Phuket Island

Phuket (Thai: ภูเก็ต; formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries. The island is served by Phuket International Airport, located in the north of the island. The ph of "Phuket" is an aspirated "p", so the name is pronounced (roughly) "Poock-get". The name Phuket is apparently derived from the word Bukit in Malay which means mountain or hill, as this is what the island appears like from a distance.

Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea off southern Thailand. The island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island from the north to the south. The mountains of Phuket form the southern end of the Phuket mountain range, which ranges for 440 km from the Kra Isthmus. The highest elevation of the island is Mai Thao Sip Song (Twelve Canes), at 529 m above sea level.

Phuket is Thailand's largest island and nestles against the Indian Ocean Coast some 870 kilometers south of Bangkok. Phuket derives its wealth from tin and rubber, is blessed with teeming marine life, and has enjoyed a rich and colorful history.

Phuket is also one of the major Asian gateways for ocean cruises. Recently a new concept has emerged: Spa Cruises. Combining Thai traditional ways of relaxing the body and mind with all amenities of an up-market cruise. Phuket is blessed with magnificent coves and bays, powdery, palm- fringed white beaches, sparkling island-dotted seas, sincerely hospitable people, comfortable accommodation, superb seafood, lushly forested mountains, lovely waterfalls and parks, and delightful turn-of -the-century Indo / Portuguese and Chinese-influenced architecture which create an enchanting ambiance perfectly suited to total relaxation.

Phuket's nightlife is sedate (compared with Hat Yai, Pattaya or Bangkok) and is concentrated largely in the town center and Patong Beach in restaurants, bars (many featuring video entertainment), massage parlors, nightclubs and discotheques.

Each of Phuket's many beaches is blessed with a character and charm very much of its own. From busy fun beaches offering a range of water sport activities, to secluded coves of fine white sand backed by verdant hillsides and visited by little more than the bubbling surf of the Andaman, there is bound to be at least one to suit the mood and mindset of every visitor to the island.