Phuket

Phuket is Thailand's largest island. It is 48 km in length, 21 km at its widest, and is located in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges. Only a few of Phuket's cities are not on the beach. Phuket Town – Is the administrative center of the province and is the island's main population center. Has the cheapest accommodation, but no beaches. Chalong Bay - on the east coast, home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage and is the primary gateway to the islands off Phuket. This island paradise nestles in the balmy Andaman Sea waters on Thailand's Indian Ocean coastline 862 kilometers south of Bangkok.

Phuket formerly derives its wealth from tin, rubber and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign trader's ship logs.

In recent times, though, Phuket's top earner has been tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province. The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage now remains.

Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north. Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The high season is generally considered to be from November to May. During the summer monsoon season, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider May to October the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.