Phuket Travel Guide

Kata Beach: The smallest of Phuket's three main tourist beaches, Kata is different in appearance and style from Karon beach or Patong beach. Kata is divided into Kata Yai and Kata Noi. Both beaches offer stunning scenery and a relaxed atmosphere.Kata Yai Beach: This is the larger of the two beaches. The bay is very picturesque with Koh Pu (Pu Island) at the northern end. Half of the beach is bordered by a road, while the southern half has a few resorts right on the beach.The sea here is safer than Karon beach in the rainy season, although you should check for red warning flags. There is a fair amount of development, especially behind the beach between Kata Yai and Kata Noi, with bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. Kata beach is perhaps the best compromise between the hectic pace of Patong beach and some of the quieter beaches on Phuket island. Kata Noi Beach: Kata Noi only has a few hotels and is dominated by the Kata Thani Hotel. The beach is lovely and there has only been a little development.To get there take the narrow beach road up over the hill from Kata

Karon Beach: Karon Beach is one of Phuket's longest beach. Although there are a few large resorts and hotels, they are spread out and the area feels very relaxed. As in Patong beach, the hotels are separated from the beach by a road. However, unlike Patong, the beach is always fairly quiet. The sand is very white, and squeaks audibly when walked on. The southern point has a fine coral reef stretching toward Kata and Poo Island. The narrow road between Kata beach and Karon beach has a number of small businesses as well as the Dino Park Mini Golf facility. Restaurants, bars, tour companies and other non-hotel businesses are at the north end, near the traffic circle, and at the south, on the little road connecting the back road with the beach road. Regular daytime bus service to and from Phuket Town.

Bangtao Beach: Bang Tao is a large open bay with one of Phuket's longest beaches. The 8km long beach never feels crowded, especially at its northern end.The Laguna Phuket complex, containing five luxury hotels and an 18-hole golf course, dominates a large area.The nearby town of Cherng Talay has a few shops as well as a fresh market. Canal Village within Laguna Phuket comprises about 30 shops, mostly selling handicrafts and clothing items.There is an huge array of facilities available at the Laguna Resort available to guests staying at any of the five hotels

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Phuket, a large island in the Indian Ocean, is 867 kms. from Bangkok. It is the only island having provincial status, and was a regional headquarters as well, with a rich and colorful history. Known as the Pearl of the Andaman, it derived much of its former glory and its enormous wealth from tin production, which in Phuket dates back over 500 year. Today, Phuket is the major tourist attraction of Thailand. The surrounding waters contain much varied marine life, and the town is notable for its Sino-Portuguese architecture. It is a very attractive island for sightseeing, with lovely seashores and forested hillsides. Its population of 1.6 million people ranks sixth among all provinces. Approximately 1.75 million Rai of the area is forest land. The main occupation here is rice farming. The average per capita income is 14,343 baht.
Location and BoundariesPhuket is an island connected by bridges to southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast, in the Indian Ocean, lying between 7'45" and 8'15" north latitude, and from 98'15" to 98'40" west longitude on the map. Phuket, Thailand's largest islands, is surrounded by 32 smaller islands that form part of the same administration, with a total area of 570 square kilometers. Measured at its widest point, Phuket is 21.3 kilometers; at its longest, 48.7 kilometers.GeographyAbout 70 percent of Phuket is mountainous; a western range runs from north to south from which smaller branches derive. The highest peak is Mai Tha Sip Song, or Twelve Canes, at 529 meters, which lies within the boundaries of Tambon Patong, Kathu District. The remaining 30 percent of the island, mainly in the center and south, is formed by low plains. Streams include the Khlong Bang Yai, Tha Jin, Khlong Tha Rua, and Khlong Bang Rong, none of which is large.Climate
Phuket's weather conditions are dominated by monsoon winds that blow year round. It is therefore always warm and humid. There are two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. The rainy season begins in May and lasts till October, during which the monsoon blows from the southwest. The dry season is from November through April, when the monsoon comes from the northeast. Highest average temperatures, at 33.4 degree Celsius, prevail during March. Lowest averages occur in January, when nightly lows dip to 22 degree Celsius.

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