It used to be the “best-kept secret on Phuket”, a place where the glitterati used to go to take their tops off without being recognised. Laem Singh Beach is no longer exactly a secret, but it has developed into arguably the most chic beach on the island, and probably in the region.

As part of the “Summer in Phuket” campaign, a huge drive to clean up Phuket, particularly its west coast beaches, has been organised for Thursday, May 28.

HUA BEACH: This beach is on the north coast of the headland between Kamala and the Thavorn Beach Village, on a road known to property developers as Millionaire’s Mile. (Why “millionaire’s” – singular – instead of “millionaires’” – plural – is a mystery; there is certainly more than one million-dollar home along this road.)

The road is pretty beaten up, particularly since there is now a great deal of construction going on. The local council, which owns it, never seems to have enough money to keep it up, or even to compete it – it was originally intended to be a scenic route right round the headland, but they ran out of money when it was about a kilometre short.

HAAD HIN GLUAI: Banana Rock Beach in English, this is the best of the five beaches we found for you. The way down to it feels almost mystical – along a wooded track, then down to a stream that seems to have carved its way right through a rock, through a meadow of wild flowers [...]

LAYAN BEACH: This is one of those oddities of nomenclature. Layan Beach is actually not in Layan Bay. It’s at the north end of Bang Tao Bay, just south of Layan Bay. Five years ago this was one of the quietest, most delightful stretches of beach on the island. Now, with the construction of multi-million-baht [...]

HAAD SAI GAEW: In English, Crystal Sands, this is at the northern end of Mai Khao Beach, curving round the top of the island and along the shore of the waterway between Phuket and the mainland. Since most people arrive in Phuket by air and leave the same way, few ever see the island to [...]

Phuket has some of the world’s most fabulous beaches, with powdery white sand and warm, clear water under skies as blue as angels’ eyes. But Phuket also has a lot of visitors, and on the most popular beaches – Patong, Kata, Karon – there are times when you can hardly see the sand for bodies [...]