Phuket is a tropical paradise jammed with endless pleasures and treasures and certainly my favorite of the country’s island resorts. The island has something for everyone. There are crowded beaches, or secluded coves. Festivals and regattas cram the calendar.  
The island was cruelly hit by the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. And more recently on September 16, 2007, 89 people died when an airliner crashed in bad weather at Phuket Airport. Biggest tourist town here is Patong jammed with hotels and cheap inns.
Its streets are choked with bars and tiny stores. The area caters to everyone. Quiet English families mingle with Australian youths bent on beer binging. Transvestites sit in seedy bars and tiny Thai girls seek customers for massage parlors that do not always follow the ancient rules of healing. Gay couples stroll arm in arm alongside petite camera clutching Orientals. Street markets offer the full range of cheap copies of watches, designer clothes, CDs and luggage. Tourist trinkets highlight elephants and cheap colorful silk products. 
The better quality resorts are scattered around the island from the J.W.Marriott in the north to the Evason and Royal Meridien Yacht Club in the south. Accommodation prices range from as little as $20 to more than $2,000 for the royal suites in the luxury resorts.   
 For the sportsmen there are several golf course and endless opportunities for sailing and deep sea fishing. Shoppers can find the expensive and exclusive at Central Festival or the cheap and cheerful at the numerous street markets.

   The most populous part of the island is on the western coast and also around Phuket City, known as Phuket Town until 2004 when its size warranted the name change. Many signs have not been changed and most people still refer to it as Phuket Town. This is the center of trade and commerce on the island and most government offices are located here. Remarkable examples of Sino-Portuguese buildings recall earlier days when tin mining was an important part of island life. Many Chinese came to the area to work in the mines and the Portuguese traders set up shops.
The main Phuket market is held daily in the city center and if you can arrive early – it’s open from 1am until soon after the sun comes up – you will be enthralled by the varieties of food that is traded. Trucks rumble into town loaded with pineapples and bananas. Others come with chicken or pork carcasses. The aroma of spices and fresh produce makes it a morning to remember.
The population of the island is over 400,000 of which 80 percent is Buddhist and 15 percent Muslim. Seventy percent of the island is mountainous. Phuket has two distinct seasons – the rainy one from May through October and the hot one from November through April. There are lots of sunny days during the rainy season and the showers are normally short. The best months to visit – and the high season for hotel rates - are November through February.

  Things to do and see: There are six golf courses on the island. Two sites for bungee jumping and numerous spots for mini-golf, the most interesting is Dino Park at Karon Beach. Elephant trekking is available in several places. Look for somewhere level for a more comfortable ride. SCUBA divers will find dive centers in all the major resort areas. There are two horse riding clubs on the island and six bowling alleys. There are two cinemas, the best being at Central Festival. Thai boxing lovers will find a stadium in Patong and there is one go-kart track on the island and numerous locations for ATV off-road adventures. The Simon Cabaret and the Andaman Queen Cabaret offer nightly transvestite shows. The Phuket FantaSea Show is a mega extravaganza in a 140-acre theme park. Not be missed is the Sea Canoe Adventure exploring the caves and islands in Phang Nga Bay. Thai temples are scattered throughout the island – and if you just have time to see one make it either Wat Chalong or Wat Phra Thong ( Golden Buddha Temple) in Thalang. The Seashell Museum at Rawai is well worth a visit as is the recently restored aquarium at Cape Panwa. Other attractions, or distractions, include snake shows, target shooting and waterfalls with little water. Other worthy places to visit are the Gibbon Rehabilitation Center – this project located in the Khao Pha Theaw National Park strives to rehabilitate abandoned pet gibbons to the wild – the Phuket Orchid Garden and Thai Village; the Phuket Zoo and the Butterfly and Insect Farm.