hi all - i land at BKK 11/12 at 1030, and my time limitation is that i must be at LAX 11/14 at 1200. i'm flying to LAX on a star alliance one-way award.

instead of spending that entire time in BKK, i'm hoping to head to a beach town in Thailand (or perhaps somewhere else). i've looked at both phuket and koh samui. out of those two, phuket has more appealing flight times to maximize my stay; i would arrive on 11/12 around 1400, and then leave 11/14 at 0200.

i would only need a hotel for one night (11/12). i'm traveling by myself. i guess i have a few questions:

(1) are there other alternatives to phuket or koh samui?

(2) in phuket (or in any other city you suggest), what sort of excursions do you think can be done in a day and a half? good bodysurfing and/or snorkeling beaches would be a major plus; simply being able to relax and enjoy a beach resort would also be perfect (this could be a scouting trip for my honeymoon). i would love to be able to have good authentic thai street food close to my hotel instead of being hidden away in a resort for my stay. i'm not a big drinker, especially when i'm traveling alone. i don't want to spend more than about 7000thb during my stay as this is just one day of a RTW itinerary.

i know it's not fair to ask you guys to plan a whole stay, but i figured that one can only do so much in a day and a half, so any suggestions are appreciated. thanks!