Phuket
COZY tubsakae resortel - Thailand Guide
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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.
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Understand
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.
- Phuket Post - Daily news and online classifieds
- Phuket Gazette - online English language newspaper; daily news, upcoming events & calendar, etc.
- Phuket Tourism - Phuket Phangnga Krabi Tourism Club.
2004 tsunami
The west coast of Phuket was badly damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004; put off by media coverage depicting the area as a disaster zone, many travellers cancelled their plans to visit Phuket at that time. A year and a half later however, little evidence of the damage 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 the May-Oct the 'cool' season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf of Siam, Ko Samui or Pattaya for instance. 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. -- Excellent surfing off the western beaches.
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 accommodation.
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.
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 (= big Kata)
- Ao Chalong - the island's most popular yacht anchorage with a new 700 m 'Tourist Pier' where ferries, traditional sailing ships, and dive boats embark. Promenade with several good, moderately priced restaurants, where cruisers and yachties hang out. -- Well protected from all directions (no tsunami damage!). Water not so clear but safer for kids due to gentle slope and lack of surf.
Islands
Other destinations
Get in
The island has an international airport with frequent non-stop connections to Bangkok and many international cities in Asia, Europe and Australia, and is also directly connected to the mainland by a bridge, so it's possible to arrive by air, road, or sea.
By plane
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.
"Limousine" (blue) taxi rides from the airport are expensive, costing 500-600 baht to Patong Beach or Phuket Town. More economical options include a seat in a shared minivan-taxi for 100-200 baht, yellow metered taxis (300+ baht - outside the car park gates), or the recently introduced airport shuttle bus service (upper level, in front of Burger King, wait inside because you cannot get back into the terminal due to security, every 30 min on the half hour from 6.30 - 20.30 h) 52 baht to Phuket Town long distance bus terminal (try to get off near Ranog Rd local bus stop instead), and transfer to a local bus or 'song-twoa' people mover truck for 10-20 baht 1/2 km away at the local market on Ranong Rd). Avoid the ubiquitous red 'tuk-tuk' tourist trap vehicles, which are run by a mafia of 2 or 3 families and have high, fixed fares besides being high risk vehicle-dynamically and slow uphill. Metered taxis are OK, but hard to find (ph 076 23 21 57). Motorbike taxis also seem to be run by conspiracies of drivers and not cheap either. Bicycles can be bought or rented cheaply (new bikes from 950 baht at Big C dept store), cars, jeeps and motorbikes not so cheaply.
International departure tax is 500 baht (THB 700 after 1/1/07), payable in cash (there are several ATMs at the airport). Departure tax for domestic flights is included in the ticket.
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.
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. Phuket Air is grounded internationally at this time.
Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on direct flights between Phuket and U-Tapao (near Pattaya) and Ko Samui.
Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways provide very affordable tickets to Phuket from Singapore. Other low cost direct connections to Phuket are currently available from Hong Kong, Macao, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
In many cases it could a lot cheaper and more pleasant to fly to Singapore Changi (rated world's best airport) and from there to Phuket or Krabi. Be aware that these low fares (<US$30.-!) are only available for advance Internet bookers and the luggage allowance can be as low as 15 kg (penalty for overweight: ~US$5/kg)! Tiger Airways has their own no-frills "Budget Terminal" 1 km away from Changi by free shuttle bus. By comparison Changi is an imperial palace with lots of great, free amenities. So stay inside the Changhi transit area until the last possible minute.
By train
The nearest train station is about 3 hours away, at Surat Thani. The trip from Bangkok to Surat Thani is slow, but scenic and very 'social' as the locals will gladly intereact with 'farangs'(foreigners), food and drink is brought aboard by vendors or stewards. Reserve a sleeper well in advance which can be done by Internet [1]. Fares for the 651 km range from 170-650 baht. One can also reach Surat Thani or Hat Yai by train from from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur (via Buttersworth and Penang) and then continue to Phuket by bus.
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.
From Bangkok - as of December 2005, fares from the Southern Bus Terminal to Phuket are:
- 2rd class (air-con): 463 baht (approx 14 hours, USD12)
- 1st class (air-con): 580 baht (approx 12 hours, USD15)
- "VIP" (32 seats): 678 baht (approx 13 hours, USD18)
- "S-VIP" (24 seats): 900 baht (approx 13 hours, USD24)
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.
Thais have yet to discover the great fun and business potential of cruise ship tourism. No large passenger ships call on Phuket, but there is talk of Malaysian or Burmese gambling cruises to soon service the coast from Rangoon to Singapore.
Get around
Phuket is a large island and you need some form of transport to get around.
By bus
There are frequent services between Phuket Town and Patong Beach (20 baht) and less frequent services to the other beaches (15-30 baht). The routes are operated both by full-scale buses and songthaews. 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), 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.
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.
See
Phuket is a little short on cultural or historical attractions, and most of its 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.
Do
Elephant riding 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. This is a good way to support the remaining domesticated elephants of Thailand and their mahout. Don't worry abour animal exploitation unless your are a radical ARLer and vegan. These are well loved pets, holy animals, not livestock, and (unlike cattle) live long happy lives.
Golf - see also: Golf in Thailand - Phuket section
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
Scuba diving and other watersports like 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, most centered near Chalong Pier.
Muay Thai training (Thai Kickboxing)
:
Muay Thai training camp in Phuket Thai Boxing and Multiple Martial Arts/MMA camp for locals and foreigners in Chalong
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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
Budget
- Phuket Backpacker, see info at Phuket Town There is a glut of rooms available 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). Best rates are usually negotiated in person, not on-line as many smaller places have no computer and language-savvy personell and let agents handle the advance booking (adding a hefty commission). It is not imposssible to find decent accomodations for as low as THB500/night or less, with the average for an air-conditioned room with all the Western mod-cons is about THB1000. One can rent a nice entire 2-3 BR furnished house by the month for THB7000-10000. But one can also easily blow the same amount or more for just one night in a 5-star consumer tourist facility and not sleep any better.
Get out
- 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.