1/04

I just wanted to report on an island that I haven't heard mentioned yet on this website -- Ko Samet. This island is just beautiful and is closer to Bangkok than your average Thai paradise island. It has beaches that are frequented by Thai as well as those filled with backpackers. My boyfriend and I stayed at the backpacker beach -- Ao Phai. After all of the guidebook admonitions to respect Thai modesty, I was afraid that toplessness wouldn't be accepted on the island beaches, but I was glad to see that I was wrong. Women of all sizes sunbathed and swam topless. The masseuses, henna artists, and fruit vendors who stopped by our umbrella frequently never seemed to react at all to my being topless.

In contrast, the ritzier Ao Phrao beach, which had more families and more Americans, didn't have any topless sunbathers. So, if you get stuck with a honeymooners package at Ao Phrao as a result of using a travel agent, be sure to take the 20-minute walk across the island to Ao Phae for a more relaxed time on the beach.

--Becky, New York, New York