My husband and I (30-somethings) will be staying in or near the Phuket area in late March. Can anyone recommend their favorite area/island to stay in? We want to stay at least 2 nights in Phuket so we can take the John Gray Sea Canoe Starlight tour. We will have 4 other nights to stay in the area. We were considering traveling over and staying on Phi Phi the remainder of the time, but are worried it may just be too crowded, even though we would love to see that stunning scenery. Perhaps Krabi? Or another island? Or maybe a beach bungalow at the Holiday Inn on Phi Phi would be OK? We would love to see the natural beauty of this area, and are feeling overwhelmed with choices. We want to be a bit more quiet/relaxed than the touristy/party scene of Phuket.

Any locations/islands/hotels that you recommend?

Phuket is a big island with accommodation in all price range. The best area are those occupied by the high end hotels or resorts so do give us your budget.

I meant that we are already staying 2 of the 6 nights in Phuket, so I want recommendations of another area to stay in the local vicinity (such as Phi Phi or other island, Krabi, etc) Just wondering where else would be a good option for people who want to see the natural beauty of the area? Not so much into the party scene, lots of tourists, etc.

We are open to all price ranges, and are looking in mid- to high-range options to get more quiet/privacy, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Perhaps Railay Beach Krabi might suit you. Phi Phi Holiday Inn could be nice for you away from the touristy area.
With only those days Phuket and one other place otherwise yo will be too rushed to enjoy.

Have you decided which part of Phuket you plan to stay ?

I would second Railay. March is sort of "shoulder" season, when the tourist hoards are beginning to slack off, so I wouldn't worry too much about places being over-run.

Thanks for the replies! Railay interests us, as does the Phi Phi Holiday Inn. It may be easier to get from Phuket to Phi Phi, so would that be the better choice?

We actually have 5 nights in the area, and normally we would not prefer to stay in a touristy spot like Phuket (we like more laid back and not as developed areas) but we want to do the John Gray Sea Canoe Starlight tour so we thought 2 nights would be plenty for us there. Then we would have 3 nights somewhere else, hopefully more laid-back and relaxing than Phuket. And no, we haven't decided where to stay in Phuket yet either. Again, something quieter would be preferred!

Any more opinions, please let me know! Thanks!

Hi jet-- You might consider looking at the province of Trang, which is south of Phuket. It is not touristy at all, although there are nice places to stay. My husband, daughter and I came to spend Christmas with our son who has been living in Bangkok since April. I was looking for something off the path, and lucked into this area. My son had only been to the party islands and that just didn't appeal as a family trip! We did an "Island Hop" for 3 days and then spent 4 nights on Koh Sukorn, a quiet, lovely island. We all loved it.

One of the quieter beaches on Phuket is Kata Noi. I would recommend the KataThani Resort. I have stayed there, as I thought it was very nice.

I have also stayed at Mom Tri's Villa Royale. Very quiet. Very relaxing. Truly pampered experience. Villa Royale is on a hillside overlooking Kata Noi Beach, with a wooden staircase going down to the beach, so not impossible to get to. An easy walk down, really.

I also like Krabi, and I think Railay would be a super idea for you. There are many small islands off-shore that you can get to by boat, and spend an afternoon or better part of a day in the sand. You can rent your own boat very easily. I stayed on Ao Nang Beach, which is maybe busier than you want.

Carol

There are many places to stay in Phuket that are not tourist spots, but your question originally was about where else to visit? Well that question is very easy for me. I think Koh Lanta is perfect. Its just the other side of Phi Phi. You can see Phi Phi island from Koh Lanta. It is relatively undeveloped, apart from the town at the north, where the port is.

More perfect than Phi Phi because it doesn't have the crowds and the sea is the same, crystal clear and perfect white sand. The people are not as money grabbing and prices are very reasonable compared to Phi Phi. I stayed on the beach in an A/C room for 300 baht a day on new years day last year. Opening my door, taking 2 steps and I was on the beach, idyllic in many ways.

So, I recommend - Koh Lanta

Just so you know, I am a long expat from Phuket.

Suksan

Thanks for all the ideas everyone! We are buying our air tickets to Thailand today, then will continue to research for a week or two before finalizing all plans on where to go/stay.

If you have any more opinions/ideas, I'm all ears! And thanks again!

Suskan,
How would you get to Koh Lanta from Bangkok? Is the snorkeling as good there as on Phi Phi?
Thanks Tina