Post Summer Paradise: Phuket!
Yes, it’s September and most of us in Seoul are starting to see the heat and humidity die down to bearable levels.
For years my daily uniform has been a starched oxford (not the preppy kind, more like the smart-alecky striped kind), but with the heat turning me into a steaming pile of dough, I’d been wondering whether clothes couldn’t just have been optional during the summer months in Seoul. Well, there is a place where clothes are optional year round. It’s the easily mispronounced island in Thailand named Phuket. It sounds like foo-ket, not the swear word that starts with an F.
To be even more specific with my travel recommendation, there is one more strangely named place. It’s Ko Phi Phi, pronounced, don’t laugh, Ko-pee-pee. So you can you imagine the laughs I got when I came back from Ko Phi Phi, Phuket in Thailand. Say THAT ten times!
Here’s my review of both Phuket and Ko Phi Phi (read on):
The amazing thing about Thailand’s isles of paradise are the beaches which range from visually breathtaking to the beach scenes which can cause some to gasp. Centrally located on the western part of the Phuket Island (where nearly everything is located) is lively Patong Beach. This is full of people from dinnertime, and if you like to party, meet drunken Brits and their ladyboy girlfriends this is the place to rock on (I say this half seriously but there is some truth to this.)
North of Patong - Best Pick – Laem Singh Beach: This is a true quiet gem. It is located at the base of a steep slope/cliff from a curving road, and so, as a result the beach is nestled in privacy. Very few people come here, as the surf is a bit rough during the low season (May-October), and there isn’t much more to do than eat wonderful pad thai at one of two restaurants, watch dogs play, and enjoy a good book under the sun. Not bad at all.
Further south are two more active beaches – Popular Karon and Kata Beaches: These beaches are adjacent to each other and are less populated than Patong. The hotels on this side get nicer as you go further toward Kata Noi. The sands are white and soft, and the frothy surf is great for swimming.
Finally, the island that some might say is the only place to go when visiting Phuket, Ko Phi Phi Islands. Ko Phi Phi Don, the largest of several small islands a short ferry ride south from Kata Beach. Here, you will find tiny islands which either by private longboats or kayaks, you can see some of natures most beautiful waters, corals, and rock formations. The small island of Ko Phi Phi Leh was the set of the 2000 movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio.
What to do now! Right now it is still the tail end of the low season until October, which means that prices are cheap. Hotels offer discounts, and for the most part you will see less crowding at your favorite beaches.
Tips to fly: Asiana has the cheaper of the rates between the Korean carriers.
Tips at landing: Once you land at the airport you will–if you didn’t make travel arrangements with your hotel or travel group–then you will be surrounded by taxi drivers all looking to charge you lots of baht (Thai currency) to take you 5 miles down the island to your hotel. Be prepared to bargain if no other transportation is available, or, during the daytime take the airport vans. They’re white with lettering on the sides in Thai and service nearly all the hotels.
Lastly, change dollars into Thai baht, not Korean Won. The exchange rate is better for dollars.
Link Tip: Trip Advisor’s Phuket Forum (nice alliteration)
–T. Kim just returned from Phuket in August
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