A deserted beach on a deserted island ... just you and your fellow adventurers, going over the side of your longtail boat, walking up the beach, lunching on local fare brought by your boatman, and swimming, alone and safe in the warm waters of Phang-Nga Bay. Sound good?

Our large party took three boats from Ban
Sam Chong after enjoying a night's
home-stay in the village.

Our boats set a cracking pace through the bay - though 'bay' is not a big enough word for it: for most of us, it is the size of small sea dotted with karst islands that grab your eye and imagination and never let go.

You can go with the Ban Sam Chong people
to anywhere but their favourite places are:

James Bond island, where (magically!) every woman becomes a Bond Girl - see our Phang-Nga photographs. Roger Moore never had it this good...

Saogadon cave, our favourite for the adventurous - slip over the side of your longtail boat on a small beach, climb up to the spectacular cavern, then get down inside and walk through to the other side of the island. For the really adventurous, there's more - ask them about it. If you dare.

And there are Koh Panyee, where you can stop for a meal and retail therapy; Lod cave, which you go through in your longtail boat; Naga (aka Naka) cave, a prehistoric community site; and Khao Khien, with its cave paintings said to be 3,000 years old.

Of course, there are hundreds of islands
and you can ask the boat people to take you anywhere. It's your adventure...

If you like, you can also get up close and personal with the mangrove forests - the boatmen will take you out in a traditional rowing boat and you can also see fish, crab and oyster farms, as well as shrimp traps.

And there's a chance for a little sailing - even if you have never tried it before - under the caring eye of 'your' crew.