Hi Paula,

Me and my husband got engaged in patong (Phuket) we are early thirties and wanted to see the sights but also relax, I can't comment on the other areas you mentioned but certainly patong was lovely we stayed at coconut village hotel which is a medium class hotel not to big, and it was just off the main area but only a minute from the main streets, you have a variaty of bars, we used to drink alot in the irish bar 'scruffy murphy's' but you have lots of choice from general bars to gogo bars! plenty of restaurants, shops and a great base for days out on tours, the only down side was that the beach at the end of our road, was to busy in the day but on the plus side it was quiet at night with fantastic sunsets though there are hotels with there own beach that might be quieter, I would say the people we met were really varied in age and Thailand is definatly a beautiful place, I hope this gives you an idea of the area.

On Phuket the main resort is Patong, a large busy resort, but resorts like Karon and Kata while considered quieter are still lively with plenty of bars and restaurants. All three resorts have great beaches but they do tend to get busy. Bang Tao on Phuket has a number of more upmarket hotels located on a beautiful beach, but its still possible to find smaller resort hotels here. Personally I avoid Patong, and even Kata and Karon are getting a bit to busy for me. There are plenty of quiet resorts and beaches still to be found even on Phuket.

Another area you might wish to consider is Krabi on the Thai mainland...Ao Nang is the main resort here and has plenty of bars and restaurants. The resort is used as a staging post for trips to outlying beaches and islands. This is the area that tends to be featured on all those holiday brochures.

Pattaya is very built up and very lively with the sex industry being much in evidence in some areas. The nearby beach of Jomtien is quieter but that is very much a relative term.

Incidentally hotel standards in Thailand are high even at the two and three star level so you should not need to have to put up with any grotty accommodation.

Most trips to Thailand usually involve landing in Bangkok. I'd definitely stay there for at least 3 days if you can. Not to be missed.

4 of us went in March 06 - [57,58,62,63] and went to Koh Samui [Imperial Boathouse] and 3 nights Bangkok [Landmark]. Choeng Mon beach where we stayed is fairly quiet - lots of restaurants on beach but if you want livelier - Chaweng is only a taxi ride away which we did a few times. We thought we had the best of both worlds and had a fabulous hol which we hope to repeat in the next few years. We also went to Goa in January and returning in November but Thailand is just that little bit special [for us anyway] Good Luck

sorry it has taken me so long to reply,but thanks for the tips you gave me.I will bear them all in mind when i book(and any more if you have them).thanks,Paula