Racha Island Phuket Thailand
For some old reason, Westerners call this beautiful island Racha and Thais call it Raya. Either way it is worth a day trip or, better still, a weekend away from the busy roads of Phuket. There’s good snorkelling here and Raya Divers if you want to learn to dive.

Raya has two main bays : Ao Patok where all the speed boats arrive and Ao Siam – a much quieter bay with superb walks and places to just be alone. Ao Patok is currently having a big, new resort built on it. The Racha- a high-class, eco-friendly set of bungalows. Opening mid 2004. Ao Patok has high tide swimming most of the day whereas Ao Siam is only swimable early morning or after 6pm.

Walk behind Ao Patok ( straight through the centre) and follow the sandy path to find Father Bungalows on the right and Raya Resort on AO Teau after that. Turn left at Father Bungalows abd keep on the path until you hit the beach and you’ll be just in time for a drink at the Reggae Bar there. The path literally ends right behind the bar. The chirpy owner, Max, will take care of you and explain where things are and where to get a decent lunch or dinner. At night Max usually has a BBQ going with freshly caught fish and perhaps a bit og fire throwing.

Next to the Reggae bar is Hippy Bar where Woot and Vicky will serve you a nice meal and further down the left hand side of the beach is the wonderful Bamboo Shack Restaurant. The lovely Thai couple who run it do a great masaman curry and are very welcoming. At the very end of the beach you’ll find Jungle and Sea View Bungalows up the hill. A bit precarious while walking at night but great views during the day.

Located around 12km south of Phuket, Raya is accessible via a variety of boats and day trips. If you want to do it yourself a speed boat from Rawai Beach or Chalong Bay will cost approx 1,000 baht per person or a longtail 1,500 baht for the whole boat. Some of the speedboats do special deals for 1,200 baht where you get a packed lunch and the use of snorkelling gear. Speed boats generally leave Raya for Phuket at 3pm daily. Crossing takes 40 min by speed boat and one hour 15 min by longtail.

Days Tours to Phang Nga Bay Thailand
Phang Nga Bay, to the east of Phuket, is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions of the world. But the impression you get of this wonderland depends largely on which tour you choose.

A James Bond Island tour wull cost very little and you won’t even have to look for one, it comes to you: most street touts and agencies will set you up with one straight away. Expect to pay about 400 baht. The trouble with these tours is that they take so long to get to the sights, stopping at a temple along the way and only allowing the visitor to alight at James Bond Island – a war zone of hawkers and cheap tat, and then for lunch at Koh Pannyi, a Muslim village on stilts. Okay, lunch at Koh Pannyi is delicious and the boat trip entertaining. For some, it’s an enjoyable and memorable day out, but what about trying some different?

If you’re travelling in a group there’s not much different in price but an awful lot more adventure if you take a taxi over to Bang Rong ( near the Gibbon Rehabilitation Center) and charter a longtail boat. For a full day its should cost 3,000-4,000 baht, max 6 people. With luck, your guide will procure some fresh seafood along the way. Speaking of food, why not a lunch cruise? June Bahtra Cruise will take you around the same area with a sumptuous meal and a lot of sight-seeing. This’ll set you back around 2,930 baht ( children 1,990 baht). The same company also offers a sunset cruise.

Finally, if you have your own transportation you might want to motor up to Takua Thung, a village up on the mainland on Route 4 towards Phang Nga Town. You can tour the mangrove swamps from there and even make a stop at Jame Bond Island if you wish.