The neighboring provinces of Krabi and Phang Nga offer equally fine beaches and lushly tropical offshore islands. Indeed island-hopping is a popular pursuit. Both the Phi Phi and Similan islands feature magnificent underwater coral gardens teeming with multi-hued tropical fish. Phang Nga Bay, to the northeast of Phuket, offers great adventure trips. Long-tail launches transport visitors through mangrove swamps, caves dripping with stalactites, and out into the bay where scores of tiny volcanic islands soar hundreds of feet skyward.

Many such islands can be explored by “environmentally-friendly” sea-canoes, which allow access into otherwise hidden grottoes where the timelessly tranquil atmosphere is decidedly prehistoric.