Phuket province

Places to go in Phuket province
Phuket Town
Ao Chalong
Bang Tao Beach
Coral and Raya Islands
Kamala Beach
Karon Beach
Kata Beach
Nai Harn Beach
Naithon to Mai Khao
Patong Beach
Rawai Beach
Surin Beach
Yu Nui Beach

Phuket province is primarily comprised of Phuket Island itself, Thailand's largest, but it also encompasses the smaller islands to the west, south, and east. Referred to in glitzy TAT brochures at the Pearl of the Andaman, the province is visited by over a third of all international visitors to Thailand in any given year. Its huge popularity has brought largely uncontrolled development to the most popular destinations over the past couple of decades and much of the main island today bears the scars of yesterday's short-sighted development.

The province however is home to more than just the single island and as some of the crowds become increasingly dismayed by what they find on Phuket, they're flocking to the offshore destinations such as Ko Maiton, Ko Racha and others. For many, though, the very developed and westernised beaches that run down the western coast of Phuket are exactly what they are looking for. With over a dozen beaches and bays to choose from, you can opt for tourist and deck chair madness one day and follow it with a hidden-away bay the next.

Phuket is also a rapidly-growing real estate market for those looking at retiring or at least buying a holiday home. Massive upscale development is going in all over the island and the prices are not cheap. With an international airport, top standard medical care (Phuket is the sex-change capital of Thailand) and all the western creature comforts, it is easy to see why for some, Phuket is indeed their very own Pearl of the South.

Maps
Phuket Province