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The major beaches from north to south are:
Mai Khao (Sai Kaeo) - near the airport, very quiet (aside from the planes!) and far away from it all
Nai Thon and Nai Yang - two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park
Bang Thao (Laguna Beach) - long, very quiet beach
Surin and Pansea Beach - an up-and-coming upmarket destination
Laem Sing - small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
Kamala Beach - a quieter beach to the north of Patong
Kalim Beach - a series of small beaches just to the north of Patong
Patong Beach - the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
Karon and Karon Noi Beaches - the second most-developed beach after Patong
Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister of Kata Yai
Nai Han and Ao Sen - a quiet beach (probably the best) in the south, near Phromthep Cape view point
Ya Nui Beach
Rawai, Mittraphap and Laem Ka - set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach
Cape Panwa - home to Phuket Aquarium
There are dozens of small islands (ko) between Phuket and Krabi. The following have accommodation:
Ko Bon — 10 minutes from Rawai, an ideal island for a day of snorkeling and relaxing.
Ko Hae (Coral Island) — 15 minutes by speedboat from Chalong Bay, accessible all year.
Ko Lon — quiet, mostly Muslim island with a few bungalows
Ko Mai Thon — gorgeous little island with only one (expensive) place to stay
Ko Maphrao (Coconut Island)
Ko Racha (Ko Raya) — consists of two islands (Yai and Noi), popular with scuba divers.
Ko Sire (Ko Si Le) — Sea Gypsy colony, connected to the mainland by a causeway
Ko Yao — two islands halfway to Krabi, with four upmarket resorts
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the
year. The high season is generally considered to be from November to May. During the summer monsoon season, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and
water clarity goes down. Locals consider May to October the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to
Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western
beaches.
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