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Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand.

You don't have to buy in to the nightlife of Phuket. Sunday Travel editor Angie Kelly found a peaceful and party-free part of the island.

There are no sleazy bars at Mai Khao Beach. There are no neon lights, touts, scooter shops, boozy crowds or backpackers.

While the island's most popular resort strip of Patong heaves with about 25,000 holidaying Aussies at any given time of year, just 16 kilometres north of the airport an alternate universe awaits.

Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand.

While the party crowd turns right out of the airport, those seeking spa time, fine food, an art scene, historic architecture and an 11-kilometre strip of undeveloped, business-free beach, turn left.

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Tucked inside the Sirinat National Park, on the north-west coast, is a handful of low-rise, boutique resorts where silence and the sand are golden and abundant.

The resorts are totally hidden from the main highway and the dirt-road drive through untouched national park underlines the isolation.

But there's nothing rustic about the Renaissance Resort and Spa, despite its location. We drive through a set of fairly serious security gates and pull up to find an ultra-modern, minimalist foyer warmed by staff who are genuinely smiling and friendly.

The rest is here:
On the quiet side