PHUKET: Phuket, never one to let a decent sunset pass without celebration, now has two excellent tourist spots to watch the day end in the drink.

Cape Promthep in Phuket's south is well-loved, and tourists have watched sunsets there for decades.

Now Phuket's north has its very own sunset sala, atop the new version of the old Sarasin Bridge, not to be confused with the new Sarasin Bridge.

We put it to the test the other evening, and it's a worthy competitor to Cape Promthep - and for many, easier to reach.

There are those sunset ''collectors'' too who won't be able to say they have visited Phuket unless they have seen sunsets from both the north and the south of the island.

The Sarasin Bridge sunset has the same conviviality as Cape Promthep, with people smiling and laughing in groups as they wait for the sun to drop over the Andaman Sea.

Food vendors have already established their domain at the walking paths that lead to the central raised sala.

It's quite a gathering spot, and with the small beaches beside the bridge at either end, likely to become more of a destination and a must-see for tourists arriving by road.

So far, sadly, little of the increased tourism traffic appears to have rubbed off on the Phuket Gateway, just down the road.

Still, most of the recent man-made attractions on Phuket have actually given Phuket visitors more things to see and do.

Top of our list is the Big Buddha, followed by the Tin Mine Museum and Splash Jungle waterpark.

As entry is free and the show can be spectacular, a Sarasin Bridge sunset is not to be missed.