Phuket, the largest island of Thailand, is nearly the size of Singapore and is located in the green waters of the Andaman Sea at around 850 kilometers south of the capital, Bangkok. As Thailand's most popular beach destination, whether the visitor is looking for a quiet place or an active area with plenty of colorful night life, Phuket island has everything someone would want on a holiday.

With beautiful beaches and some of the best resort hotels, the island is ideal to create a delightful ambiance for a truly memorable vacation. Phuket has 2 main seasons, which are the rainy season from May to October and the hot season from November to April. During the rainy season, showers last not more than two to three hours in a day and many sunny days still can be enjoyed.

The most favored beaches are situated in Bang Tao, Kamala, Karon, Kata and Patong. In addition to the beaches and night life of the island, many other activities can be enjoyed such as water sports, visit of temples, treks in the forest or motorcycle rides. Phuket also hosts one of the most famous International soccer 7s tournament in south-east Asia in November.

Bangtao beach is one of the longest beach in Phuket island and a luxury resort area dominated by a Laguna complex, a massive luxury-hotel development with golf course. Swimming is excellent during the dry season, and at the end of the bay is a smaller bay, which is nearly completely enclosed, with some fine corals.

Kamala beach, which is mostly a fishing village, is less crowded even during the summer season. A two kilometers long quiet beach where fishermen can be seen casting their net near their boats, is the only entertainment of the area together with the buffalo herds that come down sometimes to cool off.

Patong beach is the leading tourist district for water sports activities such as snorkeling, parachute flying, windsurfing, jet-skiing and sailing. Patong has the most unbelievable nightlife in all Phuket. Pubs, restaurants, go-go bars and discotheques are dispersed all over a 3,000 meter long beach front. The greatest concentration of night places are in Soi Bangla, where pubs with live music, bars with local entertainers and an important choice of excellent restaurants can be found.

Karon Beach is a lot quieter than Patong and is the second largest tourist beach in Phuket. A long and broad almost unspoiled beach with a very white sand can be enjoyed there. A superb coral reef is extending towards Kata and Bu Island at the southern point. Restaurants, bars and tour companies, but also non-hotel businesses are located at the north end.

Phuket has its own International airport and can be reached directly from overseas or from Bangkok with a 70 minutes flight.

Michel Gerard is a Travel author located in Asia. Visit the GuestHouse Phuket website to book your accommodation online and grab your *free* ebook: "Stories of Authentic Eco-adventure Destinations for Travellers in Thailand" http://www.guesthousephuket.com/ebook.html