when are you planning on going dawnie?

... open to suggestions, whether its Thailand still or a near country. Quite fancy an island tho. Thanks

Go to somewhere like Expedia and have a look to see what flights to other countries are like. I have for instance had a free flight to Hong Kong but then went on to Bangkok quite cheaply. Its worth looking at.
As for Thailand- Koh Samui has the Ang Thong National Marine Park. Haven't done that but I'm sure someone here has.Koh Tao is a recommended for diving. You can stay there or take a day trip to one of its dive centres from Koh Samui.

Have a look at http://www.AirAsia.com for cheap flights around the region - internal and international. I haven't been there, but the Similan Islands National Park is supposed to be about the best for snorkeling.

As for a resort, I much prefer the Krabi reign to Samui. It's much prettier and has loads of islands within easy and quick reach. There's loads to do besides the beach too, such as temples and kayaking. There are still beaches you can go to that you can virtually have to yourself.

We loved Samui - just an hours flight from Bangkok with Bangkok Air - although do hanker for Krabi for the future too. Depends what you want we wanted a few trips round the island by car and boat, chilling on the beach at a good hotel with good restaurants for the evening which is what we got! good luck you will have a great time wherever you go.

Thanks, I will defo have a look at those 2 suggestions. Any particlar area best on either? Must admit I do love Thailand (not Pataya tho!)

we stayed on the outskirts of Chaweng - a good 30 minutes walk in. This was ideal for us as the hotel was quiet but Chaweng main street was in easy reach for good restaurants - although there were good ones close by too. Bhoput looked good too when we passed through there a couple of times - looked a good alternative.

It all depends what your preferences are. We didn't care much for Chaweng. It's very commercial and busy. Bo Phut is lovely, our favourite resort on Samui.
Having said that, and had a good look around Samui, I would choose Krabi every time. We were based in Ao Nang, which in itself is quite busy, but nothing compared to Chaweng. Ao Nang is a good starting point as there are loads of beaches and islands within a few minutes boat ride, many of which have cheap accomodation to rent for a night or two, some of which are very quiet.
I guess Samui has been doing the whole tourist thing a lot longer than Krabi, so you would expect it to be more built up. We did have a great time there and would go back, but Krabi does it for me.

Why not try somewhere different Dawnie? If you want islands that are just starting to get popular have a look at Koh Chang or Koh Mak. A 40 minute flight from Bangkok - Trat on Bangkok Airways then transfer to the island.