Phuket Beach Break with Old Town & Phi Phi, 4 Nights

Phuket's airport sits at the island's northern end, so the drive south to the west-coast beaches takes forty-five minutes to an hour depending on where you stay. Rooms are generally ready from two in the afternoon. After a long flight the right thing to do is very little: a swim, an early dinner, and a walk along the sand as the light goes. Beach restaurants in Patong, Kata and Karon all carry Indian menus, and vegetarian food is easy to find across the island.

Most visitors never see that Phuket has a proper town. The morning starts in the old quarter, where tin-mining money built Thalang Road and Soi Romanee in pastel shophouses with arcaded fronts, a mix of Chinese and Portuguese styles. Wat Chalong comes next, the island's principal temple, whose tall pagoda holds a relic. The road then climbs to the Big Buddha, a seated white marble figure that can be seen from much of the south, and ends at Karon viewpoint above three curving bays. The afternoon is yours.

An early pick-up for the pier and around two hours by boat, depending on the sea, to the Phi Phi group. The day moves between Phi Phi Leh, where Pileh lagoon sits enclosed by sheer limestone and Viking Cave is seen from the water, and the larger Phi Phi Don, where lunch is served. Maya Bay is now protected: boats land at the back of the island and swimming in the bay itself is not allowed, but the walk in is short. Snorkelling stops depend on conditions. Back at the hotel by late afternoon.

Nothing is scheduled, deliberately. The west-coast beaches differ more than people expect: Kata and Kata Noi are the calmest for children, Karon is long and quiet, and Patong is loud after dark. If you want another outing, a day into Phang Nga Bay for its limestone towers and sea caves is the one we would add, and we can book it locally. Towards evening, Promthep Cape at the southern tip is where the island gathers for sunset; if it is a Sunday, the Old Town walking market on Thalang Road is the alternative.

Breakfast, and checkout by noon in most hotels. If your flight is late in the day the hotel will usually hold bags and you can spend a last hour on the beach. The private transfer back to the airport takes about the same forty-five minutes to an hour as on arrival, but traffic in Patong and on the airport road builds in the late afternoon, so we time the pick-up generously.