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Three extra days in Phuket Island
Article by www.exotissimo.com - Your travel partner in Indochina, Myanmar and Thailand.
Mention the Thai island of Phuket to a seasoned traveller and you will hear stories about first-class resorts, white sandy beaches and spectacular dive sites.
Phuket, Thailand's largest island lies off its south western coast is surrounded by 32 smaller islands and dotted with pristine beaches. If you seek a quiet, isolated beach with few tourists and distractions, try the Emerald Bay in Patong or Mai Khao Beach (which should be avoided in the rainy season due to dangerous currents). For more excitement, the Patong and Karon Beaches are pleasurable paradises for water lovers with opportunities to windsurf, water ski, parasail, sail and surf, as well as shop and party.
Take a short boat trip to the tropical Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le Islands of Krabi Province and stay to snorkel around the area's coral reefs and under-water vertical walls, explore limestone caverns, and hike through wooded trails. A day trip to the Similan Islands in the northwest is worthwhile because of the area's famous diverse marine life.
But much more than the above tourist attractions, Phuket is an island of forested hills, coconut and rubber plantations, lush rice fields and wildlife parks. Take an extra three days to venture into the interior of the island, where many other attractions can be discovered.
A leisurely walk through Phuket town, in the southeast, will yield ancient Mediter-raneanstyle buildings and an open-air market. At Kamala Beach on the west coast is Phuket FantaSea, a theme park that offers carnivals, shopping, buffet at a 4,000-seat restaurant and theatrical shows. In the northeast, the Bang Pae and Ton Sai Waterfalls are great retreats from overcrowded beaches. Other fun locations include the Thalang Butterfly Farm, the Phuket Zoo, the Phuket Aquarium and Marine Centre and so much more.
Movie star islands
Two of Thailand's islands, Phi Phi Islands and James Bond Island, were once obscure and then made famous when Hollywood visited them to make movie magic. Phi Phi Don Island, in Krabi Province and seven square metres in size, was used for scenes in Leonardo DiCaprio movie, "The Beach." And James Bond Island, once known as Nail Island, in Phang Nga Bay was used as the enemy's base in "The Man with the Golden Gun." |
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