Thailand
 

My husband and I are spending a week at a resort in Khao Lak, north of Phuket in March. We’d like to move to a different area for another six days, before heading back to Bangkok. We have been to Ko Tao and Phuket before. Any suggestions for a place not too onerous to get to from Phuket?

If you want something nearby, the Krabi area is easily accessed from Phuket. Railay Beach is by far my top recommendation there -- a beach cut off from the rest of the mainland by large limestone cliffs. To reach it, you need to take a boat from Ao Nang, so that might fall into slightly onerous category.

Of course, being in Phuket, you have flights going to every part of the country. If you want a quiet town for a complete change of scenery, Roi Et in the northeast or Phrae in the north are both very nice places. A little bit further away is Chiang Saen on the Mekong River, but it's about 1 hour from the Chiang Rai airport. It is walled city home to a lot of Buddhist ruins and has wonderful riverfront evening food.

Krabi may be nice if you are looking for another beach destination. For a change of scenery then consider https://www.khaosok.com - jungle/limestone karst scenery and a variety of accommodation from luxury to cheap, floating bungalows to treehouses. Best way to get there is rent car and return it to Phuket Airport for your flight BKK.

Northern Thailand as suggested in post #2 is great but I would avoid going between Feb and April which is the season when the farmers burn the forests and fields in preparation for the new season crops. The smoke and pollution cane absolutely terrible.

That's true about the smokey season, and it seems to be happening earlier each year. The northeast of the country (Isaan) isn't nearly as bad as the north (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, etc.). Phimai in Nakhon Ratchasima province with Angkorian ruins is great for a few days, but you'd need to fly into Khon Kaen airport, about 2 hours away. Roi Et is a great option. But, a Mekong River town is hard to beat for atmosphere. Recommend Chiang Khan (55km to Loei airport), Nong Khai (57 km from Udon Thani airport), or Nakhon Phanom (17 km from airport).