I always tell clients Ko Phi Phi Le's Maya Bay is worth it, even before it became famous on screen — those sheer limestone walls around that impossibly blue lagoon form a natural amphitheatre with no equal in Southeast Asia. I recommend arriving by private longtail at first light, before the regulated visitor windows fill up, for the experience it was always meant to be.

I love sending clients to James Bond Island — Khao Phing Kan in Phang Nga Bay — for sea kayaking among flooded limestone pinnacles and emerald mangrove channels. Paddling through the hongs, those hidden sea caves that open into secret lagoons, is one of my favorite quiet adventures in southern Thailand, best done early morning before the tour boats arrive.

I always tell beach-goers not to skip Phuket Town — it's one of Thailand's most characterful spots. The Sino-Portuguese shophouses of Thalang and Dibuk Roads, the weekend market, and genuinely excellent food from Hokkien noodles to massaman curry make it worth a full day away from the sand.

For the best beaches, I arrange boat trips from Phuket to Bamboo Island, Koh Yao Noi, and the quieter coves of Ko Racha Yai — the kind of solitude that's hard to find these days. I love arranging private day charters and longer live-aboard sailing itineraries for clients who want to explore on their own terms.