Phuket is one of the largest tourist centers in Thailand. It has a very high level of tourist infrastructure, which attracts millions of tourists every year. On a very small territory you can find fine sandy beaches, first-class hotels, and various entertainment complexes, as well as every possible tours and a multitude of other interesting things.
The greatest number of hotels is concentrated in south-west of the island, near the beaches of Patong, Karon and Kara. However, so far only Patong is a full-blown resort town. As to Karon and Kara, they still preserve the features of common beach zones, that is, all the beaches are surrounded by narrow strips of hotels with promenades.
Phuket will be most attractive for those who like quiet beach vacations with high level of service. Alas, in Thailand there are no hotels, which would have their own closed beaches. However, if you prefer hotels with a high or very high level of service, beaches with deck chairs, promenades with enough number of good restaurants, Phuket is just what you need.
Regarding tourist attractions, there are a lot of different parks, gardens, farms and all other artificial things designed for tourist entertainment. As to natural sites, Phuket itself has no particular scenery. To see some such things you should go to nearby islands or continental Thailand – for example, Phi Phi, Similan Islands, Phang-Nga, or Krabi, etc.
If you are shown pictures of beautiful cliffs and picturesque bays with azure waters, you must understand that this can not be Phuket at all but only some nearby islands. Actually, they can be rather far from Phuket, and you can get there only with some excursion or for yourself. For example, Phang-Nga is nearly 100 kilometers of Phuket, and Phi Phi is about 80 kilometers of the island, but it takes at least two hours to get there by a ship.
If you don’t take into account the farms and gardens of Phuket, most popular natural sites are Phi Phi Islands and Phang-Nga Bay. Located to south-east of Phuket Phi Phi quite deserve the name of «paradise islands». They are very beautiful, and after the film ‘Beach’ the islands even became something of a cult. Apart from the fame of the world`s most beautiful landscapes, it is also one of the world centers of beach discos.
The Bay of Phang-Nga including James Bond Island is also very popular among lovers of beautiful landscapes. There is a wonderful rainforest to the north of Phuket – it is Khao Phra Theo National Park.
