Been to Phuket before and seen/done the Patong thing. Looking to keep far away on this trip. Goal is to stay low key, take crazy long beach walks, read and sit tight.

I would consider cutting the stay short by a night if anyone thought that the difference in flights (seat quality/service mix) would be worth it. Looks like the flight switch would most likely mean Bkk-Europe-IAD vs BKK-PEK-IAD which ends up being a quicker trip.

Thanks again