Phuket or Phi Phi, Trang is not. Therein lies its beauty. Blessed with the rugged coastline of the Andaman Sea, but nestled further to the south of the famous hotspots of that region, the province remains enticingly off-the-beaten-track. Of course, it's not the place to go for raucous nightlife and fire shows on the sands. But if you're after empty beaches where endangered dugongs galumph in the waters and cliffs tower over the turquoise Indian Ocean, then perhaps it's a good idea to enlist a Trang tour guide to show you the likes of Ko Libong and the Hat Chao Mai National Park. Meanwhile, the town has its own local draws, ranging from age-stained, Chinese-style architecture and one throbbing night market where pad Thai sizzles under the blooms of pretty frangipani trees. It's also a prime example of an authentic, lived-in Thai city –a rarity in the Land of Smiles these days, some might say.