Phuket

Phuket is Thailand's largest island, about 50 km from north to south, off the west coast in the Andaman Sea and joined to the mainland by the Sarasin Bridge. White-sand beaches line its west coast: lively Patong, then Karon, Kata and Kamala, and Nai Yang inside Sirinat National Park.

The island has a history beyond the beach. Its wealth came from tin, mined from the 16th century, and Chinese merchants built Old Phuket Town with its colourful Sino-Portuguese shophouses. In 2015 UNESCO named Phuket a Creative City of Gastronomy, the first in South-East Asia.

Phuket is where Thailand's finest sea journeys begin: the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island, the Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay, and the Similan Islands for diving between October and May. The 45-metre Big Buddha looks over Chalong Bay.

Phuket is at its best from November to April, when the sea is calm and the sky clear. From May to October the west coast sees more rain and higher waves; in those months we suggest Koh Samui.