Phuket is a provincial tropical paradise. From the beautiful lagoon to the striking sunsets, palm strewn beaches and extraordinarily clear waters, Phuket is an anti-thesis to Bangkok’s insanity: calm, eye-catching, and quite incredibly difficult to leave. Turquoise water, cocktails and green curries in beachfront restaurants are all well and good, but head deep inland and Phuket offers plenty more: lush, near-untouched rainforests, aging rubber plantations and seafood festivals. There are waterfalls to swim in, the mammoth Buddha statue that features on most of Phuket’s tourist literature to explore, and the tiny river-side villages that make you feel like you’re the first foreign ever to stopover.