Khao Lak

Khao Lak sits on Thailand’s Andaman coast and works best as a base rather than a destination in itself. The beaches here are long, quiet and largely undeveloped compared with Phuket further south, but the real draw is what lies offshore: the Similan Islands, reached by speedboat, where the diving and snorkelling are among the best in the country. Stay a night or two either side of a Similans trip and Khao Lak’s calm makes an easy contrast.