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#WeekenderWhere: Why Ko Hong Is The New Ko Phi Phi

How to enjoy the beauty of Phuket without the noisy tourist crowds

Photos: Pamela Chow, shot on Casio Exilim FR100 and Zr3600

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We drifted idly in the calm blue waters, watching curious fish flit around us, a dramatic backdrop of karsts rising from the sea. The beach behind us was quiet. The shore before us was serene. There were no crowds in the water; only fish and corals.

“People who come to Phuket always want to go to Phi Phi Island,” said one of our guides as he leaned lazily against the current. “But we want to show you that there are so many other beautiful places in the Andaman Sea.”

Indeed, few other islands can compete with the one famously featured in a James Bond movie. But Ko Hong will change your mind. Here are five ways it changed mine.

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1. No crowds

Ko Hong still gets visitors, but it’s a secluded paradise compared to Ko Phi Phi, which has been branded a “tourist trap” in travel reviews.

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You don’t have to jostle to spot clownfish in the reef or rush for a cool shaded spot beneath the trees. Taking pictures is so much easier when you don’t have a random tourist or ten photobombing your beautiful backdrop.

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