Coastal Resorts

Phuket has now fully recovered from the devastating 2004 tsunami. Aside from its exceptional white-sand beaches, the area is renowned for the quality of its scuba diving. Parts of the island’s west coast have been overdeveloped, but the top resorts offer blissful tranquility. To the east in spectacular Phang Nga Bay, several new properties provide fine alternatives. Farther south, the island of Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand 50 miles from the mainland. Effectively isolated until the late 20th century, it did not even have roads until the 1970s. Today, despite a degree of development and the arrival of an occasional cruise ship, it remains picturesque and comparatively tranquil.