Phi Phi Islands:

Phi Phi Islands are located in Phuket, Thailand. However, it is a part of Krabi. Phi Phi reminds the tourists of heaven. My friend Pawaena says “it is like the reflection of beauties in heaven. A combination of all beauties. ”

There are many hotels, hostels and spas in Phi Phi. Every summer, more than one million people go Phi Phi for vacation and the population of the island changes dramatically. Habitants of the island are very hostile and happy when they see new faces.

Seven Mile Beach:

It is located in George Town, the capital city of Cayman Islands. Despite its beautiful nature, the number of visitors was dramatically decreased after Hurricane Ivan disaster. There are many resorts and hotels in George Town to accommodate. Puclic nudity and loud music is strictly forbidden.

Lanikai Beach:

Lanikai is located in Hawaii, on the coast of Oahu. Unlike other beaches, Lanikai is only for very rich people. It is ranked as one of the bests. If you are well-off, this should be your first choise.

Manly Beach:

It is located in Sydney, Ausralia. A good place for swiming, surfing and even walking. Manly beach has three parts, Queenscliff, North Steyne and South Steyne. It is adjacent to Sydney Harbour National Park.

Blue Bay Beach:

It is located in Zanzibar. This is one of the favourites of travel agencies in Turkey. Likewise other touristic places, Blue Bay has many hotels,resorts and spas. Since prices are moderates, it is open to everyone from different classes.

Patong Beach

Patong beach has a host of activities which can be done by people of all ages and all tastes. The first thing that comes to mind is jump in the waters which at best can be described as tame. Then one can also do the Banana boat, Para gliding and Para sailing besides the ubiquitous Jet Ski's. One word of advice there is no bargaining here as the beach boys have an understanding that they don't undercut each other!! So tough luck for me and all of you who would look for bargains.

Shopping around the Beach

The area around the corniche is a place full of energy especially since it has a night bazaar or should we call it beach bazaar with nearly everything available from Thai crafted tables, wooden souvenirs to shirts, women's bags, shoes, watches with nearly everything being an imitation. Don't trust t what the shopkeepers say! That's my advice.

I would share my experience. I liked a wooden table which the shopkeeper started with 4000 BHATT and ended up at giving it to me for 300-400 BHATT. Don't remember the exact price. Furthermore never say half to what the shopkeepers ask because they would immediately sell the thing to you its better to start with 1/10th or 1/20th of the price but be prepared for some rough treatment. Man, I truly enjoy shopping!

Furthermore, the area around the beach one can also indulge in some extreme action. You guessed it!! Did you? One can go for bungee jumping here and as I was told it is operated by Kiwis and they have a great safety record. Although one never knows you might be the unlucky one!! Anyways no problems you would probably land in the water and not on the ground so just chill!!! The rates I feel were very competitive.

Other than that this area also has a lot of action at night. The place at night simply is irresistible with the biker boyz revving up their engines in the vicinity of the shopping malls. Mind you it's not the locals but rather the foreigners who just burn rubber with the Thai copies of Harleys. One of the shopping malls also has a bowling alley so one can always go for a game.

Moving away from the beach lets go to the main city. I forgot to tell you people that the best means of accommodation are the open air taxis which can take one to the city centre etc from the Patong beach. It would still not be a bad idea to rent a bike for a day as well if one wants to visit the city centre and stuff. Just one advice the road to the city centre is undulating and sometimes the hills get steep so drive that bike in only the first gear! Look out for the slight drizzle as well because the bikes tend to slip. Otherwise everything would be fine.

The places I went to was the Phuket Karting centre and mind you the place is truly of international class especially the tracks and their cars. Had a peach of the time but then ran out of money. Boy these karts are expensive. But don't forget you have got to bring your passport if you want to ride the cart because if you cause any harm to it then you would have to compensate these people.

People who are staying longer for a week or so should find it easier to buy their groceries, some tit bits etc from the Tesco Lotus Hyper market. The prices over there are ridiculously cheap and one can easily get the fresh fruit especially the award winning coconut, pine apples, mangosteen at good prices.

The main city I think doesn't have a lot to see. But if you are coming to phuket from a Bus then you would be dropped to the main city bus terminus. You could be hustled into getting an expensive taxi for the patong beach or wherever you want to go and there are people who have their private cars which double up as taxis but I feel these options are at best left alone and one just needs to find the open air taxis.

All said and done I guess you people would be hungry now. The places around the small inns on Patong Street offer good value for money. I particularly liked the food at Dubai restaurant which has good Shawarma. Other than that one can always get a boiled corn from the hawkers man they have such great taste. There are other hawkers who sell Thai food but you have to look out for the fact that the food could give you a bug because some of it is not fresh. The banana waffles are a treat to eat as well they are crispy and with honey added it just gets your taste buds.

There are a lot of islands around phuket the most famous being Phi Phi, James Bond, the Muslim fishermen village and one can easily get a tour from the ubiquitous travel agents around the area and it's a good tactic to get one agent against the other and thus get a good deal.

That was probably all I remember about Phuket.

Phuket, the largest island in Thailand is a well known tourist destination. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from dozens of countries. Nicknamed the Pearl of the Andaman Sea, Phuket has much to offer the tourist, not least of all, its beautiful beaches which are generally found on the western side of the island.

The most famous beach of all is Patong, which boasts several kilometers of sandy beach situated in a wide bay. Patong is the most popular resort on the island with many hotels and seafront restaurants. Consequently, it is busy and crowded with sun loungers and parasols. There are also a variety of watersports in which to participate - paragliding, sailing, banana boat riding and jetskis. For those seeking a more peaceful beach experience, either end of the beach is quieter if not exactly secluded.

South of Patong and just along the coast are Karon, Kata and Kata's sister beach Kata Noi. These are the next most popular beaches that appear to strive to emulate Patong. Not quite as brash as Patong, but offering similar amenities, both resorts have expanded quickly to take the overspill from Patong.

Further south still along the coast, can be found Nai Harn beach. Much less developed than the previously mentioned beaches, Nai Harn is in a bay favoured by visiting yachtsmen as an anchorage. There are a number of small restaurants lining one end of the lovely sandy beach.

To the north of Patong, a number of rather beautiful , less populated beaches stretch along the coast.

Kamala was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami but has now undergone something of a transformation as there is now a short promenade lining the populated part of the beach, and a number of new small hotels and restaurants have sprung up. This is a beautiful, long beach much less crowded than its southern neighbours.

Laem Sing beach, accessible via a path leading down from the road is a small beach which has become rather popular with the younger tourists as a cool and hip place to gather. They travel from the surrounding resorts such as Patong in tuk tuks or on motorbikes for the purposes of paying homage to the golden globe in the sky and just to look and feel cool.

Surin beach is a relatively small beach which is not only popular with the locals, but it has also been discovered by the tuk tuk and motorbike travelling crowd. There are many restaurants here including a couple of up market, so called "Beach Clubs", one of which belongs to a nearby hotel. It is a great place to sip a cocktail and watch the spectacular sunsets.

Next, up the coast, is Bang Tao Bay which houses a beach of the same name and also Layan beach. The southern end of Bang Tao beach is a fishing community, after which there is a fine stretch of beach eventually leading to the Laguna complex with its several 5 star hotels. The sand is powdery white and there are some good beach restaurants. The length of the beach is such that it is never crowded.

At the northern end is Layan beach, another beach popular with the locals. It is also partly a National Park so should, in theory, retain its natural beauty. A couple of small rivers acting as a haven for long tailed boats and a small offshore island add to the natural beauty of this particular beach.

Nai Thon is a gem of a beach which is still relatively undiscovered. It is, up to now, very quiet as there are just one or two small guesthouses and a few restaurants and bars. The sand here is white with shady spots under the casuarina trees. It is an idyllic place to chill out.

Nai Yang beach is home to a couple of hotels as well as a National Park. It is a very large beach with white sand. Vast expanses of sand are exposed at low tide. Beach restaurants populate one are of the beach whilst the National Park area is colonised by sea gypsies. Although it has gained in popularity over the years, this is still a relatively quiet beach which is well worth a visit. It is very close to the airport affording good views of planes passing over its northern tip to land or take off.

Just around the corner from Nai Yang is the huge expanse of Mai Khao beach which is more or less totally undeveloped except for a large Marriott hotel. The beach is famous for turtles who come ashore at certain times of the year to lay their eggs.

Phuket's beaches are beautiful and inviting as is the sea, but please, take notice of the flags, as swimming on some of these beaches is notoriously dangerous especially during the monsoon season. Every year tourists are drowned on Phukets beaches notably Bang Tao, Surin, Patong and Nai Harn. If you see a red flag, stay out of the water!