BEACH
Jul 15th, 2003 | 08:48 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 9
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BEACH
Love to snorkel! Looking for the best beach area with CLEAR, CALM water with white sand and great snorkeling. Anyones opinion would be appreciated.
We have found a good package from"Friendly Planet" that is for 17 days called "Amazing Thailand and Phuket extension". I do know that I would like to see Maya Beach. I know that it is a "day" excursion from Phuket. Thinking of going the end of March or the first few weeks in April.
We went to Bali 2 years ago and we weren't impressed with the beaches there but the culture and the people were AMAZING.
We have found a good package from"Friendly Planet" that is for 17 days called "Amazing Thailand and Phuket extension". I do know that I would like to see Maya Beach. I know that it is a "day" excursion from Phuket. Thinking of going the end of March or the first few weeks in April.
We went to Bali 2 years ago and we weren't impressed with the beaches there but the culture and the people were AMAZING.
Jul 16th, 2003 | 12:26 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
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If you had checked out Bali on this site two years ago, many of us, including me, would have told you not to expect beautiful white sand beaches. . .I love Bali, but not for the beaches and it is a LONG way to go just to sit on a beach. Glad you found that the people and culture made up for it, some people can't see past the turquoise water they were expecting.
OK for Thailand. IMO, you will find a bit more of what you are looking for. Phuket beaches themselves are pretty, but not spectacular. There is no snorkelling of any note that I am aware off directly off the Phuket beaches. There may be a bit of Krabi beaches. However, the islands off Phuket in the bay between Krabi and Phuket, esp around Phi Phi are really something. There you will find white sand and some good snorkelling. If your main aim is beaches and snorkelling, you might want to just head here yourself, rather than doing the tour you mentioned, which sounds like it goes to other (inland) places. I am a huge fan of Bangkok and the mountain areas of Thailand, don't know if this is what you are interested in. You can easily join day boat trips from Phuket or hire a boat for the day yourself. You can even charter a boat with captain for a few days to go to even more isolated spots if you want. In general, I would say you don't need to join a tour, you can easily do Thailand by yourself. (Of course it is hard to beat the airfares that the tours get. . . )
Time of year you go is pretty important as well, as rainfall and wind will obscure the clarity of the water. If you can go in March, early of mid-month esp, you will be better off, as April has about 3 times the rainfall as March, on average. (The real rainy season in Phuket is the early fall, but April is about the beginning of the season.)
You also might want to consider the east coast of Thailand and east coast of Malaysia. Koh Samui is a beautiful island with great beaches. It is very popular on this site. I have to put in a good word for the east coast of Malaysia, esp the Rantu Abang area and the island of Rawa. (Run a search on this site for previous postings on the east coast of Malaysia.) The islands off the coast in Rantu Abang have very good diving and snorkelling. This is the first place I saw the giant clams with multicoloured interiors and amazing fish life. (This was scuba diving, but snorkelling is good as well. Again, March would be better than April in terms of rainfall, and you may have more rain here than you would in Phuket.
OK for Thailand. IMO, you will find a bit more of what you are looking for. Phuket beaches themselves are pretty, but not spectacular. There is no snorkelling of any note that I am aware off directly off the Phuket beaches. There may be a bit of Krabi beaches. However, the islands off Phuket in the bay between Krabi and Phuket, esp around Phi Phi are really something. There you will find white sand and some good snorkelling. If your main aim is beaches and snorkelling, you might want to just head here yourself, rather than doing the tour you mentioned, which sounds like it goes to other (inland) places. I am a huge fan of Bangkok and the mountain areas of Thailand, don't know if this is what you are interested in. You can easily join day boat trips from Phuket or hire a boat for the day yourself. You can even charter a boat with captain for a few days to go to even more isolated spots if you want. In general, I would say you don't need to join a tour, you can easily do Thailand by yourself. (Of course it is hard to beat the airfares that the tours get. . . )
Time of year you go is pretty important as well, as rainfall and wind will obscure the clarity of the water. If you can go in March, early of mid-month esp, you will be better off, as April has about 3 times the rainfall as March, on average. (The real rainy season in Phuket is the early fall, but April is about the beginning of the season.)
You also might want to consider the east coast of Thailand and east coast of Malaysia. Koh Samui is a beautiful island with great beaches. It is very popular on this site. I have to put in a good word for the east coast of Malaysia, esp the Rantu Abang area and the island of Rawa. (Run a search on this site for previous postings on the east coast of Malaysia.) The islands off the coast in Rantu Abang have very good diving and snorkelling. This is the first place I saw the giant clams with multicoloured interiors and amazing fish life. (This was scuba diving, but snorkelling is good as well. Again, March would be better than April in terms of rainfall, and you may have more rain here than you would in Phuket.
Jul 21st, 2003 | 03:37 AM
#4
Joined: Feb 2003
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Jenner, where did you snorkel? Did you go off the island itself, or did you go by boat to some of the nearby islands? (The latter is better). Glad you enjoyed Rawa. Now you have to learn to scuba dive so you can really appreicate the water!
Jul 21st, 2003 | 07:53 AM
#5
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,334
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I'd forget the tour of Thailand. You can do it on your own. PLEASE be prepared to accept a different culture than your own and don't be intimidated by all the electrical wires and street food in Bangkok. I was lucky in that my first (of 5) trips to Thailand (in 2 years) I had a tour guide (my son) who knew all the places I'd love to see. If I were on my own, I might have felt uncomfortable. Just get out and enjoy it. Bangkok is my favorite city now! And I've been to MANY places.
As far as beaches, I think you'd like Samui. You can do lots of snorkeling and diving around the neighboring islands.
As far as beaches, I think you'd like Samui. You can do lots of snorkeling and diving around the neighboring islands.
