Thailand’s Relaxing South

For those of you who want sand, sea and complete relaxation these islands straddling the Thai isthmus offer that in abundance

The south of Thailand is rightfully a place of relaxation with pristine beaches and a good infrastructure. It’s not just about the James Bond-esque karst limestone projections near Phuket but further down the coast there are those and then some more

Ko Phi Phi is the most popular of the southern resorts and with good reason, it is a white sand beach with tasteful accommodation within relatively easy reach of Bangkok. Ko Lanta Yai is a less developed version of Phi Phi and the accommodation is a little more basic but it is a wonderful peek into the flora and fauna of a pristine island set in the Andaman Sea

The Andaman Discoveries community program helps to channel tourism revenue to revive the lives of people affected by the 2006 tsunami. The Ko Tarutao national park lies further south along the coast just north of Malaysia’s Langkawi and these are indeed the real thing in terms of pristine coastal environment. Tourism here is carefully managed and accommodation although not quite tent, is comfortable and modern