Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

The 20km wide and 50km long island of Phuket situated at Southern Thailand, is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Tourists who travel to Phuket often enjoy beautiful sunsets in the beach, amazing scenery, warm turquoise blue sea, and enjoy exciting activities like snorkeling, yachting, scuba diving, & other water games. Phuket also has a very broad range of hotels and resorts, quality restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and bars, shopping centers, and other entertainment options.

The sheer size of the Phuket island makes it difficult to locate the Best Phuket hotels in the "best area". Almost all beaches are good, and where ever accommodation is allowed, the area is great and scenic, with the exception of very few hotels which are slightly far away from the interesting things. People decide between nightlife, shopping, beach or scenic views to locate the best area for Phuket hotels.

Thailand Beaches

Accommodation at a variety of Phuket Hotels is possible, ranging from ultra-luxury hotels, island villas, beach resorts, countless budget hotels, lodges, vacation rentals and apartments. Tripadvisor itself lists a total of 540 Phuket hotels including Resorts, Romantic getaways, Family hotels, Best Value budget hotels, Trendy hotels and another 371 B&B and Inns which suite long term stay and vacations at Phuket. With several kinds of Phuket hotels available, travelers have a choice of type, budget and facilities. While booking Phuket hotels, make sure you do it with a reliable travel agent or an online booking engine that is experienced with Thailand and particularly Phuket hotels. It takes a while for any Travel agent to understand the enormous numbers of Phuket Hotels in different areas and what each of them offers. Travelers generally book Phuket Hotels along with their vacation plans to Bangkok, Pattaya, Krabi and Koh Samui.

Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

Before staying at Phuket island, you need to decide whether you are going to be near Phuket Town itself or venture to other areas of the Island. The Island can be divided into the Western Phuket with the main Beaches, Southeastern Phuket with slightly off-beat beaches, Interior Phuket with its hilly expanse, Phang Nga Bay famous for its cliffs and James Bond Island, and Phuket Town which is the administrative capital of the province, and most populated town. The other cities in Phuket include Chalong Bay famous for its yacht anchorage, Kamala with quiet beaches north of Patong, Karon known for its most-developed beaches, Kata famous for its surfing and tourist crowded beaches, Nai Thon and Nai Yang the two quiet beaches near Sirinat National Park, Patong known for its largest beach resort and great nightlife, Rawai which is popular with the locals and eating in the beach and Surin.

Phuket town is one of the main centers for nightlife and tourist shopping, so the majority of Phuket hotels are located here and its the first choice for budget conscious travelers. If you are staying in Patong, remember it is a large area, and your local travel costs can be hugely inflated if you are not near what you want to do most of the time. At Patong, be specific about your intentions before booking - a Beach Bungalow for the kids or a budget hotel near nightlife are two different choices altogether. The third best choice for tourists after Phuket & Patong is to stay at Karon Beach. There are plenty of hotels in Karon's long beautiful beach which are very close to the sand and most of them offer sea view rooms. The cheapest beachfront sea view rooms among all Phuket hotels is available at Karon only. The next best place to stay is the Kata Beach which also has many beachfront hotels with of different varieties.

There is a wide range of Phuket hotels and resorts scattered throughout the island, from family resorts to vacation rentals to budget apartments. Pick an accommodation that best fits your needs and budget. Happy Phuket Holidays.

Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

If you're looking for a really nice hotel in Phuket, visit Phuket Hotels.

Monday, May 27, 2013

The Best Beaches of Phuket

Phuket Island is one of the most popular travel destinations of Thailand. One of the main reasons why so many tourists visit  each year is because it has some of the finest beaches in all of Asia. If you love beach holidays then you should definitely consider visiting this magnificent island on vacation.

Phuket has a large number of beautiful white sandy beaches and most of these amazing beaches are located on the west coast of the island. If you are planning a trip to this Thai holiday island then there are several beaches which you should definitely visit and spend some time at. I have listed for you some of the best locations down below.

Thailand Beaches

Nai Harn Beach

The Best Beaches of Phuket

Nai Harn beach is my favorite beach on on the island and many expats prefer to spend their free days at this spectacular beach. There are only a few resorts at Nai Harn beach which is why you won't feel crowded at this beach. There are however a number of great little seafood restaurants at this destination and prices are generally very affordable. If you are looking for activities then you will also be happy at this excellent beach as there is a number of water sport companies located at this beautiful location on the island.

Surin Beach

Another very popular Phuket beach among the expat population is Surin beach which is located between Laguna and Kamala bay. This long white sandy beach is also home to some of the finest seafood restaurants of the island. This wonderful location generally only gets a bit crowded during the high season. There are a few resorts located in the Surin area however this area of the island is generally better known for its high end real estate projects.

Patong Beach

Patong beach is one of the most crowded beaches however many travelers certainly seem to prefer this. You will never get bored at this location as there are plenty of  vendors, massage ladies and water sport companies offering you jet skiing, water skiing and parasailing. If you enjoy shopping then please note that there are plenty of shops and boutiques which line the main road of Patong.

Kata Beach

One of the most popular beaches is most certainly Kata which is located just south of Patong. Kata is one of the longest beaches of Phuket so you can enjoy up to a certain level of privacy when spending the day at Kata. The water of the Andaman Sea is generally very calm during the tourist high season. During the low season there are some waves and during this period of the year you will find local surfers hanging out at this wonderful location.

The Best Beaches of Phuket

James is travel consultant living on Phuket and is working on a number of projects. If you are looking for information about Phuket then be sure to visit his Phuket guide which includes an excellent section on Krabi.

Discover the Top 10 Beautiful Beaches in Thailand

Thailand is known for the country's amazing beaches. One can find all the things they need in a beach trip in this beautiful country. Here is a list of the top ten most beautiful beaches in Thailand:

1. White Sand Beach, Ko Chang - Ko Chang, also known as the "Elephant Island," is the second largest island in Thailand and located around 180 miles east of Bangkok. Ko Chang's white sand beaches contain a lot of other beaches which are considered the best beaches in Thailand.

Thailand Beaches

2. Hat Sai Kaeo, Ko Sametalso - also called the "Diamond Beach" or the "Crystal Sand Beach", is a very beautiful beach in Bangkok. Hat Sai Kaeo is about one-third of a mile long and is filled with plenty of activities to do such as swimming, jet skiing, windsurfing and riding with what the locals called banana boats which is a long, yellow inflated float that leap riders off if they did not hold on tightly enough; a really fun ride every visitor loves to try.

Discover the Top 10 Beautiful Beaches in Thailand

3. Ao Manao, Prachuap Khiri Khan - located around six miles from Myanmar's border. Also called the "lemon Beach" the place was once a battleground for the Thais and the Japanese forces. Today it's a quiet sanctuary, untouched by western tourists and one of Thailand's secret treasures. Here, visitors can find many miles of striking white sand beaches, some of them formed momentarily by sandbars during low tides. This is also the place where the best seafood cuisines are served.

4. Pharanang Bay, Krabi - Krabi is famously known for its unusual rock climbing services for both beginners and professional climbers. The bay is reached via boat rides and takes almost 20 minutes from Ao Nang Beach. After reaching Ao Nang beach there would be another 15-minute walk on a zigzag sidewalk along the base of a sea cliff. The exciting ride to the place will bring everyone to the elegant Phranang Bay. Visitors can swim under the suspended limestone karsts, or climb through the small cliffs into the profound emerald green waters of the Andaman Sea. The beach is perfect place for families, swimmers, snorkels, and nature explorers.

5. Ao Nang Beach, Krabi - is one of the most admired beaches in Thailand; a well developed beach that offers street shopping, and top western and Thai restaurants, and with definitely charming and affordable commodities. There is one particular stretch of the beach on the southern most point of the place that is just really wonderful which are adored by many and it will just take a short walk in its south along Ao Nang beach.

6. Tonsai Bay, Ko Phi Phi - the well-known Ko Phi Phi is covered with two islands which are the "Don";the larger island, and "Leh"; the smaller island located at the southern tip of Krabi town. It will take a two-hour ferry boat ride from Ao Nang beach to Tonsai and with just a very affordable fee. Tonsai bay or the Ao Tonsai is on the southern part of Ko Phi Phi Don. The beach is undeniably drop dead charming which one would surely love to see.

7. Noppharat Thara, Krabi - with just 400 Thai baht as entrance fee, one can enjoy the spectacular beauty of this national park. A perfect family beach, where one can sit below the shades of the coconut palm trees while eating picnics like the locals often do, or take a stroll during low tide seasons in the petty waters. Noppharat Thara is one mile in length and located west of Ao Nang in Krabi.

8. Tong Takien Bay, Ko Samui Island -located on the southeast part of Ko Samui, roughly veiled between Chaweng and Lamae, is an remote and secluded bay which is perfect place for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. Some call it the "Silver Beach." This beach is very much family-friendly, clean, and has some bungalow-style lodgings where visitors can stay for as low as 500 Thai baht in the low seasons.

9. Sairee Beach, Ko Tao - Ko Tao is a place tourists choose to go for a peaceful trip on the nearby Ko Phangan and Ko Samui. The beach can be reached by ferry rides, that will take about two to three hours from Chumphon Ko Tao. The place is an affordable, quiet, and remote area, which is ideal for people who loves reading and relaxing all day on the veranda of the jungle bungalows. Sairee Beach is the most well-known place in Ko Tao and offers services such as massage, drinks, and other types of foods and services.

10. Surin Beach, Phuket - Surin Beach located north of Patong and Kamala beaches in Phuket. Surin is an ideal beach destination for guests who like to be pampered. One can just lay back and relax as different kinds of Thai cuisine are being served every other minute. Visitors can have exceptional Thai cuisines, as well as beverages of every sort. Swimming is also perfect in Surin and the place have a freshwater hoses where one can wash off the salt water and sand when they are ready to go back home, for the place does not offer over night stays.

Here you go! enjoy!

Discover the Top 10 Beautiful Beaches in Thailand

Ms. Pinky is a mom of 3 school children. She is a Systems Engineer, a Technology Researcher and an Independent Medical Billing and Coding Consultant. She and her family is well-traveled all over the world!

Her blogs and websites focuses on stay-at-home moms, dads and students who wants to work at home, build homebased business http://www.mommyisworkingathome.com

Visit her Interesting Site on Asian Travels and Destinations. Discover Asia's Culture and Great Food! at http://www.goingplacesinasia.com

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Thailand's Beaches - Hua Hin Or Cha-Am

Thailand has been steadily rising in popularity as a tourist destination, particularly over the last 30 years. Most international flights connect at Bangkok, which is a great city to enjoy a stop-over for a couple of days, before heading for the quieter coastal resorts. Hua Hin is within easy driving distance of Bangkok, a journey of around 190km.

Situated on the Gulf of Thailand, this once-sleepy fishing village was awakened to the real world with the laying of a railway line direct to Bangkok in the 1920s. Hua Hin soon became a popular resort destination, favored by the Thai royal family. The fishing village charm has long been lost beneath the modern development along the lovely white-sand coastline, but the town still has a relaxed local flavor. For those seeking something a little quieter, its near neighbor Cha-am may be the perfect idyllic seaside resort for you.

Thailand Beaches

Cha-Am's main claim to fame is that it has Thailand's longest beach. Although weekend visitors flock to the beach here, during the week it is fairly quiet. There are a few local attractions but the main reason to come to Cha-Am is to chill out in your own space on the gorgeous white sandy beach. There is however a local Jack Nicklaus designed golf course for the more actively inclined. Most resorts are surrounded by landscaped gardens which offer pleasant, shady and colorful places to stroll amidst the tropical flora. There are a few local shops in Cha-Am selling the obligatory jewelry, and the tailor's shops are excellent. Choose your fabric and style from the many samples, and you can have a hand-made, bespoke suit (male or female) within a couple of days.

Thailand's Beaches - Hua Hin Or Cha-Am

The restaurants in both Cha-am and Hua Hin are excellent, serving local seafood, Thai specialties and international cuisine which is much more pleasurable than eating buffet-style at the local hotel. Cha-Am has a few local bars, but if you are seeking lively nightclubs, this is not the place for you. The seafood restaurants around Hua Hin's fishing port are highly recommended. Both resorts also offer spa beauty treatments in the hotels including excellent massages. The Thais are masters at offering wonderful therapeutic treatments. Indulge yourself at these bargain prices and find yourself totally relaxed and rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit.

In contrast to Cha-Am, Hua Hin offers numerous bars, pubs and discos offering drinks and entertainment into the small hours. It also has a range of watersports and eight golf courses as well as a beautiful sandy beach and clear blue sea. This bustling town is easy to get around on foot or by 'songthaew', a hop-on taxi service. Hua Hin offers a variety of local shops and a visit to the market is a great experience. Hotel standards here are very good, wherever you choose to stay, and all have beautiful swimming pools and sun terraces beneath the palm trees. For a beach vacation which has guaranteed sunshine, sand and sea, Hua Hin and Cha-Am make the perfect destination.

Thailand's Beaches - Hua Hin Or Cha-Am

Veron Ho is the owner of Travel Haven, a travel agency totally dedicated to organising creative and luxury packages. Join Travel Haven Email Club at http://www.TheTravelHavenOnline.com and receive a COMPLIMENTARY Destination Travel Guide of your choice

Top 3 Thailand Beaches to Meet Thai Women

Do you want to meet beautiful women while visiting Thailand's wonderful beaches? If so, forget about Pattaya and Phuket. While they are two of the most popular beach destinations, they are not the place to meet a real Thai women to date. Did you already meet a girl online using a site like thailovelinks.com or thailovelines.com? If you are visiting them and want to take them to the beach, these locations will also be great because they are more quiet and romantic. Your Thai girl will really like that you didn't go to the same old beach that everyone else goes to. A little originality goes a long way in the mind of a Thai women. They will certainly show you their appreciation!

Below are three islands that either have fewer foreign visitors or are simply more quiet and relaxed. These three islands are perfect places to meet a local girl to spend time with and really get to know:

Thailand Beaches

#1: Koh Chang: Koh Chang is an island in the Gulf of Thailand just a short distance from the Cambodia boarder. While some foreigners travel here, it's much more quiet that the more popular destinations to the South. This is a great place to meet local Thai Girls that are working in stores, restaurants and hotels along the beaches and in the city center. The Thai girls here have nice dark skin from being in the sun all day. The girls here are less conservative for some reason and don't mind showing off their bodies a little more than most. If you are just looking for a nice visit and want to meet some local Thai girls, you can't beat Koh Chang.

Top 3 Thailand Beaches to Meet Thai Women

#2: Koh Samet: Koh Samet island is only a few hours from Bangkok and a very popular destination for local Thai people that live and work in and around the capital city. You can negotiate a taxi from Bangkok to the ferry boats for around 1500 Baht. On the way back, you can take a mini-bus service that goes to various locations in Bangkok including Suvarnabhumi airport for around 400 Baht per person. A short 35 minute ferry boat ride (cost is around 200 Baht) and you are on the the island paradise. Right away, you'll notice that most of the visitors are Thai or from other Asian countries. And this is a good thing. It's easier to meet nice Thai women when they too are on holiday!

#3: Koh Phangan: Koh Phangan is the most beautiful of the three beaches listed here. The small island is just North of the very popular Ko Samui island. Koh Phangan can get very crowded during their well known "full moon" parties. But if you avoid these parties, there are many parts of Ko Phangan that are very quiet with very few foreigners. Again, this is a perfect opportunity to go out and meet local Thai woman that live on the island. The girls here are known to be very good to foreigners and many times if you meet the right girl, they'll take time out of their schedule to spend the day with you showing the "secrets" of the island that only locals know about. You won't be disappointed hanging out with Koh Phangan island girls!

Top 3 Thailand Beaches to Meet Thai Women

Thai Kiks is a blog dedicated to understanding what Thai women want, what they are looking for and how to get a Thai girlfriend. If you are looking for a Thai woman to be your girlfriend or just someone to spend time with while in Thailand, this blog is for you. The site discusses how to meet beautiful Thai women online or while traveling through Thailand on vacation. You can read the blog at http://www.thaikiks.com

Beaches of Phuket

Phuket is a tropical Thai holiday island and is one of the premier travel destinations in the world. The beaches of Phuket are well known for their white sandy beaches lined with gracious palm and coconut trees.

Most tourists staying on Phuket during their holiday unfortunately only visit the beach located closest to their hotel. It is a shame as there are so many beautiful beaches which the tourists could visit. The best way to see all the beautiful beaches is by renting a motorbike or jeep and by simply driving up and down the coast line as travelers will encounter countless beautiful and deserted beaches.

Thailand Beaches

Some of the nicest beaches of Phuket are those mentioned below.

Beaches of Phuket

Bang Tao

The beautiful Bang Tao beach is located next to the upscale Phuket Laguna complex where a number of excellent 5 star hotels are located.

Kamala

Kamala beach is one of the most popular beaches and is located only a few minutes drive from Patong beach. Travelers looking for a beach area which offers a peaceful surrounding should consider booking a hotel or resort in the beach resort area of Kamala.

Karon

The most popular after Patong beach is Karon beach and is located just south of Patong. Karon has a long beach and numerous resorts line this beach. Tourists visitingwith children often prefer the somewhat laidback atmosphere that Karon beach has to offer.

Patong

Patong beach is the busiest of all the beaches of Phuket. The vast majority of entertainment and business venues are located in Patong beach. If travelers are looking for a beach resort area where they can party until the early hours of the morning then Patong beach is the ideal choice for them.

Surin

One of the most upscale Phuket beach areas is the area around Surin beach. If tourists do visit Surin beach then they should definitely try the excellent and inexpensive seafood which is served at the Surin beach side restaurants.

Beaches of Phuket

George is currently living on Phuket and is working on a number of projects. If you are looking for a great Phuket hotel then do consider staying at Club Bamboo Resort. Read more about Koh Samui in his Samui guide.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Thailand Beach Massage

The Thai beach massage is incredibly popular. From the beaches of Phuket to Samui to Pattaya, you will find these places every couple of hundred yards along the beach. In the more built up resorts where hotels have beach fronts such as Chaweng and Lamai in Samui, the beach massage signs may be only 20 or 30 yards apart as they vie for trade.

All beach massages are disturbingly similar, they consist of a bamboo shelter to keep off the sun, some mattresses to lie in and normally between 3 and 5 middle-aged ladies all wearing the same colour polo shirts, yellow pink and orange seeming to be the favourites.

Thailand Beaches

I will put my hand up now and confess that I do not see the point in Thai beach massages, the only thing that I can see they have that is better than a street massage shop is that you do not have to move far to get massaged, however this small advantage is outweighed significantly in my opinion by:

Thailand Beach Massage

A) You already have gunky sun tan oil on you

B) You are probably covered in sand

C) You are probably covered in salt

D) The massage is outdoors so you will continue to sweat

E) All the beach is watching you

F) The ladies have been sat outside in the sun all day!!!!

G) The mattresses contain elements of A, B, C and D

All of the above in my opinion are exactly the opposite of what I require in a massage, I like to be properly showered, not be sweating because I am in an air conditioned environment, have some privacy so that I can snore in peace, have ladies that smell of Tiger Balm rather than sweat and have the use of a freshly laundered towel and a spotlessly clean mattress cover. None of which are available with a Thailand beach massage.

However, as I said this is only my opinion and if you are sat on a Thai beach you will see that an awful lot of people disagree with me. The only time that I do use the beach massage girls is if they are attached to the hotel that I am staying in and I see them every day on the way to the beach, I may then invite them back for a late afternoon session in my room, especially if I have gotten a little too much sun. By letting g them loose on my Aloe Vera and lying in a cool room the sunburn can be dealt with whilst at the same time maybe having a gentle snooze. I am much more likely though to get showered and make my way across the road to a normal massage shop and take my Aloe Vera with me as there is always the danger that problem F will rear its ugly head if you have the beach massage girl do you in the late afternoon.

Thailand beach massage cost. Amazingly you can expect to pay more for having the massage on the beach, prices tend to be set by the management of the hotel as the beach massage need a base, they cannot just set up tent on the main beach, the hotel of course take their cut as well. An average price for traditional massage is 300 to 400 baht per hour on the beach, add another 100 baht if you wanted oil massage. Not my cup of tea thanks!

Thailand Beach Massage

I have created a number of massage guides to use in Asia when enjoying life there. The guides look at the different types of massage, where to find them and how much to pay. The main site at http://www.asian-massage-review.com looks at massages across Asia, it contains links to all my other massage sites such as http://www.thaioilmassage.net. This is information for those that enjoy their massages long, deep and relaxing.