There are a million reasons to visit Thailand, such as the tropical rainforest's of the north, the Bridge over the River Kwai to the west in Kanchanaburi or the soft white sand of the beaches to the south to name a few. Many travelers who head south are searching for a perfect paradise, a place with deserted beaches fringed by green palm trees and soft white sand to bury their toes into. The reality however is they will end up on a beach just as packed with tourists as their flight was there.

In southern Thailand you can find many beaches. Some will be packed with tourists, jet skies and banana boat rides while others will be hidden paradise. Now if you want the jet skies and banana boats then things are easy but if you seek out that little corner of paradise then you need to do a little more work. Holiday planning should be the most essential part of any holiday and it should entail more than a visit to your local travel agent to pick up some brochures.

Here I have listed outlined 7 points that I belief help in finding those hidden beaches in Thailand.

7 Points To Great Holiday Research

Decided on what type of holiday you want, beach, city or forest break. If you want a combination of these then do the following 6 steps for each destination.
Note down 5 phrases or words that come to mind when you think about your chosen destination.
Put these phrases into Google or any other search engine you may use and have a look at the first page results, then ignore them.
Move to page 2 and 3 and working your way down ignore hotel booking services and visit the web sites that seem like information pages and have some relevance to your searched term or phrase.
Look for locations on these web pages that maybe you have never heard about or read about and take a note of the name.
Search for this unknown location and take note of the number of pages with the term.
The location with the least number of pages should now be your focus for your next holiday destination.

The Steps In Action:

Just in case you are not aware, I'm in love with Thailand beaches. When i think about them I get images of white sand, palm trees, blue waters, cool breeze and deserted beaches. I put these terms into my chosen search engine, Google for me, and here is what I find.

White sand Thailand returns 2.35 million results moving on to page 2 I ignore hotel booking service sites and see about half way down the page Amazing-Thailand.com - Tropicals Islands in Thailand a quick scan produces two possible locations, Koh Larn and Koh Turatao. The later returns 1,380 results and Koh Larn shows 55,400 pages. I now have my first holiday research place, Koh Turatao.

A word of warning about finding deserted beaches. These areas will often be far from any commercial outlets, medical centers or English speaking locals. This can be paradise when things go good but if the unthinkable happens and you take ill or get injured finding help can be a difficult task, just remember this before you head off into the unknown.

Finally, I would like to ask that in your research you do come across that perfect paradise then please keep it to yourself. There has been many paradise locations spoiled after someone has found it then wrote a post on some travel forums about their experience. Let others find hidden treasures, it really can make for the best possible holiday ever.

Brian has been on many holidays to Thailand and now provides information about Diving in Thailand as well as general chats what Thailand hotels are really like.
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Phra That Si Song Rak was built in 1560 A.D. as a symbol of friendship between Somdet Phra Maha Chakkaphat of Ayutthaya and Phrachao Chaiya Chetthathirat of Lan Xan, the two kings. It was at this spot that the two kings vowed not to invade each other's territory, instead they decided to unify their armies so that they could fight as one against the invading army from Burma, present day Myanmar.

Built off the Laos-Thai border, the temple is located 83 kilometers from Mueang district. It is situated on a hill next to the Man River at border of the two ancient kingdoms in present day Dan Sai District of Loei Province. The chedi of the temple is 30 meters high and is built from brick and mortar. The Chedi has a 12-cornered indented square base giving it a cubical lotus shape, which is similar to Phra That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom Province.

The people of the district hold a grand celebration at the temple on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the month of May. They offer 3 objects made from candle wax. This is the best time to visit this unique temple, which symbolizes friendship and unity.

Visitors visiting the temple should be careful not to wear red or offer red flowers, as red symbolizes violence and blood. It is important to remember to remove ones hat, cap and shoes within the compound of the temple.

This temple is highly revered in Thailand and its most notable feature is its plastered stupa which houses the holy relics of Buddha.

The importance of this temple in the history of Thailand can be judged by the fact that Loei Province uses the image of the stupa in its provincial seal.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in travel industry. She also offers top quality travel tips like Maps Of Thailand, How To Find Thai Girlfriends
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A lot of people choose Thailand as a travel destination and no wonder. It`s a beautiful country and is steeped in history. The climate is great, and the beaches are amazing. A number of people who travel to Thailand will go to Hua Hin, but overlook neighboring Cha Am. Cha Am is about two hours from Bangkok by car (165 km or 102 miles) in Phetchaburi on the sunrise coast of the Gulf of Thailand. If you don`t fancy driving, you can take the train from Bangkok to the Cha Am train station, which is about 2 Kilometers (1.25 miles) from the beach.

For the traveler who really prefers something more local and less "touristy" it`s really a good idea to check out this lesser-known resort. If you`re looking for a quiet beach, Cha Am is ideal during the week. You`ll be able to find Cha Am hotels that will suit your budget and your traveling style with no trouble. There aren`t any bars, as local regulations don`t permit them. The Cha Am beach is not a night-life type of spot, but is a lovely, quiet town for people who really do want to get away from it all. It`s very family-friendly and a welcoming place, so it`s a great spot to take the kids to wind down and relax. Being a small-town resort, it`s important to remember local customs. While bathing suits and strappy tops are fine on the beach, bring a sarong or wrap to adhere to local dress customs while off of it.

The town of Cha Am stretches along the white sand beach. It is claimed to be Thailand`s longest beach, so there`s plenty of room for everyone. Even though it`s not packed with foreign tourists, you can find deck chairs and umbrellas for rent quite easily. They have jetskis and banana boats for rent for those who love skimming across the water, as well a motorcycles, scooter and bikes for rent for people who want to tour along the beachfront. If you want beer, soft drinks or the wonderful seafood for which Thailand is famous, you`ll find there are plenty of local vendors. You can also find inexpensive public bathhouses to wash off the salt after swimming in the sea.

Cha Am hotels and restaurants have excellent seafood - from its beach-side vendors to its wonderful restaurants, you can find yourself many tasty treats fresh from the sea. In September, you can enjoy the Cha Am beach shellfish festival "Feast-Fish-Flock" when fishermen, cooks and many people in the seafood industry get together to show off their ware and fishing prowess. You can join in the squid fishing and if you`re a bird-watcher, this is the time to come to Cha Am. The bird park is open and the festival definitely brings in the birds from surrounding areas!

If you`re looking for a quiet place to experience the "real" Thailand, Cha Am is a good place to consider. There are a range of Cha Am hotels that will fit almost any budget - from small budget places to luxury resorts, some of which offer the ultimate in privacy and luxury- the private pool villa. This is the resort the locals are more likely to visit, so you`ll get a chance to hang out with locals in a very relaxed environment and unwind by the Gulf of Thailand.

If you are interested in visiting Cha Am, be sure to check out our picks of the Top 10 Cha Am hotels and resorts
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