Racha Racha 🆒 🔖

So next time you’re in Phuket and the jet skis are driving you crazy, look south. Racha Racha is waiting.

Stay overnight. While 90% of visitors leave at 3:00 PM, the lucky 10% check into The Racha . It is a five-star resort that looks like a sci-fi movie set designed by a minimalist monk. If that’s out of your budget, there are a handful of bungalows. Watching sunset on Racha without the day-trippers is worth the price of a plane ticket. The Honest Truth (Read This Before You Go) I’m not going to lie to you. Racha Yai isn't a secret anymore. During high season (November to April), the bay gets busy between 10 AM and 2 PM. racha racha

Rent a motorbike (yes, you can rent them on the island) or hire a longtail boat to take you around to Kon Kare Bay . This bay is rockier, but the snorkeling is superior. It drops off quickly, creating a wall of coral teeming with sea fans and moray eels. So next time you’re in Phuket and the

Then, something shifts. Phuket shrinks to a smudge on the horizon. The water turns from murky green to a shade of turquoise you previously thought was only available in Instagram filters. While 90% of visitors leave at 3:00 PM,

But it is the most peaceful accessible island near Phuket. It is the place you go when you want to remember why you came to Thailand in the first place: for the sun, the sea, and the silence.

You look out at the Andaman Sea and think: There has to be a better place.

And trust me: you want to go. The magic starts the moment you leave Chalong Bay in Phuket. Most day-trippers take a speedboat. For the first 15 minutes, you are surrounded by the usual gaggle of tourists, bouncing over waves.