Phuket lies in balmy Andaman Sea waters on Thailand's Indian Ocean coastline, 862 km south of Bangkok. The island-province enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the southeast and the airport in the north.
Phuket used to derive its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoys a rich and colourful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign traders' ship's logs. Phuket's top earner now is tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province. Expect prices to be a bit higher than on the mainland.
The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage remains.
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from Mar to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May-Oct, mornings and afternoons are sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider Nov-Feb the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 degrees Celsius, scudding clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.
Phuket is a melange of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Muslims, and Moken people. The majority of the population in the rural areas are Muslim. Outside of the provincial towns, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern dialect which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The booming tourist economy over the past decade has led to many young people leading lives similar to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the lifestyle of the urban Thai-Chinese resembles that of their Bangkok brethren.