I'll second that. I stayed for a week in Phuket, Thailand not too long ago. While the resort itself was quite nice, the surrounding area showed how the locals lived. Oh, it wasn't terrible, especially compared to other places I've been (South Africa comes to mind)...but the sidewalks looked liked they hadn't been maintained for decades, and the supermarket made Wal-Mart look luxurious by comparison.
On the other hand, getting a two hour long Thai massage for $20....heaven!
We spent our honeymoon there...couple years before it got wiped out...the resort was nice...never had a hooker hit on me & my wife before just walking down the street