Blessed with some 3,000km (2,000 miles) of stunning coastline and more than 1,000 paradisiacal islands washed by two seas – the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea – Thailand attracts a wide range of visitors, from gregarious party animals to reclusive honeymooners.
Barely 90 minutes from the capital, the brash and saucy coastal resort of Pattaya, with its golf courses and the energy of a cosmopolitan playground, has been dubbed the ‘Riviera of the Eastern Seaboard’. Further east, the small, pretty island of Ko Samet is a favourite weekend escape for young Bangkokians, while Ko Chang, Thailand’s second-largest island and part of an extensive marine national park, is rapidly developing.
Longtail boat off Ao Maya Beach.
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Heading south, the Gulf of Thailand’s winding coast has shores fringed with powdery white-sand beaches backed by mountains. The most accessible from Bangkok is family-friendly Hua Hin, which has an air of exclusivity due to its patronage by Thai royalty. Pranburi is fast making a name for itself, too, with its clutch of cutting-edge and design-conscious resorts. Out at sea, Ko Samui, the biggest of some 80 islands constituting the Samui Archipelago, is a significant draw, and can be combined with visits to neighbouring Ko Phangan, notorious for its anything-goes full-moon raves, and Ko Tao, a renowned diving Mecca.
Thailand’s largest island, Phuket, the kingdom’s premier island holiday spot. It has some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, but it’s still possible to explore rustic fishing villages and fragile mangrove forests.
Close by are Ao Phang Nga and Krabi, and islands such as Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta. With their ancient landscape and craggy limestone towers teetering skyward from clear azure waters, these are the preserve of intrepid rock climbers. At sea, kayakers are drawn to caves carved out by underground streams and lagoons hidden within limestone cliffs. Further out are renowned dive sites, near Similan and Surin islands, that beckon the world’s scuba-diving fraternity.
Heading south, Trang, Satun and Songkhla, all breathtakingly beautiful, remain relatively untouched by tourism. It’s important to check security updates for Songkhla. This book leaves out the insurgency-ravaged deep-south provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
