took a small 10 day vacation near the end of July and went to Phuket island in Thailand. I had originally thought of going somewhere in the French Polynesians like Vanuatu, but coworkers and my travel agent recommended against it. Not that Vanuatu or any of the French islands, like Fiji or Tahiti, have anything wrong with them! Simply, since I was going by myself I might find those islands a bit 'boring'. You see, they are pretty small and don't have much of a night life; the beaches are exquisite and best enjoyed by honeymooners I'm told.

I've been to Thailand quite a few times, mostly to Koh Samui, and decided this time to give a different part of Thailand a try. Phuket is a well known tourist destination with good beaches and a happening night life so a good choice. I chose to go to Patong beach, the most popular beach on Phuket island.
The beach was quite nice, as good as what I remember the beaches in Koh Samui being. The only thing though, whereas the hotels/bungalows in Koh Samui are right on the beach, this is not the case in Patong. All along the beach there is a road; hotels are on one side and the beach on the other. This is not such a bad thing, but you can't just lounge out of your hotel onto the beach. A small convenience but one that was sorely missed.