Thailand forum

hi ongbeng,

if you are in phuket, stop by the travel agencies or tour desks at hotels to see what your options are. you should find plenty of day trips to places like phi phi, snorkeling, and such. you can also make your own fun by taking the bus into phuket town or to other parts of the island to check out different beaches. renting a scooter is also an option if you have experience riding, but i wouldn't recommend it if you haven't ridden a scooter before. hope that helps. regards.

http://www.phuket-fever.com/scams-new-tourists.htm - not that I'm a negative person -

Experience has shown me Phuket is the best base in Thailand for daytrips - and that includes Bangkok.
The two must not misses IMHO are Phi Phi and the Phang Nga Bay area. The latter is often sold as the James Bond Island trip but that particular tourist trap only takes a small fraction of the day.
Other daytrips out of Phuket worth doing are Coral Island, Ko Yao Yai and Ko Racha (Raya). Ko Yao Noi is better visited independently - Google will give you ferry schedules and other into.
Plenty of people also do the Similans and Khao Sok National Park but the Similans are closed until late Oct and Khao Sok is also better visited in dry season. Both are getting towards a bit of a stretch distance wise for daytrips too.
Every small travel agent on the street and travel desk in hotels will offer these trips. Shop around, prices and content vary a lot.

Phuket has some very nice beaches away from the big 3 so hiring a moto and cruising the west and south coasts can be a good way to spend a day. Not too many people make Paradise Beach/Tri Trang/Tri Tra just south of popular Patong. Also worth checking are Kamala, Laem Singh, Surin, Naithon, Nai Yan, Mai Khao, Cape Panwa all on the west coast and Nai Harn and Cape Promthep in the south.

Indeed. I reckon the legion of Phuket knockers on forums never get out of Patong.

You all have valid points, it's just that "First time in Thailand" may not be aware of what he's in for ? I'll most likely be around that area next year more, but planning to stay on Koh Lanta and travel around... to some of the places Tezza mentioned. - I've never been to Patong

No problem with that, I just thought TF was a little more alternative and not aimed at high end tourists on a 2 week get away, if that's the case. I don't think there's anything wrong with presenting opposing views. It's up to the OP to choose. Some people like Trip advisor better -

I have to admit I'm with Longbeach here.

KSR is a disaster area. You couldn't pay me to go there. But hey, it appeals to some people and it's a free country.

I've never been to Pai - so I can't comment on it except I have no problem with over-touristed. Go in with eyes open and again, maybe it's your scene.

As for Phuket it is actually a pretty large area with a mix of everything. For your typical backpacker who is looking for some sort of idyle, it's probably not going to meet the mark. Furthermore it isn't cheap. Of course, as the world's population grows, the number of really nice, really isolated beaches gets smaller and smaller. And those that do exist are in places where you might well get shot. Or you can make your way to someplace like Pitcairn Island...

I, like Longbeach, tend to find some elements of backpacker thought a little inconsistent, hard to fathom and sometimes a touch sanctimnious. On the one hand, there is a stated desire to get off the beaten path and absorb culture. On the other hand, they are subject to the gravitational pull of other backpackers to such an extent that they consistently coalesce at specific locations which have become famous in backpacker lore (such as Pai, VV, KSR, etc.) and avoid any contact with indigenous persons except on a very superficial level. I have, of course, noted this peculiarity on other threads here. Backpacking actually appears to have become a sort of sub-culture in which backpackers are more interested in the social aspects of being with other backpackers more than the actual destination itself. Of course that is a generalization and there are plenty of backpackers who literally just want to put their stuff in a pack and wander for parts unknown without western or familiar attachment - sort of like Kane in Kung **. But I would submit those are now the minority and the vast majority would prefer to hit the highlights and fill their nights socializing with people of a familiar linguistic and cultural bent.

As for those who want to remain with the culturally familiar in their socializing whilst on their travels, there is nothing organically wrong with that. The rub only occurs when they pretend that their vacation experience is somehow culturally superior to, say, the typical beach tourist who heads to Phuket to absorb some sun, sand and relaxation. Both are engaging in hedonistic pursuits, just in a different manner.

For me, the hardest part to swallow (and thankfully it's been rare - most backpackers coming through Mukdahan are perfectly normal, decent, people - although Muk is not no any sort of trail whatsoever) is when some kid comes through here and starts trying to advise me on local culture or point out some Faux Pas on my part. Someone who's been in country two weeks and the extent of his (her) knowledge is what they've read in a book. Good God... tough to deal with.