Tourists do drive in Thailand, plenty rent out scooters. I've actually seen four scooter accidents involving tourists and thats without looking too hard. Driving standards aren't great but the roads themselves are not too bad. To be honest I'd feel safer on four wheels than two, and its not a part of the world we would contemplate driving in. An alternative is to hire a car and driver for the day, or charter a taxi.

Tour wise there are plenty of trips to take. Many involve a boat trip, which may be affected by the time of the year you are visiting. A trip to Phang-Nga bay is a must, take a look at SeaCanoe and John Grey's Sea Canoes for visiting the doughnut shaped hongs. Phi-Phi is on many peoples must do list and can be done in a day although it is pretty much a tourist trap - paradise lost perhaps. You could of course opt to stay for a night or two on Phi Phi. Plenty of attractions on Phuket including ladyboy shows and some cultural attaractions such as temple complexes.

Its easy to get around from Phuket. You could go further afield to Khao Lak or Krabi, or you if you fancy flying visit Chaing Mai in the North or Bangkok - plenty of lowcost iarfares around.

Thanks Sunbear, the island trips will be a definite on the agenda, the idea of hiring a taxi for the day is a good one (we've done this in the past when in Goa). We will be going in Feb and have 21 nights there and we are really looking forward to it. You have mentioned Sea Canoe & John Grey Sea Canoe are these a sort of tour operators ? and how much notice would you recommend when booking a trip..thanks again Keith