Phuket

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and one of the most popular beach destinations in Southeast Asia. Its appeal rests on a rare combination: white-sand beaches lining a turquoise Andaman Sea, a network of excursions to exceptional sites (Phang Nga Bay, the Phi Phi Islands, the Similan reefs), a lively nightlife in Patong, and a hotel infrastructure that covers every budget, from beach bungalow to oceanfront palace.

The island has around a dozen beaches with very different characters. Patong is the busiest — almost a holiday town in its own right, with bars, clubs, restaurants and a 3 km beach packed year-round. Kata and Kata Noi are more family-friendly, framed by cliffs and accessible to beginner surfers from November to March. Surin and Kamala, on the central west coast, draw travellers looking for more peace and a more local crowd. Phuket Town, the island's Sino-Portuguese old town, rewards the curious with a handsome quarter of colourful colonial houses, authentic street food and Chinese temples.

Beyond the beaches, what makes Phuket work as a destination is its position as a regional hub. A 90-minute speedboat reaches the Phi Phi Islands; an hour by long-tail puts you among the karst towers of Phang Nga Bay; a liveaboard takes you to the Similan Islands — one of the great Asian dive sites. Even if the island itself has been heavily developed, it remains the most convenient launchpad for the wider Andaman.