Thailand's Ko Tao beats Bali, Phuket as best island in Asia

SINGAPORE - Thailand is undoubtedly the best place to visit if you are looking for a beach-themed holiday in Asia.

Ko Tao in Thailand has been crowned the top Asian island in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards 2015, beating popular islands in Bali and Phuket.

Four other islands - Phuket, Ko Samui, Ko Lanta and Ko Phanga in Thailand, each snagged a spot in the top 10 Travellers' Choice Islands in the Asia category.

Other than having gorgeous beaches, TripAdvisor also showed that the hotel rates in Thailand could be another draw for tourists.

The hotel rates in Thailand are among the lowest in the listing.

The average nightly rate in top island Ko Tao is US$86 (S$116), while the lowest rate on the list is in Ko Phangan at US$62 per night.

Indonesia, which has two islands in the ranking, has the highest average nightly rates for hotels. A night in Lombok, which is fifth on the list, costs an average of US$227 a night.

Boracay and Palawan in the Philippines, known for their sandy-white pristine beaches, came in eighth and ninth respectively.

The average hotel rates in the two islands were in the mid- to lower-range based on the ranking. The average nightly hotel rate in Boracay is US$106 and US$94 in Palawan.

Malaysia's Langkawi also took a spot in the list at number 10. Its average nightly hotel rate is at US$67.

According to TripAdvisor, the annual awards honours more than 100 islands in the world, and winners are based on millions of reviews from users of the travel site.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg