I've been thinking about trying to make a solo trip to Thailand in the next couple of years - 7-9 days, nothing massive.

Obviously it's a huge country with a lot of options, and there will be redditors here with experience of Thailand, so here are some existing thoughts:

- I like coastal, beaches, snorkelling, and marine life. Preference for those locations.

- No drivers license. Will be dependent on shuttles, cabs, Tuktuks etc

- Was initially thinking Phuket because... I mean, look at it. I understand it's a bit more expensive, but Thailand expensive is still UK budget. What puts me off is the oft-mentioned difficulty getting around - apparently there's some kind of taxi cabal, which sounds like a pain.

- Possibly Pattaya - looks great on paper. Opinions? Recommendations? Areas?

- Very flexible with travel times year round, though if half the day is taken up by storms that would hinder/cancel water activities, that's a factor.

- No need for high luxury. Comfortable is good enough.