When you come out of the airport you may need a shuttle but/taxi. Be careful as sometimes the stop at a jewellry store/tour/hotel booking centre….they will try to sell you tours and stuff to make a commission. Simply tell them you want to go straight to the hotel and that all your tours are booked. We had a major hassle, but I remembered to tell them to just take us to the hotel. We stayed in Patong. Please note that this is a party town! There is a strip with all bars and clubs and it gets rowdy everynight. So don’t stay in a place located near the main strips (Bangka Road) if you want peace and quiet. The beach was nice, but the water was very rough (at the beginning of July). Not much swimming- just avoiding waves. Still some beach activities like parasailing and jet skiing.