Fly to paradise

Thailand is a popular destination, whenever I think about Thailand I see crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches a perfect place to go and relax. When you looking at images of Phuket it is hard to believe it is actually real! But there is so much more to do than just lie about on a beach all day (of course you need to do a bit of that) including surfing, golf, diving and elephant treks. Other things include:

Water parks

Want to cool off? Or have children with you head to Splash Jungle Water Park in Mai Khoa. It has slides and of course a lazy river. It is easy to get to with plenty of pick up points from tourist buses or you can organize a pick up from your hotel. Kata Beach is also ideal for families with a more chilled out vibe at the beach and not so busy nightlife.

Exploring other islands

Sun worshipping can get boring, so take a speedboat to one of the nearby islands and explore. A particularly popular cruise is Phang Nga Bay, north-east of Phuket, with its dramatic limestone islands. It is easy to organise a tour with your hotel here.

Or a little further is Koh Phi Phi, this is a small beautiful island which is very popular for backpackers. In the evening everyone flocks to the beach bars to watch the sun set and fire dancing start! If you can head over to Koh Phi Phi lei so you can see the very beach that was used in the film the beach – it really does feel very secluded – until another boat load of tourist come but you can certainly see why it was chosen for the film.

After dark in Phuket

Back in Phuket there are plenty of entertainment options in the evening. There is the Phuket Fantasea Show, a Las Vegas-style evening of pyrotechnics, elephants, trapeze artists and actors in Kamala Beach. Or if you want a more rowdy experience you could head to the busy Bangla Road on Patong Beach. All over the island there are plenty of delicious restauants selling anything from international food to delicious fresh Thai food. I would also recommend seeing a Thai boxing match it is incredibly entertaining with highly-trained martial arts experts displaying their talents. Shows are available most weeks so ask your hotel if you are interested.

Getting there

All you need to do is get on a 13½ hour flight from Gatwick and hey presto you can be jumping into crystal clear water from you gorgeous hotel. It is easy to drive to Gatwick and it has plenty of parking options I would recommend checking out www.gatwickparking.com for more information on what is available.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit is December to March, when temperatures are cooler, hovering around the 24 degree mark. You are guaranteed calm waters and usually sunshine every day. I wouldn’t recommend visiting in April to May as it is very hot with frequent thundery downpours – not fun to get stuck in!