Phuket Island, the pearl of the Andaman Sea
 Phuket,
the Pearl of the Andaman, is considered to be the end of the rainbow
for travelers around the globe because of its exotic sun, sea, and
sand harmoniously combined with the peaceful way of life of its
people.
The enchantment of Phuket lies not only in its sandy shores but
also in its history.
In historical records of over a thousand years ago, Phuket was
known as an important trade port. Ptolemy’s Geographia, recorded
in the year 157, shows that sea captains knew Phuket under the name
of Jang Si Lang or Junk Ceylon, a cape between Suwannabhumi and
the Malaya Straights.
In 1603 the Dutch came to Phuket and started a tin trade on the
island. In those times Phuket was divided into two different communities;
 one
was the Thalang community, located on the northern and middle parts
of the island, its people being Thai.
The other community was located on the western and southern parts
of the island, inhabited by Portugese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Indian,
and British, mainly dealing in the island’s tin trade and the
trade of other merchandise.
This led Phuket to develop both commercially and culturally over
the centuries to what has become the Phuket of today that is still
a culturally-mixed, multi-national community, the difference being
that Phuket is now a major tourism destination well-known across
the world and not a major tin trade port.
Today Phuket is a peaceful tourism destination on an island in
the Andaman Sea, surrounded by 39 nearby islands, such as Raja Island,
Kaew Island, Naka Yai Island, Naka Noi Island, Hay Island, Maphrao
Island, to name a few. Tourists also know these islands well, as
they also provide a haven for tourists to relax in.
Get to know Phuket and fall in love with its charms
 Laem
Phrom Thep
For sunset lovers, this is the most spectacular place to view Phuket's
greatest live show.
Laem or cape Phrom Thep is a dramatic headland stretching into
the sea, forming the most south-end of the island.
Although the evening experience can become crowded at times, this
place is without doubt one of the most breath-taking vistas on the
island.
 Scuba
Diving
As the center for diving, Phuket boasts world-renown diving sites
around the Similan, the Surin, and the Phi Phi islands.
With visitor's luck, special treat could include a memorable encounter
with the gigantic whale sharks, the largest fish but also one of
the most benign creatures in the sea. Courses and equipments areavailable
at main beaches. Beginner courses are relatively inexpensive. Therefore,
if you are considering experiencing the underwater world for the
first time, there is no better place to begin.
 Phuket
Fantasea
Intended as Thailand's ultimate themepark, Phuket Fantasea represents
a new dimension in nighttime entertainment. Cuttingedge technology
is used to achieve fantastic effects for performances which evolve
around Thai myths and legends.
The shows features hundreds of performers in spectacular costumes
as well as troops of trained animals. It is located on Kamala Beach,
just 9 kilometers from Patong Beach.
 Golfing
in Phuket
Due to the great property boom of the 1990's, Thailand is home
to dozens of world-class golf courses, at least two of which are
on this island, the Phuket Country Club and the Blue Canyon Country
Club. Built on former tin mines, both courses make clever use of
existing landscape created by their previous owners.
Phuket Country Club was established in 1989, and can boast to be
one of Southeast Asia’s finest resort golf courses, having
held the LADIES KOSAIDO THAILAND OPEN 1992 and PRINCE BERNARD CUP
tournaments.
Phuket
Country Club, a 27 - hole golf course, is ideally located midway
between Phuket Town and Patong Beach.
Apart from the “Old Course” - a challenging 18 - hole
resort golf course and the “Country Club Corse” - a 9
- hole championship layout course, there is also a Recreation Center
and a 52 - bay Driving Range Facility.
The two club houses provide a panoramic view over the golf course
with a 25 - meter swimming pool with poolside refreshments, restaurant,
snooker room, banquet / conference room, locker rooms with sauna
and golf clinic with American / Thai teaching professionals. The
restaurant menu provides excellent Japanese, local Thai and Western
food.
The Blue Canyon Country Club comprises of two different styles.
The Lakes Course has been designed to cater to a wide range of golfers.
From the championship tees, target driving areas are set at 27 yards
to accommodate today’s long hitters, enabling the Lake Course
to be the venue for a world - class tournaments.
The Canyon Course was designed with minimal disruption to the natural
landscape. This feature, along with the use of existing canyons
and rubber plantations helped create the masterpiece that the Canyon
Course is renowned as today.
Weather in Phuket
 Weather
in Phuket can be divided into two seasons-the rainy season and the
hot season. The rainy (low) season runs from April to November and
the hot season (high) season is during December to March. Since
the climate in Phuket is tropical, the weather is warm throughout
the year, with daytime temperatures ranging between 24 to 36 degrees
Celsius. During April and May is the period with the highest temperatures,
although May is one of the most humid months of the year with an
average of 25 days of rain during the month.
The best time for visiting Phuket is between November and February
as it rains least and the temperature is not too high. The peak
tourist season is during December and January. For those who prefer
a more quiet holiday and does not mind a bit of rain, May, June
and September are the months to come to Phuket.
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