of a much-revered but non-protected species – the sea grasshopper or sea louse, a tiny crustacean that’s considered a great delicacy. While you’re at Mai Khao beach, you might want to make a trip to the Thachatchai Nature Trail, which also comes under the protection of the Sirinath National Park, but is actually on Phuket’s northeast coast, very close to the Sarasin Bridge and about 8km north form the Hat Mai Khao beach accommodation.

AROUND PHUKET ISLAND

This account of the island starts at the top of Phuket’s most appealing coast and follows an anti-clockwise route around the perimeter, through the chief tourist centers. The west coast boasts a series of long sandy beaches punctuated by shear rocky headlands, unprotected form the monsoons and consequently quite rough and windswept from May to October. Shadowed by the mainland, the east coast is much more sheltered and thus makes a convenient docking point for ships, but is hopeless for swimming and sunbathing.

List of Beaches around Phuket Island

Phuket Town

Hat Mai Khao Beach

Hat Nai Yang Beach

Hat Nai Thon Beach

Ao Bang Tao

Hat Surin Beach (Ao Pansea)

Hat Kamala and Laem Singh Beach

Ao Patong

Ao Karon

Ao Kata Yai and Ao Kata Noi

Hat Nai Harn and Laem Promthep

Hat Rawai and its islands

The East Coast of Phuket

WAI ISLAND

Wai Island has some of the best coast and is excellent for snorkeling and diving. The Wai Island has one bungalow operation. Kham Island is also recommended for underwater explorations; accommodation is available. Laoya Island has natural attributes similar to those at Wai Island, with one rather expensive place to stay. The tiny Rang Island archipelago, south-west of Chang Island, is a primary nesting ground for the endangered hawksbill sea turtle.

MAK ISLAND

Mak Island is the smallest of the three main islands of Chang National Marine Park, has a beach along the north-west bay and possibly others as yet undiscovered. Monsoon forest covers 30% of the Mak Island while coconut plantations take up another 60%. A few tractors or jeeps travel along the single paved road which leads form the pier to the main village. It is possible to rent motorbikes and organize diving trips form the resorts on the island.

KUT ISLAND

Kut Island is mostly along the west side, at Hat Khlong Chao beach, Hat Khlong Yai Kii beach and Hat Tapho beach. A dirt road runs between Ban Khlong Hin Dam beach, the Kut Island’s main village on the west coast, and Ao Salat beach along the north-east shore. Other villages on the Kut Island include Ban Ta Poi beach, Bang Ao Salat beach, Ban Laem Kluai beach, Bang Khlong Phrao beach and Ban Lak Uan beach. Tan Sanuk Falls and Khlong Chao beach offer inland water diversions. The nearby small islands of Rang Island and Rayang Island have good coral in spots. Kut Island can be reached form Khlong Yai beach on the mainland or from Mak Island.

AROUND CHANG ISLAND

In general the more interesting hikes can be found in the southern half of the Chang island where there are fewer roads. At the northern end you can walk form Khlong Son beach to Hat Sai Khao beach in about 1 ½ to two hours, from Hat Sai Khao beach to Hat Khlong Phrao beach in about two hours, and from Hat Khlong Phrao beach to Hat Kaibae beach in about two hours. All three are straightforward walks along the main road. If you’re looking for more grunts, just head into the interior – the steep, forested hills will have you sweating in no time. A footpath connects Khlong Phrao beach on the west coast with Khlong Mayom beach on the east, but this all-day cross-island route shouldn’t be undertaken without a local guide. Hedi at the White House Bakery at Hat Sai Khao beach has information on local guides.

Down south a challenging walk is to hike from Kaibae beach to Ao Bang Bao beach through coconut and rubber plantations – this takes three to four hours and is a bit more involved. You may have to ask directions from villagers along the way as there are several interconnecting trails.

Don’t try the walk from Bang Bao beach to Salak Phet beach unless you’re and experienced tropical hiker with moderate orienteering skills – there’s a lot of up-and-down and many interconnecting trails. A Swede who hiked the entire perimeter of the Chang Island suggested that for this part of the island you carry a note in Thai reading ‘I would like to go to Salak Phet beach. I like very much to walk in the jungle and have done it before. Please show me the start of this trail’. If you don’t get lost, this hike will take four to six hours; should you decide to attempt it, carry should you decide to attempt it, carry enough food and water for an overnight, just in case. If you do get lost, climb the nearest hilltop and try to locate the sea or a stream to get a bearing. Following any stream will usually take you either to a village or to the sea. Then you can either follow the coast or ask directions. This advice is also good for hiking anywhere across the island, as it is very easy to get lost on the many intersecting, unmarked trails. At the south-east end of Ao Bang Bao beach, around a headland that leads to Ao Salak Phet beach, is a beautiful and secluded beach, Hat Wai Chek beach.

On the east side of the Chang Island it’s a one hour walk between Dan Mai beach and Than Mayom beach, two hours between Dan Mai beach and Sai Thong beach(or between Khlong Son beach and Sai Thong beach). Salak Kok beach to Salak Phet beach is straightforward and takes around three hours. The estuary at Ao Salak Kok beach’s western end boasts one of the best mangrove systems in Thailand, though like other coastal wetlands it’s threatened by increased shrimp farming.

A hike around the entire island can be done at a comfortable place in a week to 10 days. Remember to carry plenty of water and watch out for snakes - a few poisonous varieties live on the Chang Island.

CHANG ISLAND

Chang Island national marine park (Elephant Island) is at 492 sq.km, Thailand’s second largest island after Phuket Island. The entire park officially encompasses 192 sq.km of land surface, and 458 sq.km of sea. Change Island itself is about 70% undisturbed island rainforest – the best preserved in Thailand. Beach forest and mangrove are also found in abundance.

Other major islands in the park include Kut Island, Mak Island and Wai Island. Chang Island is ringed with small bays and beaches, among them Ao Khlong Son beach, Hat Sai Khao beach, Ao Khlong Phrao beach, Hat Kaibae beach, Ao Bang Bao beach and Ao Salak Phet beach. Near each of these beaches are small villages.

Until rather recently there wasn’t a single paved road on Chang Island, only red dirt roads between Khlong Son beach and Hat Kaibae beach on the west coast of the Chang Island, and between Khlong Son beach and Ban Salak Phet beach on the east side, plus walking trails passable by motorcycle from Kaibae beach to Bang Bao beach and Salak Kok beach to Salak Phet beach. Road crews are working to extend the road along the west side. A paved section now exists between Khlong Son beach/Ao Sapparot beach and Khlong Phroa beach, and Trat authorities say the Chang Island will have a paved ring road – or at least the beginnings of one – within the next two or three years. Electricity now come form the mainland to the northern part of the island via a submarine cable and power lines will probably continue to follow the sealing of the roads around the island.

Mostly Thai people around 75,000 a year who like to arrive on weekends and holidays only, stay for 24 hours or less, and stay in the more expensive accommodation. The non Thai tourist average stay around 5 days; a small number of visitors take up residence for weeks on end.

As with other national marine parks in Thailand, park status versus resort development is a hot issue. On Chang Island, so far everyone seems to be in agreement about what parkland is and what isn’t. Any land that was planted before the conferral of park status in 1982 can be privately deeded, bought, sold and developed – this includes many beach areas used for coconut plantations, or about 15% of the Chang Island. The Forestry Department makes regular flights over the island to check for encroachment on the 85% belonging to the national park mostly in the interior – and they are said to be very strict with interlopers.

PHUKET ISLAND

The country’s largest island, most populous, most visited island, a whirl of color and cosmopolitanism that’s a province into itself, Phuket Island is dubbed by the tourist industry. The coastal terrain of the 810 sq.km island encompasses broad, sandy bays, rocky peninsulas, limestone cliffs, forested hills and tropical vegetation while the interior has rice paddies, rubber, cashew nut, cacao, pineapple and coconut plantations, as well as Phuket Island’s last bit of island rainforest. Although Phuket Island is connected to Phang Nga province by a causeway, most visitors arrive via the island’s international airport located near its northern tip.

There is a lot to do in Phuket Island, and consequently, a lot to spend your money on. There are also more tourists in Phuket Island than on any other Thai Island, though most flock to three beaches on the south-west side – Patong beach, Karon beach and Kata beach. The beach towns themselves are quite built up, and have all the amenities and entertainment one could wish for. This is the area to visit if you’re looking for a lively, action-filled vacation.

Nai Han beach, near the southern tip, and Kamala beach, on the western coast are relatively quiet, in spite of major tourist development at both, while Nai Thon beach, Nai Yang beach and Mai Khao beach to the north remain mostly untouched. In general the northern half of the island, both along the shore and in the interior, has not been swept up in the development wave, and thus offers quiet beach retreats and chances to explore rural inland areas.

Development on Phuket Island has been influenced by the fact that it is connected to the mainland by a bridge, and hence it receives much more vehicular traffic than any other island in the country. Phuket Island’s high per-capita wealth also means there’s plenty of money available for investment. A turning point was reached when a Club Med was established at Hat Kata beach, followed by the construction of the more lavish Phuket Yacht Club on Hat Nai Han beach and Le Meridien on Karon Noi beac (Relax Bay). This marked an end to the decade-long cheap bungalow era, which started in the early 1970s when a 10B guesthouse was attached to a laundry on Hat Patong beach. The cheapest have long since been bought out and replaced by all manner of hotel and bungalow developments, some ill-conceived, others quite appealing.

The era of going for quick money regardless of the cost to the environment has passed. Most beach resorts are now looking towards long-term, sustainable practices – not all of them, but a far greater percentage than on Samui Island, Pha Ngan Island, Tao Island, and even Chang Island. For the long term outlook, the Phuket Island visitor pays a premium in terms of somewhat higher prices.

Beach Around Phuket island
Getting to Phuket Island

VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL ON PHUKET ISLAND

The Vegetarian Festival, Phuket Island’s most important festival, takes place during the first nine days of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar – usually late September or October.

Basically, the festival celebrates the beginning of the month of ‘Taoist Lent’, when devout Chinese abstain from eating all meat and meat products. In Phuket Island, the festival activities are centerd around five Chinese temples, with the Jui Tui temple on Th Ranong the most important, followed by Bang Niaw and Sui Boon Tong temples. Events are also celebrated at temples in the nearby towns of Kathu (where the festival originated) and Ban Tha Reua.

The TAT office in Phuket Island prints a helpful schedule of events for the Vegetarian Festival each year. The festival also takes place in Trang, Krabi and other Southern Thai towns.

Besides abstention from meat, the Vegetarian Festival involves various processions, temple offerings and cultural performances, and culminates with incredible acts of self-mortification – walking on hot coals, climbing knife-blade ladders, piercing the skin with sharp objects and so on. Shop owners along Phuket Island’s central streets set up altars in front of their shop-fronts offering nine tiny cups of tea, incense, fruit, candles and flowers to the nine emperor gods invoked by the festival. Those participating as mediums bring the nine deities to earth for the festival by entering into a trance state and piercing their cheeks with all manner of objects – sharpened tree branches (with leaves still attached), spears, slide trombones, daggers; some even hack their tongues continuously with saw or axe blades. During the street processions these mediums stop at the shop-front altars, where they pick up the offered fruit and either added it to the objects piercing their cheeks or pass it on to bystanders as a blessing. They also drink one of the nine cups of tea and grab some flowers to stick in their waistbands. The shop owners and their families stand by with their hands together in a wai gesture, out of respect for the mediums and the deities by whom they are temporarily possed.

The entire atmosphere is one of religious frenzy, with deafening firecrackers, ritual dancing, and bloody shirt fronts. Oddly enough, there is no record of this kind of activity associated with Taoist Lent in China. Some historians assume that the Chinese here were somehow influenced by the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in nearby Malaysia, which features similar acts of self-mortification. The local Chinese claim, however, that the festival was started by a theatre troupe from China that stopped off in nearby Kathu around 150 years ago. The story goes that the trope was struck seriously ill because the members had failed to propitiate the nine emperor gods of Taoism. The nine day penance they performed included self-piercing, meditation and a strict vegetarian diet.

SAMET BEACH (WEST OF ISLAND)

HAT AO PHRAO BEACH

Hat Ao Phrao beach is only one beach on the west side of Samet Island. Hat Ao Phrao beach has nice sunset views. Thai people call ‘Coconut Bay Beach’ but for marketing reasons bungalow operators tend to use the clichéd ‘Paradise Beach’ moniker. Long time ago there are no jet skis on this side, so it tend to be quieter than the beach’s east coast. Local bungalow operators also do a good job of keeping the beach clean. There is a daily boat between Saphaan Nuanthip in Ban Phe and Ao Phraw beach for about 50B per person.

See map...

Samet beach (East of Island)

AO THIAN BEACH

Ao Thian beach locate at the east coast of Samet Island and South of Ao Wong Deuan beach, from this beach south things start to get much quieter. It is better known by its English name ‘Candlelight Beach’. Ao Thian beach (Candlelight Beach) is quite scenic, and rocky outcrops break up the beach, though there’s plenty of sand to stretch out upon. Unfortunately the bungalow operation here is no great shakes. Keep in mind you’re a captive of quest house kitchen choices here; you may want to bring some of your own food from the village on the northern tip of the Samet Island.

AO WONG DEUAN BEACH

Ao Wong Deuan beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Ao Cho beach, this once gorgeous bay is now filled with speedboats and jet-skis. Ao Wong Deuan beach has a lot of accommodation packed into a small area, making things a bit cramped. The crescent shaped beach is still nice, but it is noisy and often crowded. There are three boats – the Malibu, Seahorse and Vongduern – go back and forth between Ao Wong Deuan beach and Ban Phe.

AO CHO BEACH

Ao Cho beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Ao Nuan beach, a five minute walk across the next headland form Ao Nuan beach, this beach has its own pier and can be reached directly from Ban Phe on the boat White Shark or aboard the supply boat. Ao Cho beach just north of crowded Ao Wong Deuan beach, it’s fairly quiet here, though the beach is not among Samet Island’s best.

AO NUAN BEACH

Ao Nuan beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Ao Phutsa beach (Ao Thaptim Beach) is one of the quieter, more secluded places to stay without having to get to the far south of the Samet Island. But the food is quite good here. It’s a five minute walk over the headland form Ao Phutsa beach.

AO PHUTSA BEACH

Ao Phutsa beach or Ao Thapthim beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Ao Phai beach. After Ao Phutsa beach, the remaining beaches south are separated from one another by fairly steep headlands. To get from one to the next, you have a choice of negotiating rocky paths over the hilly points or walking west to the main road, which goes along the center of the island, then cutting back on side roads to each beach.

AO PHAI BEACH

Ao Phai beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Hin Khok beach. Ao Phai beach is another shallow bay with a nice wide beach. It pretty quiet, fairly crowded and good view of beach. Near sea breeze, the main road south to Ao Wong Deuan beach turns inland and heads down the middle of the Samet Island. A little farther along the road from here is where the cross-island road to Ao Phrao beach on the west coast starts.

AO HIN KHOK BEACH

Ao Hin Khok beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Sai Kaew beach. Hin Khok beach’s size is about half of Hat Sai Kaew beach but just as pretty – the rocks that give the beach its name add a certain character. Hin Khok beach is separated from Sai Kaew beach by a rocky point surmounted by a mermaid statue, a representation of the mermaid that carried the mythical Phra Aphaimani to Samet Island in the Thai epic of the same name. Ao Hin Khok beach and Ao Phai beach, the next inlet south, offer the advantage of having among the least expensive huts on the Samet Island along with reasonably priced restaurants serving good food.

HAT SAI KAEW BEACH

Hat Sai Kaew beach located at the east coast of Samet Island. It’s the prettiest beach called “Diamond Sand Beach”, is 800m long and 25 to 30m wide. Hat Sai Kaew beach’s bungalows are the most commercial on the Samet Island, with video in the restaurants at night and lots of lights. All face of beach and most have outdoor restaurants serving a varaity of seafood. Like elsewhere in Thailand, the daily rate for accommodation can soar suddenly with demand. The more scrupulous places don’t hike rates by much, though.

SAMET BEACH (EAST OF ISLAND)

There are about 8 beaches recommended at the east side of Samet Island. See map...

HAT SAI KAEW BEACH
It’s the prettiest beach called “Diamond Sand Beach”, is 800m long and 25 to 30m wide...

AO HIN KHOK BEACH
Hin Khok beach is separated from Sai Kaew beach by a rocky point surmounted by a mermaid statue...

AO PHAI BEACH
Ao Phai beach is another shallow bay with a nice wide beach...

AO PHUTSA BEACH
Ao Phutsa beach or Ao Thapthim beach located at the east coast of Samet Island and south of Ao Phai beach...

AO NUAN BEACH
Ao Nuan beach is one of the quieter, more secluded places to stay without having to get to the far south of the Samet Island...

AO CHO BEACH
Ao Cho Beach beach has its own pier and can be reached directly from Ban Phe...

AO WONG DEUAN BEACH
Ao Wong Deuan beach once gorgeous bay is now filled with speedboats and jet-skis...

AO THIAN BEACH
Ao Thian beach is better known by its English name ‘Candlelight Beach’...

Samet Beach (West of Island)

SAMET ISLAND

Attracted by its proximity to Bangkok and its podery white sand, backpackers, package tourists and Thai students flock to the island of Samet Island, 80km southest of Pattaya beach, whose former name, Kaew Phitsadan Island, means “the island with sand of crushed crystal”. Only 6km long, Samet Island was declared a national park in 1981, but typically the ban on building has been ignored and there are now over thirty bungalow operations here. Inevitably, this has had a huge impact on the island’s resources: the sea is no longer pristine, and you occasionally stumble across unsightly piles of rubbish. Though the authorities did try closing the island to overnight visitors in 1990, they have since come to a (controversial) agreement with the island’s bungalow operators who now pay rent to the Royal Forestry Department.

Samet Island ’s beaches tend to be characterized by the type of accommodation you find there, though as the island gets increasingly upmaket, it is becoming more difficult to find a bungalow for under 300B a double in high season on any of the beaches. Ao Phrao beach, Ao Wong Duan beach and Hat Sai Kaew beach have the most up-market places to stay, but all the other beaches still have at least a few budget-orientated bungalow, with the most accessible beaches – Ao Hin Kok beach, Ao Phai beach and Ao Tub Tim beach – being the most popular in this category. More up-market bungalows are usually made of concrete and have good, tiled bathrooms; the most expensive have air-con, but prices also depend on whether or not you have an uninterrupted view of the sea. Samet Island has no fresh water, so water is trucked in from the mainland and should be used sparingly; most sets of bungalows offer at least a few huts with attached bathroom. Electricity in a few places is rationed for evening consumption only, but even these outfits have video shows after dark to help keep the beer flowing.

All beaches get packed on weekend and national holidays, so at these times you’d be sensible to take the first available room and if necessary change early the following day. You could also try phoning ahead to reserve a room, though not all bungalows accept bookings and it can be hard getting through in the first place as most places on Samet Island still rely on satellite phones. At Songkhran (the Thai New Year, in April) it’s said to be impossible to find a bungalow even on the most remote beaches, so it’s probably worth altering your itinerary accordingly. Many bungalow managers raise their rates by sixty percent during peak periods and sometimes for weekender as will: the rates quoted here are typical high-season rates. If all affordable accommodation is booked up, you can always camp – in accordance with national park rules, camping is permissible on any of the beaches, despite what you might be told.Until a few years ago, Samet Island was considered to be malarial, but has now been pronounced safe. You’ll still encounter plenty of mosquitoes at dusk though, so take lots of repellent; nets or screens are supplied by all bungalow operations and repellent is available from stalls and shops on the island.

Beach at the East of Samet Island

Beach at the West of Samet Island

SIMILAN ISLAND

Rated by Skin Driver magazine as one of the world’s top ten spots for both above-water and underwater beauty, the nine islands that make up the Similan Island national park are among the most exciting diving destinations in Thailand. Massive granite boulders set magnificently against turquoise waters give the islands their distinctive character, but it’s the thirty-meter visibility that draws the divers. The underwater scenery of Similan Island is nothing short of overwhelming here: the reefs teem with a host of coral fish, from the long-nosed butterfly fish to the black-, yellow- and white-striped angle fish, and the ubiquitous purple and turquoise parrot fish, which nibble so incessantly at the coral. A little further offshore, magnificent mauve and burgundy crown-of-thorns starfish stalk the sea bed, gobbling chunks of coral s they go – and out here you’ll also see turtles, manta rays, moray eels, jacks, reef sharks, sea snakes, red grouper and quite possibly white – tip sharks, barracuda, giant lobster and enormous tuna.