Lonely Planet Thailand's Islands & Beaches (Paperback)

by Joe Bindloss (Author), Wendy Taylor (Author) "The beaches and languorous islands of southern Thailand are a paradise of whispering palms, white powdery sand and perfect blue seas, teeming with tropical fish..." (more)
Key Phrases: bungalows with bath, southwestern gulf coast, chao leh, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, Hua Hin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Island ways, long days, late rays...relax to the blissful pace of Thailand's south. Feast in paradise, barter for a bungalow, join the party or escape entirely. Our definitive guide gives you detailed regional coverage for the perfect getaway.

• DINE OUT - with our food and drink chapter and comprehensive listings across the region

• GO FOR BROKE - from market bargains to boutique fashion, we have shopping covered

• GET AROUND - explore coastal jungles, remote islands and blue lagoons

• NAVIGATE - over 50 maps cover the city to the sea, including national parks and dive sites

• HIT THE HUB - the lowdown on Bangkok, from banking to bar-hopping

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Destination Thailand's Islands & Beaches

If you fancy a holiday where the sun is as hot as a bird's-eye chilli and palm fronds whisper in the breeze, head to the glorious islands and beaches of southern Thailand. Close your eyes and imagine towering limestone islands, dripping with stalactites and ringed by shimmering white sand. Conjure up images of crystal-clear waters teeming with exotic fish, and steamy tropical jungles. Of course, you've seen it all a million times on postcards and tourist brochures, but Thailand is one place where the reality lives up to the ideal.

There are literally hundreds of tropical islands on both sides of the Thai-Malay peninsula. There are established backpacker hang-outs (Ko Samui) and paradise getaways (Ko Tarutao). The mainland has virgin jungles full of tumbling waterfalls and secret caverns, and hundreds of kilometres of immaculate sandy shoreline.

Other destinations may have white-sand beaches and azure seas, but where else can you combine the sea and sand with adventure activities - scuba diving with whale sharks, rock climbing on limestone sea cliffs and sea kayaking through mangrove forests and prehistoric caves?

Thailand is cheap and well organized, and the steady flow of travelers moving up and down the coast means that travel can be as comfortable or as rugged as you want it to be. If you want to escape the crowds, rent a boat to an uninhabited island and live on the beach. If you want company, head to Ao Phra-Nang's full-moon party. Add some of Asia's finest food to this heady mix and the only question you need to ask yourself is, when shall I go...?

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 4th edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740595009
• ISBN-13: 978-1740595001
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #761,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wait for next version - No tsunami updated, June 27, 2005

By	Pablo Nicolas Pecora "PnP!" (Buenos Aires, Capital Federal Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Despite all SE Asia - tsunami affected guides - say: "you can update online" you don't get lot of information on their website.
Practically half of the areas detailed by this book is affected by the tsunami. The information is good, but not certain due to all the problems in the area. I've been in the andaman beaches and the guide was usefull, but I would wait for next version of this book. Lonely Planet Thailand (the next version, tsunami updated) is ready in august 2005, I think. So it's worth waiting...

5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful guide to a very beautiful part of the world, June 17, 2009

By	Pretzels! (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Although I didn't make it to half the places in this book, I certainly enjoyed reading about them, and more importantly, thoroughly enjoyed the places I did make it to.

Remember: this is the guide to use if you're only going to LOS (the Land of Smiles) to island hop. Use the general Thailand book if you want to see the mainland as well as the beaches (it will detail quite a few of the islands and beaches as well.)

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Paradise awaiting the reader and the traveler, August 19, 2007

By	Dodie Cross "Dodie Cross, author of A Broad A... (Washington State, Palm Desert, CA) - See all my reviews

I started reading Loney Planet years ago when I planned my trip to Thailand and have never been disappointed. I am an author and my memoir, soon to be released, takes place in Thailand in 1993. The beauty then and now has not changed in the outer islands. I would recommend anyone visiting Thailand to read this book first to get a feel of the country and its wonderful people.
Dodie Cross, Author of A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in The Land of Smiles.