Phang Nga Hotels

Phang Nga Province is on the west coast of Southern Thailand, and shares borders with Krabi Province, Ranong Province and Surat Thani Province, as well as the Andaman Sea. It's also connected to Phuket Province by road bridge. Phang-nga is a seaside province by the Andaman Sea with scenic views of forests and islands. The province offers superb natural beauty both onshore and underwater. Slogan: "Massive mining industry, Ban Klang Nam “floating house” delightful caves, strangely-shaped hills, Jampun flower, rich in resources." Phang-nga was originally inhabited by small communities and named Kraphu-nga. During the reign of King Rama II, nearby areas (including Thalung, now known as Phuket) were occupied by the Burmese and so many people fled to Kraphu-nga. In 1824, Siamese troops defeated the Burmese and the invaders were expelled. King Rama III renamed the area Phang-nga and in 1933 the town was expanded to be a province. On the fateful morning of 26 December 2004, Phang-nga Bay was devastated by a Tsunami disaster and thousands of people lost their lives. If Eden had an ocean, it would look a little like this. A turquoise bay, peppered with craggy limestone rock towers, soda-white beaches and tumbledown fishing villages, Ao Phang Nga is one of the region's most spectacular great escapes and full of picture-postcard flavour. It's pretty easy to see why James Bond choose this locale, among towering cliffs and swifts' nests, to build his lair in The Man with the Golden Gun. Much of the bay, along with portions of the coastline, have now been incorporated into the Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park and can be explored by boat or kayak. The area is desperately lacking in quality accommodation, so it may be best to visit on a day trip – there are heaps of tours out of Phuket; ask at any travel agency on the island. Most trips are advertised on chalkboards and posters as ‘trips to James Bond Island.' Tours start at 450B depending on season and demand.