Here is full disclosure. Getting to the beach is a cultural experience in Thailand. Not all the beaches or resorts require that you cross the busy road to go to the beach. The first hotel we were booked in, The Manathai Resort Hotel, like its immediate neighbor, Two Palms Resort Hotel, sat on the road across from the beach. That is the way the real estate is laid out in this particular area, leaving beachfront property for small local vendors and beach restaurants. Each resort does its best to make its designated beachfront space comfortable. Ours had a delightful American beachcomber-type who manned a desk, handed out the hotel’s beach towels, and kept a tab for food and drinks which were promptly delivered to the chaise longue, fulfilling all gastronomic wishes. He commanded authority over the beach chairs and umbrellas, assuring that each guest had plenty of shade. However, the trick was to make it to the beach itself. The sidewalk, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side, required an occasional jump aside, while motor bikes, some with “sidecars” for hauling stuff, passed by. Signs, indicating the way to the beach, were written in English with the grammar of the Thai language. Thai grammar  means that there is no separation between words. It’s love at first sight when finally the sign makes sense! Though it seems that the whole of Phuket is undergoing a renovation with construction happening everywhere you look, the gentrification  is a long way from completion. Many visitors lament that Thailand is changing too fast, that it isn’t what it used to be. For the naive eye, new to Thailand, it seems chaotic, dirty, charming, freewheeling, colorful and fun. We thoroughly enjoyed the beach, using it to walk for exercise, to swim, and to read and relax.

PHOTOS: Upper Left: Sign to the beach. Lower Left: Beach scene at sunset. Upper Right: Motor bike with sidecar, parked. Lower Right: View of the temple just behind Surin Beach, in the late afternoon sun.