Hi,

Last Easter was our first time to Thailand, we stayed 3 nights in Bangkok and 12 nights at the Cape Panwa in Phuket, we booked with Destinology who were much cheaper than Thomas Cook & some of the other bigger agents.

We are going to Chaing Mai, Koh Samui & Bangok this Easter and Phuket in October again booked with Destinology who beat the price of the other agents.
As repeat customers we usually get a good discount and their customer service is excellent.

I think there is more to do in and around Phuket than Hua Hin. I am not a great lover of Hua Hin. The hotel we stayed in was lovely and there are loads of top hotels but we didn't really find a lot to do apart from sunbathe. I know that others love Hua Hin. If you go to Phuket be aware that where you stay will make a big difference. The Phuket experts should point you in the right direction.

I've just been checking up things to do in Hua Hin as its a few years since I've been, and there seems to be loads of things I missed on the two occassions I been in the past. Even so on previous visits we've found plenty to do travalling out from Hua Hin/Cha'am...its quite a good base for visiting the River Kwai if you don't manage to do it from Bangkok. Plenty of temples, shrines in caves to visit. Royal Palaces and National parks (Sam Roi Yod for example). I even found pottering around Hua Hin enjoyable, as its a real Thai town, rather than just a resort. The beaches while not as good as the southern beaches to be found in Phuket, Krabi or Samui are perfectly acceptable.

Phuket has the more beautiful beaches but some of these are very developed although its still possible to find some semi deserted beaches. The problem with walking from beach to beach in Phuket is that they are often seperated by a very hilly headland...much easier to rent a local longtail for the day and get the boat man to, take you to various beaches and islands. Similar applies if you were to stay in the Krabi area.

Thanks for your replies, what was it like at Cape Panwa in Phuket, quite fancied that but seems as if you need a taxi to go anywhere.

Also still intrested in Hau Hin as your report Sunbear seems intresting, do you do these trips via local travel agent or taxi?

Can anyone else offer advice re Phucket & which resort.

Many Thanks
AJ

I think Hua Hin is great if you base yourself in a very good hotel with a great pool area as the beaches are not up to much , as sunbear says there are quite a few trips from there - it is very easy to arrange the trips locally , my fave hotel in Hua Hin was the Anantara which is beautiful.
I must say the beaches in Phuket are lovely , my favourite is Kata.

I arranged my trips through a local guide, but they can easily be done through your hotel or rep. If in Hua Hin you can also use the train to explore further afield.

Panwa on Phuket is OK but a bit remote...has its own beach..most things are a taxi ride away although you do have access to local restaurants nearby(good job really as I was disappointed with the food in the hotel itself). Its also handy for Phuket port for trips to outlying islands. Kata is a really nice beach as Shirley says although fairly built up these days. The last Phuket beach I stayed on was Naithon....nice beach but extremly quiet...everything shut by 10pm...bit of a hidden gem really.

There's nothing to stop you doing a few beach resorts on your stay. We often combine Phuket with Krabi or Khao Lak. Provided your not using the charter services for flights your holiday can be as many nights as you like.