Aisa’s rating of destinations - Pattaya

SPA & Massage
Nightlife | Shopping

___________________________________________________________________________

Pattaya is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok. It’s the closest beach from Bangkok. Pattaya is no longer one of Aisa’s favorite beaches mainly because of its crowdness, but Pattaya certainly has its charm and is worth a visit.

Jomtien beach is a long and 6km stretch of sandy beaches. It’s a popular spot for family vocationers and water sports fans. Naklua and Wong Amat are quiet. Pattaya beach is close to Pattaya’s abundant nightlife area. Dongtan beach is known as the gay beach.

You can also take a boat or ferry and head to Ko Lan, a small island around 8 km west of Pattaya. Ko Lan beaches are quieter, clean with soft white sand crystal clear water.

The popular sightseeing attractions include Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden, Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, and the Wat Kha Phra Bat temple featuring a Budda Statue of more than 18 meter tall.

There also heaps of fun in Pattaya: sight seeing, water sporting, shopping, clubbing…

Pattaya is renowned for its raucous nightlife. The famous walking street is the center of Pattaya’s nightlife. There is almost everything there: from beer bar to go-go bars, restaurants, disco, massage parlors, etc. The activities include nightly concerts, cabaret shows, discotheque dance music and Thai boxing.

Jomtien, Naklua and Beach road are also home to many clubs and bars. The famous discos include Marine Disco, Xzyte, Palladium and Hollywood. Pattaya is known for its cabaret shows featuring ladyboys (kathoeys). Alcazar and Tiffany are the two most famous nightclubs for the ladyboy show.

Pattaya is a major sex tourism destination in Thailand and nightlife is male oriented.

Shopping is good in Pattaya. Many came here for cheap electronic gears and computer accessories.

Seasons Pattaya has 3 season, warm and dry (from November to February), hot and humid (from March to May), and hot and raining (from June to October).

Christmas and New Year period from December to early February are the peak tourist seasons.

Beware of prostitution and the heavy tourist crowd, which is probably why Pattaya is called “an amazing place spoiled”. Be prepared to see some old Caucasian guys with young Thai girls. Bugs are considered a local delicacy!

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Koh Phi Phi

Beaches
Diving & Snorkeling

___________________________________________________________________________

Koh Phi Phi (pronounced as pee pee) is a small island between the Thai mainland and Phuket island. It’s only less an hour by ferry from Phuket, and less than two hours from Railay.

Phi Phi is an amazing island with pristine and calm water, silky soft white sand beach and magnificent views. It’s a true haven!

There are two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Don is the larger island. Phi Phi Lee lies 1.5 km of the southernmost tip of Phi Phi Don, is smaller and still uninhabited. There is no road on Phi Phi Don, only footpath. However, Aisa loved it for its rare sense of remoteness!

The transports available are boat, longtail and speed boat. Longtail boat is a traditional long wooden boat, and it’s a great beach-to-beach water taxi. Comparing to a speed boat, it’s less crowded, more catered to individual needs, and it’s slower, giving your enough time to take in the scenery.

The popular beaches & village in Phi Phi Don are Loh Dalum Bay, Laem Tong Beach, Long Beach, Maya Beach and Tonsai village. Long Beach is famous for it’s soft fine white sand. Maya Beach is sheltered by cliffs with exceptionally clear water. The whole bay is in fact a big reef.

In Phi Phi Leh there are Loh Bagao Bay, Bamboo island, Pi Leh bay, and Monkey Bay. Phi Phi Leh is a national marine park and the ticket costs 400 Bahts.

Diving and snorkeling are great in Phi Phi. There are abundant coral reefs and great marine life. Visibility ranges from 10 to 25 meters.

Although Railay is more famous for rock climbing and offers a more scenic view, Phi Phi is considered a better place to learn how to climb.

Phi Phi is at its best during high tide. During low tide, you might have to walk for miles to the water’s edge.

Comparing to Phuket, Phi Phi is more enclosed and exclusive, there are not as many activities available on Phi Phi, but less touristy and expensive.

Did you know The Beach (2000), starring Leonardo Di Caprio, was filmed in Maya Bay of Phi-Phi Don.

Like some beaches in Malaysia, the local islanders in Phi Phi Don are mainly Muslim. Tourist are advised to wear modest clothing.

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

A “Rugged” Paradise for Both Beach Going and Rock Climbing

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Railay

Rock Climbing
Beaches
Culture & Sightseeing

___________________________________________________________________________

Aisa votes Railay one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia for its breathtaking beaches and sceneries, the rocky cliffs rising out of the ocean, amazing sunsets, and the world class rock climbing!

Railay is a peninsular of Southeast Thailand only accessible by boat. You can easily get to Phuket or Phi Phi Island from Railay via ferry. Comparing other beaches in Thailand, Railay is not as crowded and much quieter.

Railay is primarily known as a rock climbing hot spot. It attracts climbers from all over the world to its towering limestone. It’s perhaps the best winter sport rock climbing area in the world, with over a thousand bolted routes up limestone. And best of all, it faces a stunning sea view. Tourists can sign up a rock climbing courses for the unique rock climbing experience. It can be exhausting but Aisa felt immediately rewarded the moment when I reached the top and took in the view!

There are four beaches in Railay: Phra Nang (or Phra Nang Cave beach), Railay West, Railay East and Tonsai. There are fine white sand beach with shallow water in Phra Nang of South Railay and west Railay. Phra Nang is the most popular beach. It has all the element of a perfect beach with picturesque limstone clieff, soft sand and clear shallow water. While West Railay is more popular with tourists, East Railay is fuller with local Thais. Tonsai is a quiter beach than other. The beaches in Railay are separated by short hikes through the jungle. The hike can be rigorous but inspiring, and you are completely isolated at each beach. Aisa watched one of the most amazing and orgasmic sunsets on the west beach!

Diving or snorkeling is not a major draw for Railay as the coral and sea life is not as diverse or spectacular as other places in Thailand.

Phra Nang Cave, a.k.a. Diamond Cave, is a beautiful sight-seeing destination at Railay. As you walk into the cave, you can hear the sound of bat screeching and birding flapping. In the center of the cave there is a huge gold lime stone waterfall.

Read more about Thai Massage at SPA & Massage, and Thai Seafood at Seafood

Did you know Accommodation is dominated by expensive resorts comparing to other beach destinations.

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

An Amazingly Idyllic & Exotic Island

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Phuket

SPA & Massage | Wildlife & Nature
Beaches | Diving & Snorkeling
Culture & Sightseeing | Nightlife | Surfing

___________________________________________________________________________

Aisa votes Phuket one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia because of its spectacular beach & scenery, great diving sites and a variety of activities you can do!

Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand (it’s about the size of Singapore!), located in the Andaman Sea off southern Thailand. The island is mostly mountainous. 70% of the island is forest. The beaches at western coast are sandy, while beaches on the east coast are more often muddy.

Most beaches in Phuket are on the west coast, stretching some 45kms from Mai Khao beach in the north to Rawai in the South. The 3 main tourist beaches of Patong, Karon and Kata are in the southern half of the island. Patong is a wide and long beach, and the most popular one. Patong is full on tourism, plenty of accommodation and shopping, loads of restaurants and bars and a beach full of beach chairs and umbrellas. Comparing to Patong, Karon is less developed, clean and well looked after. Kata is more popular with younger people, and is a very scenic beach.

Phuket is a big island and you can always get out and explore, e.g., Laem Ka beach, Laem Sing beach, are some of Phuket’s quiet secrets. There are many other secluded spots and many beaches that are largely undeveloped. With a little effort, you can find smaller, quieter beaches all over the island. Some have just a few hotels or resorts, most have long stretches of sand.

Phuket offers more than just beaches, there are much more attractions and activities to explores, if you want more than just relaxing on a beautifully beach, Phuket is your one-stop-shop for relaxing, fun poking, sightseeing and shopping.

Phuket is great place for diving. There are several coral islands to the south of the Phuket, e.g., Similan Islands to the north west and Phi Phi Island to the south east. And there are a great variety of local dive sites around Phuket, e.g., Koh Racha Yai, Shark Point, Anemone Reef.

Aisa recommends a day trips to Similian Island for diving and snorkeling from Phuket. The Similan Islands lie about 100s km Northwest of Phuket and were declared a National Park in 1982. It is rated as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, with white beaches and spectacular dive sites in warm, clear waters. (The other two top 10 dive sites in Asia are Maldives and Sipadan Island of Borneo in Malaysia).

Phuket’s west coast is a good surfing destination. Read more about Phuket at Surfing.Many other activities include parasailing, water skiing, banana boat rides, or sailing a beach catamaran.

Read more about Phuket at Nightlife, Wild life & Nature, and about Thail Massage at SPA & Massage

Phuket has some notable historical temples. Read more about Phuket at Culture & Sightseeing

Phuket is a great place for a golf holiday with half a dozen golf courses. Phuket stages international tournaments and is a real Asian golfing center.

Did you know If you happen to be in Phuket at the right time of the year, don’t miss Songkhran (Thai’s New Year, also know as the Water Splashing Festival) on April 13, Loy Kratong sometime in November. Phuket Vegetarian Festival will be held in September 29 - October 7 in 2008. It is a festival full of life and magic!

Seasons November to April is the high season with more sun and less rain. The rainy season in Phuket is from May to October due to monsoon season.

Beware Prostitution has become part of the nightlife in Phuket, despite the fact that it’s officially illegal.

Official Website http://www.phukettourist.com/

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

An Island with Stunning Coastlines and Lots of Fun

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Koh Samui

Nightlife | SPA & Massage
Beaches | Wildlife & Nature
Culture & Sightseeing | Surfing

___________________________________________________________________________

Aisa votes Koh Samui one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia because of its beautiful beach and coastline , great diving and the fun nightlight you don’t get elsewhere!

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, off the east coast of Thailand. It is the third largest island in Thailand after Phuket and Koh Chang.

Chaweng and Lamai are the two best beaches on the east of the island. There are beaches in the north coast, not as spectacular but cheaper, where you can get a beach front bungalow for a good price.

Chaweng Beaches is the largest and most popular beach in northeast Samui. It’s approximately 7 km long with powdery white sand. It’s bordered by emerald-blue water and a coral reef. If you find Chaweng over-developed and crowded, Lamai beach is probably a better choice - it’s calmer and more peaceful.

Koh Samui’s surf season is from October to December. Chaweng beach is the most popular beach for surfing. Other spots include the “left alone” reef beak off Chaweng beach and a reef break in front of Le Meridien Baan Taling Naam Resort.

A day trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park at Na Thon is a must. The national marine park features limestone kharsts, tropical rainforests and secluded beaches. Activities include Kayaking along small islands in the pristine water and go under the overhangs of the cliffs, visiting small caves on the side of the islands when the tide is low. There is a aquamarine lake in the middle of the island. You can hike your way to the lake, which involves climbing steep stairs and going through small gaps in the rocks.

Koh Samui has very exciting nightlife. There are discos, clubs, music venues, traditional Thai Dancing, mud wresting and Thai boxing. Chaweng beach is the most popular night life area. There are many ladyboy (Katoeys) shows if you are interested. The famous Full moon party is at  Ko Pha Ngan, a sister island of Koh Samui just 30 minutes boat ride away. The party draw tourists from nearby islands, including Phuket and Phi Phi, and people all over the world! The party starts from night, and runs till dawn, if you are into the high energy dancing and drinking marathon! It happens once every lunar month, when it’s a full moon. The party is held at Had Rin Beach, south-eastern part of Samui Island. There are also half moon and black moon parties.

There are a number of attractions on the island. Big Buddha Temple has a gigantic statue of the Buddha - 12 meter high! There are other temples, and numerous animal attractions: crocodile farm, snake farm, monkey theatre, elephant trekking, and butterfly garden. A tourist couldn’t travel through Thailand without having a traditional elephant ride. And you get to feed the elephant banana after the ride! Other activities include watching Muya Thai Boxing at Chaweng Stadium.

Read more about Thai Massage at SPA & Massage

Did you know Ang Thong National Marine Park is the place that inspired Alex Garland to write The Beach.

Don’t be surprised to see more Swedish tourists in Koh Samui.

Seasons The monsoon season is from September to November.

Online Webcam You can see the Koh Samui beaches and street online by visiting http://www.samuicam.com.

Website for Full moon party schedule
http://www.samui.org/kohphangan/fullmoonparty.html

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel