A 47-year-old New Zealand woman found dead in a Phuket hotel room was on a "trip of a lifetime" as her son mourns the loss of his "best friend" - and says there is more to the case than local police say.

Karla Anne Drescher was found in bed at the hotel near Kata Beach in the tourist hot spot of Phuket on Monday.

Local outlet Phuket News reported Drescher had no signs of injury or evidence of a struggle at the time her body was found.

Police told local media they had questioned a 49-year-old German man who was a friend of Drescher, who told officers he and the woman were drinking together at a bar before returning to a hotel room.

CCTV footage corroborated his account, police said.

Prescription medicines and alcohol were found at the scene, and the German man reportedly told police th

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