Phuket – a tropical paradise jammed with endless pleasures and treasures – has long been Thailand’s top tourist destination. The island, which is approximately the size of Singapore, has everything from ancient relics to zoos. There is something to please any adventure seeker. There are crowded beaches, or secluded coves. Festivals and regattas cram the calendar.
The island was cruelly hit by the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. We were here when that happened and if you have already read our account in The Tsunami, page 9, you will know how lucky we were.
Despite the deaths and destruction it did not take the island long to fight back the tears and grief and rebuild the broken bits of this holiday paradise. We stayed for several months after that sad Sunday and learned firsthand what resilient and fine people the Thais are. Although so many suffered it was hard to find someone complaining. The attitude was: Things will get better. And they did.
The island got a minor jolt early in 2004 when a major travel publication dubbed it one of the world’s ugliest tourist destinations. In true Thai style, local officials – including the governor – did not dispute the claim, but vowed to make changes. The good news was that Chiang Mai got good marks in the same poll.
But it wasn’t long before numerous very not-ugly resorts began opening. Some of them far exceeded our affordable-luxury theme. By 2005 the new resorts that were opened included the very expensive and exclusive Trisara on the northwest side of the island, and the world-class The Racha resort, technically within the province of Phuket but located on an island to the south. More in our price range was the TwinPalms, which opened at Surin Beach, and the Crowne Plaza, which replaced an older hotel on Karon Beach. Another top quality boutique resort, Arahmas now graces the beach at Nai Yang. You can read about all these new resorts in the Where to Stay section, page 223.
