Southern Thailand Practical Information

• Tourist Office: TAT, 191 Thalang Rd. (☎076 212 213), in Phuket Town, just west of the post office. Helpful, friendly, and organized English-speaking staff provides maps, bus schedules, and accommodations lists. Open daily 8:30am-4:30pm.
• Tours: Tour operators are a dime a dozen in Hat Karon, Hat Kata, Hat Patong, and Phuket Town. Most arrange tours to Phang-Nga Bay and nearby islands (1200-1400฿), with canoeing 2200-2800฿ and can book bus or ferry tickets to just about anywhere you might want to go. Typically, the tour agencies in Phuket Town are cheaper than on the beaches, and Mark Travel Service, located in the On On Hotel , is one of the cheapest in Phuket Town.
• Currency Exchange: In Phuket Town, a slew of banks are on Phang-Nga Rd. across from the On On Hotel, and several more are 1 block south, on Ratsada Rd. Bangkok Bank, 22 Phang-Nga Rd., across from the On On Hotel, has a handful of 24hr. ATMs . Open daily 8:30am-4:30pm. Additional 24hr. ATMs can be found about 1 every other block in Phuket Town. Currency exchange booths and ATMs abound on Hat Karon, Hat Kata, and Hat Patong.
• Tourist Police: 100/31-32 Chalem Prakiat Rd. (☎076 355 015), in the far northwest part of town about 3km from the city center. English spoken. Smaller booths are on major beaches. Open 24hr.
• Medical Services: Bangkok Phuket Hospital, 21 Hong Yok-U-Thit Rd. (☎076 254 4214), on the northwest side of Phuket Town just off of Yao Warat Rd. Phuket International Hospital, 44 Chalerm Prakiat Rd. (☎076 249 400), southwest of Bangkok Phuket Hospital, on the way to the airport. English spoken. Both open 24hr.
• Telephones: CAT Telecom, 112/2 Phang-Nga Rd. (☎076 216 861), in the building under the radio tower. Cheapest international calls around, if you’re willing to buy in bulk. A 300฿ phone card will get you 2฿ per min. calls to the US. Internet 100฿ for a 3-hr. card. Open daily 8am-8pm. Tourist agencies at the various beaches offer fairly expensive calls to the US (around 20฿ per min.), but you can always buy a 100฿ TOT card and use it on any international pay phone, which should get you 15 min. to the US.
• Internet Access: Cyber cafes line the more southern area of Montri Rd. as well as Tilok Uthit 1 Rd., 1 block east, and charge 25฿ per hr. Hi-Tel, on Ong Sim Phai Rd., at Tilok Uthit 1 Rd., has particularly fast connections. Open daily 8am-midnight. Also available at. Several Internet shops on Phang-Nga Rd. and Thalang Rd., about 1 per block. OA Internet, 14 Talang Rd., offers Internet at 20฿ for 40min. and is open 8am-11:30pm. On Hat Karon, Hat Kata, and Hat Patong, there are tons of Internet shops, but don’t expect to pay less than 1฿ per min.
• Post Offices: GPO, 12/16 Montri Rd. (☎076 211 020), on the corner with Thalang Rd. Poste Restante. Open M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sa-Su 9am-noon. Postal Code: 83000.

• Phuket Town

With no idyllic beaches to speak of, Phuket Town lacks the immediate glamor of its neighbors. But, as the region’s oldest town and its current center of finance and commerce, Phuket Town is a pleasant ...more

• Hat Patong

On Phuket’s west coast, Patong is the island’s nightlife and entertainment center, a tasteless mix of go-go bars, strip shows, Thai boxing, and gaudy souvenir stalls.With high-rise condos dotting ...more

• Hat Karon And Hat Kata

Popular with backpackers and package tourists alike, the adjacent beaches of Hat Karon and Hat Kata have the best balance of lively nightlife, plentiful dining options, sufficiently cheap accommodations ...more

• Hat Surin, Ao Bang Tao, And Hat Nai Yang

The island’s northwest shore was once famous for harboring the most beautiful and least-developed beaches on Phuket. Today, it has exploded with luxury resorts in the past decade. These resorts, however ...more

• Hat Kamala And Laem Singh

Escape to quiet Hat Kamala on the way to Hat Surin from Phuket Town ( songthaew 30฿). Home to only two or three small luxury hotels, Hat Kmala itself is decent, less crowded, but also much less scenic ...more

• Hat Rawai, And Ao Chalong

Squeezed into the southeastern tip of Phuket, Hat Rawai caters mostly to locals. The beach’s narrow strip of sand and muddy water render it unappealing for swimming; for salt-water basking, try its ...more

• Similan Islands

While the southern Thailand backpacker superhighway swallows up other islands, Ko Similan, a national park consisting of nine small islands, remains the virgin beauty of the Andaman Sea. Relative inaccessibility ...more

• Ko Phi Phi Don

The secret is out. Beautiful Ko Phi Phi Don (generally known as Ko Phi Phi), once an untouristed island dotted with swaying palms and isolated spits of sand surrounded by shimmering turquoise waters ...more

• Krabi

The last bastions of serene beach beauty in southern Thailand are being invaded by droves of backpackers, and the town of Krabi is the staging ground for their assault. Tourists come here because the ...more

• Ao Nang

Ao Nang’s accessibility by car gives it a completely different atmosphere from either secluded Rai Lay or the nearby islands. With brightly colored shops, beachfront hotels, and a boardwalk perfect ...more

• Ko Lanta Yai

Ko Lanta Yai is an up-and-coming island on the ko- hopping backpacker trail. Because of its large size and its distance from Phuket, the island has not yet become overrun with tourists. There’s a local ...more

• Trang

Though Trang province contains spectacular islands, beaches, and caves, which combined rival those of the more popular Krabi and Phuket, it has, for the most part, stayed off the tourist circuit. Its ...more

• Nakhon Si Thammarat

Located off the backpacker circuit, Nakhon Si Thammarat is a bustling city whose long and weighted cultural history is evident in the town’s markets and wats, including the largest temple in all of ...more

• Surat Thani

Surat Thani’s position as a gateway to and midpoint between Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, Ko Tao, Phuket, and Krabi makes it a necessary stopover for most travelers. A stroll along the colorful and bustling ...more

• Ko Samui

Thailand’s third-largest island has come a long way since the first backpackers arrived in the 1970s. Ko Samui (“Coconut Island”), now fully equipped with a slew of resorts and restaurants, an ...more

• Ang Thong Marine Park

The only way to visit the marine park is on a tour through one of Ko Samui’s travel agencies. Daytrips that include breakfast, lunch, swimming, snorkeling, hiking, a visit to a crystal green lagoon ...more

• Na Thon

With no great beach to boast, Na Thon is Ko Samui’s waiting room for visitors killing time until the next ferry. Unless you have an early ferry to catch or the last songthaew has skipped town, there’s ...more

• Hat Bo Phut

The charming Bo Phut (“Fisherman’s Village”), with its delightfully quaint seaside strip, offers a pleasant combination of quiet atmosphere, seafood restaurants, and trendy shops. Friendly locals ...more

• Hat Bangrak (Big Buddha Beach)

Big Buddha Beach lies on the northern coast of Samui’s northeastern peninsula, along Rte. 4171. Bungalows abound in this lively area, but the rocky, boat-filled beach is not the best for swimming. ...more

• Laem Thongson, Ao Thongsaison, Hat Choeng Mon, Ao Yai Noi

The northeastern cape wraps around the island’s most delightfully secluded coves and harbors some of its best views. Beaches lie down dirt roads off Rte. 4171 and are most easily accessed by motorbike ...more

• Hat Chaweng

The biggest and brashest of Ko Samui’s beaches, Hat Chaweng roars 5km along the eastern coast. A loud, happy mix of superb soft sand, clean waters, cheap booze, and music make it the sunbathing and ...more

• Hat Lamai

Accommodations. Hat Lamai’s nightlife and pebble-filled beach are both second to Hat Chaweng’s, but it has more budget lodging options, great cheap food, and fewer crowds. Hat Lamai’s main road ...more

• Ko Phangan

Ko Phangan can be a nonstop backpacker party locale or a secluded beach paradise, depending on where you are on the island. Highly developed Hat Rin, home to the legendary Full Moon Party, could give ...more

• Thong Sala

Thong Sala may be a dull beachless town, but it’s also a lifeline for the island, boasting the island’s cheapest Internet connections the most tourist services, and the island’s most aggressive ...more

• Thong Nai Paan Noi

With sparkling water and a relaxed atmosphere, these twin beaches are a nice compromise between the solitude of Bottle Beach and the lunacy of Hat Rin. They offer ample reward for those willing to endure ...more

• Hat Rin Nok (East)

Welcome to “Backpacker Land,” where the word Reggae appears in the name of every other establishment, a kid calling home to ask for more money occupies every phone booth, and every phase of the moon ...more

• Hat Rin Nai (West) And Leela Beach

Though a mere 100m west of Hat Rin Nok, the mellow atmosphere of Hat Rin Nai makes it feel like it’s miles away from its party loving neighbor. The strip of muddy sand at Hat Rin Nai is hardly attractive ...more

• Bhat Khuat (Bottle Beach)

Set against lush green hills, this gorgeous and quiet   beach —with perfect water for swimming—lures those who intend to stay for a few days into spending weeks or months, in part because it ...more

• Ko Tao

As one of Southeast Asia’s most renowned dive sites, charming laid-back Ko Tao lures an international crowd of underwater enthusiasts ranging from scuba neophytes who seek cheap certification courses ...more

• Mae Hat

There are four piers on Mae Hat (from north to south): Seatran Discovery pier, the main pier, Lompraya Boat pier, and Songserm Boat pier . In Mae Hat, there are four roads, one extending east from each ...more

• Hat Sai Ree

Backpackers and divers congregate in the bungalows along this 2km beach, which is Ko Tao’s busiest bit of sand and rapidly becoming even busier. Despite its popularity, the beach retains some laid-back ...more

• Ao Leuk And Ao Tanote

The two major bays on the eastern side of Ko Tao are ideal for those seeking solitude and offer some of the best snorkeling on the island. Tiny Ao Leuk has a rocky, less-than-spectacular beach but is ...more

• Ao Chalok Ban Kao

Chalok Ban Kao Bay is carved out of the island’s south end, 2.5km from Mae Hat (30min. by foot, 50฿ taxi ride per person for 4 or more people). The bay is small but shelters a dense concentration ...more

• Ao Thian Og

An uphill walk southeast from Ao Chalok leads to a fork in the dirt road. The left path leads downhill to the small but stunning Thian Og Bay, also known as Rocky Bay or Shark Bay. Thian Og bay has an ...more

• Laem Taa Toh

This lovely cape juts into the gulf, separating Ao Chalok from Ao Thian. To get here, follow the dirt road from Ao Chalok, taking the right path leading uphill at the fork. You can also get here during ...more