Phuket (ภูเก็ต) pronounced "Poo-get", is Thailand's largest island and also its second smallest province. It is 48 km in length, 21 km at its widest, and is located in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges.
Phuket Town is the administrative centre of Phuket Province, and the island's main population centre. Patong Beach, Phuket Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north.
2004 tsunami The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage now remains. Climate Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The high season is generally considered to be from November to May. During the summer monsoon season, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider May to October the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches. Festival Phuket Vegetarian Festival - The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song". Phuket Vegetarian Festival - Phuket Vegetarian Festival Talk Phuket is one of Thailand's premier tourist destinations and (basic) English is very widely spoken, especially in the beach areas. That said, even a little Thai will draw smiles and can be useful in the less touristed areas of Phuket Town. Cities Phuket Town - has the cheapest accommod Beaches Particularly in the monsoon season, there are strong currents on many of the beaches and drownings are a depressingly common occurrence. Heed the warning flags on popular beaches and play it safe if off the beaten track. It is important to note that, while many tourists who flock to the beaches of Phuket are European, nudity is viewed as highly offensive to Thais. It is very rude to go topless to beaches. Thais are generally non-confrontational, but it is always best to be respectful while treading on another's home country. The major beaches from north to south are:
Bang Tao - long, very quiet beach
Surin Beach - an up-and-coming destination
Laem Singh Beach - small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
Kamala Beach - a quieter beach to the north of Patong
Patong Beach - the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
Karon Beach - a quieter beach to the south of Patong
Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister of Kata Yai
Ao Chalong - home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage
Rawai Beach - set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach
Islands Other destinations Koh Yao Noi Paradise Beach on Koh Yao Noi This island is one of many east of Phuket, halfway to Krabi. It is pretty unspoilt and features four upmarket resorts including The Paradise Koh Yao Boutique Resort and Spa , Koh Yao Island Resort, Koh Yao Pavillion Resort and the new Evason Hideaway opening soon. There are regular public boat services, plus most resorts operate their own shuttle boats, and Destination Air flies there with floatplanes several times daily. Get in The island has an international airport and is also directly connected to the mainland by a bridge, so it's possible to arrive by air, road, or sea. Airport
The compact Phuket International Airport (IATA: HKT) (ICAO: VTSP) is located in the north of the island, and is Thailand's second largest hub. International departure tax is 700 baht payable in cash (there are several ATMs at the airport). Departure tax for domestic flights is included in the ticket. Airport transfers Limousine (blue) taxis from the airport are expensive, costing 500-600 baht to Patong Beach or Phuket Town Metered (yellow) taxis (available outside the car park gates) cost 300+ baht Minibus services (basically door-to-door share taxis) charge 100-200 baht per seat. One realworld example is from airport to Chalong to 6 persons was 1100 baht and there was not possibility to lower it easily. Airport shuttle bus service (6:30-20:30, every 30 minutes) to Phuket Town bus station costs 52 baht; local buses run from there to all the major beaches until around 18:00 Flights There are very frequent flights to/from Bangkok as well as direct flights to many other airports in the region, including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and direct charters to Europe and Australia in the high season.
Domestic Several domestic discount airlines fly here, including Air Asia and Nok Air - tickets from Bangkok can cost under 1000 baht one-way if booked well in advance, or around 2000 baht (including taxes) if bought on the day. Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on direct flights between Phuket and U-Tapao (Pattaya / Sattahip) and Ko Samui.
Destination Air Shuttle offers direct seaplane transfers (some of which operate seasonally) between Phuket and Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Ranong, Trang, the Similan Islands, and other popular Andaman coast destinations. International
AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines have direct flights from/to Kuala Lumpur. Also, FireFly, a new Malaysia-based low-cost airline, has flights from its Penang hub to and from Phuket.
Silk Air operates 32 flights a week from Singapore to Phuket. Low cost airlines from Singapore are Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways which provide very affordable tickets from/to Singapore. Other low cost direct connections include Hong Kong, Macao, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta. By train The nearest train station is about 3 hours away, at Surat Thani. By bus
Buses to mainland destinations including Bangkok, Chumphon, Hat Yai, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Satun, Sungai Kolok and Surat Thani use the BKS terminal off Thanon Phang Nga in Phuket Town. The most reliable buses from Bangkok are those from the Southern (Sai Tai Mai) Bus Terminal. The dodgy Khao San Road operations (which have a bad reputation for theft, and often turn out to include a "surprise" transfer to a minibus at Surat Thani) are best avoided.
By boat Ferry services connect from Rassada Port in Phuket Town to Ko Phi Phi and on to Krabi on the mainland twice a day, taking 90 minutes and costing 350/650 baht one-way/return, for each leg. It's usually a pleasant ride, but can be rather bumpy when it's windy.
There are also boats to Ko Racha (2 hours), the Similan Islands (9+ hours) and other islands in the high season only. Boats and yachts can be chartered at Chalong Pier, the Boot Lagoon and the Yacht Haven. It's possible to visit Phuket by cruise ship. For cruises from Singapore, try Star Cruises. Get around Rip-off on wheels Phuket stylePhuket is a large island and you need some form of transport to get around. ] By bus From Phuket Town there are frequent bus services to Patong Beach (20 baht) and less frequent services to the other beaches (15-30 baht), by both full-size buses and by songthaews. Local bus services stop at around 18:00.
By taxi Phuket has two types of taxi - millions (or so it seems) of small songthaew-style minivans (usually bright red, occasionally bright yellow) called Tuk Tuks, and a much smaller number of conventional sedan-style taxis (yellow and red, with a "TAXI-METER" sign on top).
The minivans are universally referred to as tuk-tuks (even though they have four wheels, not three). They have no meter, and their drivers are notoriously mercenary, so always agree a price beforehand and do bargain hard. Short hops around town shouldn't cost more than 40 baht, but good luck getting from Patong to Phuket Town for under 200 baht.
For longer distances the metered taxis are generally a better bet, so do your bit to break the iron grip of the minitaxi mafia and patronize them if you can. You can hail one by telephone on 076-232157. There are also motorbike taxis. While you should never hop on the back of just anyone's motorbike, motorbike taxi drivers wear bright numbered vests and are usually the cheapest way to go. However, it is important to note that these are slightly more dangerous than a Tuk Tuk, for obvious reasons, and are not comfortable for long trips. However, if you just need to get around town, they are a great way to go. By car or bike More than 10,000 people are injured and over 250 killed every year in road accidents in Phuket. Nine out of ten accidents involve motorbikes. Major risk factors are the hilly terrain, careless speeding drivers and driving at night, and drunk-driving. Renting a car or motorbike to explore the island on your own is a cost-effective way of getting off the beaten track. However, given the atrocious driving habits of most locals and the resulting carnage on Phuket's roads every year, the risks do demand careful consideration. Motorcycle and scooter rentals start at around 150 baht/day, coming down to 100 baht/day for rentals of a week or more. Phuket police do enforce the crash helmet requirement, and also conduct frequent spot checks at which a driving licence must be produced. Many rental agencies will not require to see your licence. Whether or not you need an international licence or just your licence from your home country is unclear. So long as your licence from home is written in English, you should be fine. The current on-the-spot fine (you pay, you get a receipt and then they let you drive off - speaking from personal experience) for not carrying a licence is 300 baht. You may want to consider whether paying for an international licence is more expensive than just paying a fine or two while you are there.
Driving in Phuket is a little crazy compared to most western nations, but nothing like what you can expect to see in Indonesia or India and congestion is limited to Phuket Town and the main stretches of Patong Beach; still nothing like we see everywhere in Japan. Have some common sense and be ready to learn from watching how the locals drive and you will be quickly making your way happily around. Of course, it helps if you are accostomed to driving on the left side of the road. That in itself could be enough to detract some North American or European drivers.
See Phuket might not have the historical sites that Bangkok and Chiang Mai have, but it does have a few. Most visitors spend their time at the beaches and in the bars. The most heavily-hyped attraction is the Phuket Fantasea show at Kamala Beach, a self-proclaimed "cultural theme park", but comparisons to Disneyland are exaggerated at best. However, Wat Chalong is a beautiful Buddhist temple located on the southern end of the island. There is also the history to be seen in Phuket Town and, of course, the sights and sounds of the Vegetarian Festival. Do Elephant riding This is a good way to support the remaining domesticated elephants of Thailand and their mahout, is fairly cheap, and can be an interesting new experience. The elephants are well trained, and you can tip the mahout by giving the money to the elephant who will hand it to the mahout with its trunk. Animal sanctuary Visit the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project by the beautiful Bang Pae waterfall. They have a visitor centre manned by Western volunteers and English speaking Thai staff who will talk to you about the project. Talks are free, but please support the project by buying a souvenir, sponsoring a gibbon or giving a donation. Don't have your photo taken with a captive gibbon in Phuket or on the beaches. Gibbon rehabilitation Project Golf - see also: Golf in Thailand - Phuket section and Golf
The golf courses of Phuket are of international standard. Each one has its own particular challenges and scenic splendour that only Phuket can offer. Discount green fee are available by booking through Phuket golf booking agencies.
Blue Canyon Country Club
Laguna Phuket Golf Club
Loch Palm Golf club Phuket
Mission Hills Phuket Resort and spa
Phuket Country Club
Phuket Golf Courses Reservations
Thai Muang Beach Golf and Marina
Muay Thai training (Thai kick-boxing):
Suwit Muay Thai Boxing Camp
Chalong Chi Muay Thai and M.M.A. Training Camp Experience the sensese of Thai Spa:
Sukko Cultural Spa & Wellness Watersports Scuba diving, yachting, jet-skiing and parasailing are the most popular activities on the island. Most dive sites are off nearby islands, but distances are fairly short and there are dozens of dive shops and boats to cater to your needs, mostly based near Chalong Pier. Other Activities In Phuket, where everything happens for fun and adventure, you live life to the fullest with such a great variety of activities the paradise has to offer. Just besides the popular activities such as diving and snorkeling, golfing, Muay Thai, sailing and sport fishing, there are a bunch of other "must do while in Phuket" activities.
Eat Food in Phuket is surprisingly cosmopolitan, as many foreigners have set up shop to cater to their fellow travellers. All the usual Thai favorites are of course still available, with a particular emphasis on seafood. Drink Phuket has a busy nightlife, second only to Pattaya among Thailand's beach resorts. Patong Beach is by far the busiest, and seediest, of the lot, but in addition to go-go bars there are also plenty of other bars, discos and clubs. Sleep
There is a glut of rooms in hotels of all sizes and classifications, serviced (catered) apartment complexes (so-called 'mansions') and homestays. It's a buyers' market even in high season (Nov-May), with air-con room rates starting at under 500 baht, and 2-3 bedroom furnished houses available for 7000-10000 baht/month. For budget accommodation, the best rates are usually those negotiated in person. See Phuket Town and individual Beaches articles for listings.
Get out
Khao Lak - family-oriented resort town that has made an impressive recovery after the tsunami
Krabi - the place to go when you want to visit the beaches at Ao Nang and Rai Leh.
Ko Phi Phi - 1.5 hours by ferry, parts of The Beach were filmed at this stunningly beautiful location
Phang Nga - 2 hours away, this bay is famous for its gravity-defying limestone formations, including James Bond Island
Ko Samui & Pattaya - Bangkok Airways operates direct flights to both
Similan Islands - national park consisting of nine small paradise islands. Hugely popular among divers due to unbelievable underwater scenery. Dive boats usually depart from Phuket, non-divers can take a snorkeling tour from Khao Lak.
