PHUKET - A field of sunhemps in full bloom near the Tesco Lotus Samkong junction has become a popular attraction for locals and tourists, who have been stopping off to pose for pictures.

Patong, Phuket's best-known beach, has long conjured up images of a resort town teeming with Chinese tourists and Western visitors, often drunk, populating the seedy strip known as Bangla. The Amari Phuket, however, offers a different outlook on Patong.