Discover Thailand (from home)

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Holidays to Bangkok are spent touring gold-tinted temples, rummaging your way around the night markets, and tucking into sizzling street food.
An inland city, Bangkok doesn't have beaches, but Pattaya, 95 miles southeast, has a sprawling 3km stretch of snow-white sand that softly dissolves into tranquil turquoise waters. Backed by tropical greenery and a tree-lined promenade, this coast is popular for snorkelling and watersports and is laced with restaurants, bars and shops.

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Phuket offers everything from sleepy beaches to wired party resorts, and it’s this little-bit-of-everything approach that makes the island one of Thailand’s most popular destinations.
As Thailand’s biggest island, Phuket has around 90 miles of coastline to its name. The sea has nibbled coves and bays out of every stretch of it. Not every strand of sand can be tarred with the same brush, though. Some beaches, like Patong, are really lively, while others, like Kamala, take things to a much lower gear.

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The former seat of the Lanna kingdom is a blissfully calm and laid-back place to relax and recharge your batteries. Participate in a vast array of activities on offer, or just stroll around the backstreets, and discover a city that is still firmly Thai in its atmosphere and attitude.
If you drive in a straight line in any direction, you'll soon find yourself in the lush green countryside and pristine rainforests dotted with churning waterfalls, serene wát and peaceful country villages – as well as a host of markets and elephant sanctuaries.

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Thanks to the fang-shaped limestone cliffs that line the shore and the deserted islands that lily-pad their way through the sea, Krabi is one of those destinations that can help but always stick in your mind.
Krabi’s beaches are cut from a different cloth to those in the rest of the world. The stretches of sand here are characterised by the limestone cliffs that back them, and the huge boulders of karst that spear out of the sea not far from their shores. Krabi’s most accessible beaches are on the mainland. But, if you’re willing to take a boat ride, there are 200 islands worth of bays and coves to stake a claim on, too.

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Beyond its hectic modern centre and river views, Kanchanaburi has a dark history. War cemeteries, museums and the ability to ride a section of the so-called 'Death Railway' draw numerous visitors to Kanchanaburi every year.
Kanchanaburi is also an ideal gateway to Thailand's wild west. There are some excellent national parks and an array of lush riverside resorts to the north, and many of them are accessibly by public transport.

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The baby of the Samui–Pha-Ngan–Tao trio, Ko Tao may still be the smallest in size but in many other ways, it's all grown up. The island is consistently gaining in popularity and going more upscale, but for the time being, this jungle-topped cutie has the busy vibe of Samui mixed with the laid-back nature of Pha-Ngan.
Even though the island is synonymous with diving, there is so much more to the place. Hikers and hermits can re-enact an episode from Lost in the dripping coastal jungles, and when you’re Robinson Crusoe-ed out, hit the pumpin’ bar scene that rages on until dawn.

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Even if you know exactly what to expect of Pattaya, it still comes as an eye-popping sensory explosion. Multicultural, hyper-touristy Pattaya boasts some excellent places to stay and eat, and the area is also a family-friendly resort coast.
The city itself is no tropical paradise; its reputation as a 'red-light' capital is totally deserved, with hundreds of beer bars, go-go clubs and massage parlours. Much of the rest is dedicated to mass-market, sun-seeking tourism. For a relaxing stay in Pattaya, base yourself outside the central area.

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In the late 1970s, Ko Pha-Ngan was a pristine paradise that beckoned the intrepid. Its innocent days may be long gone, but don’t let that deter you: this gulf isle offers much more than the Full Moon parties that made it famous.
Choose quieter days in the lunar calendar or the smaller but still-raucous half-moon party periods and the island’s charms are really brought to the fore. Even Hat Rin – party central when the moon is round – is quiet and relaxing during other periods, and the beaches are kept clean. The quietest months are April to June when the island is in low gear.

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Khao Lak shines a light on Thailand’s native side. This part of the country is characterised by unspoilt beaches, virgin forests and world-class scuba diving spots.
Twenty-twenty vision isn’t enough to see from one end of the Khao Lak coastal region to the next. This stretch of shore is 20 kilometres long and one beach blends into the next. The Khao Lak seaside faces west, too, which means the beaches here are in prime positions for sunsets.

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Koh Samui showcases the Thai island way at its very best – think glossy jungles and beaches made for picture-perfect postcard shots.
The island of Koh Samui is famed for soft, white sand, picture-perfect, turquoise sea and, of course, moonlit beach parties. Lines of coconut palms back these sandy stretches, while the waves of the Gulf of Thailand lap the shores. If there’s such thing as paradise, it’d probably look something like Koh Samui’s coastline. There are quiet, secluded beaches that are almost entirely deserted, and buzzing sandy spots that host nightly parties, so whatever beach vibe you’re after, you’re sure to find it on Koh Samui.