Lets just say Phuket was not what we expected it would be. The images I had in my mind of a tropical oasis, secluded with few people, and beaches that you had to yourself was certainly not what we arrived to. Kamala Beach, where our Hotel Layalina was located was considered the least of the chaotic areas, which we were surprised about. The main analogy to describe Phuket was like a Cabo San Lucas, or a Waikiki Beach – there were tons and tons of people crawling all over the place, especially Scandinavian tourists. Half the restaurants were European or Scandinavian food catering to that clientele, and it was difficult to find anything that felt truly authentic to Thailand.

Coming from Chiang Mai, where we experienced the deeper culture of the people, we were quite disappointed to arrive to what could no better be described as a zoo of tourists. Now, our hotels location on the beach was lovely, however the fact that every person walking by the beach esplanade could see directly into our room was a little uncomfortable. I guess that’s what you get for being right on the beach.

I’m not saying we didn’t enjoy lounging on the beach, swimming in the warm water (which we actually discovered was littered with garbage on a swim during low tide), relaxing by the pool and reading our book, but it certainly is not somewhere we would rush back to. The constant stream of vendors trying to sell goods to you while we were trying to relax in the sun was quite annoying. I’m not against supporting a community, but when it’s in your face all the time, it just a turn off.

The highlight by far of our 4 days in Phuket was going on a day trip on a fast speed boat out to the Krabi Islands. This was a wonderful excursion, and gave us that feeling of the beautiful Phuket we had expected and yearned for. From our swim in our private island lagoon, to the picnic lunch on the beach, and the swim and attempt at snorkeling in a secluded bay, this was true paradise.

Now although we had initially thought that Kamala Beach, where we were staying was a little over-run with people, it didn’t come close to the complete insanity of Patong Beach (one beach south of Kamala). We spent one night wandering around the very flagrant area of Patong. The hardest thing by far for me to take in was observing all the ex-pats with very, very young Thai girls. There is a definite seedy undertone or should say overtone to the scene in Patong – sex, drugs and more sex and drugs seem to rule this area. It’s quite a turn off.

I would certainly say that if we were to return to Thailand, we would go to the more remote islands to check those out. Although I can’t complain about our killer tans, I don’t think Phuket will be on our list of “must returns” in the near future.