Things to do in Phuket
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Phuket
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry high season with calm clear west coast seas, little rain and everything open.
Peak inside dry season, best weather, highest prices and earliest booking needed.
Hotter and hazier, to about 35 degrees, with seas still good.
Wet monsoon season, cheaper and greener with rough seas, red flag swimming and Similan and Surin closed.
Wettest months and the worst for rain, rough seas and closures unless coming for the Vegetarian Festival.
Surfing at Kata improves, peaking June to September, and waterfalls run stronger.
What's on
- Songkran 13-15 April
Thai New Year water fights island wide, biggest on Bangla Road in Patong.
- Chinese New Year Jan / Feb, lunar
Old Town shrines, lion dances and a major local food period in Phuket Town.
- Phuket Vegetarian Festival Nine days from the first day of the ninth lunar month, usually late September or October
Nine Emperor Gods festival with processions, spirit mediums, fire walking and vegetarian food stalls.
- Loy Krathong November full moon
Krathong floated on Nai Harn lake, in Laguna lagoons and on the sea at Patong.
- Phuket Pride June
Pride events in Patong during wet season.
- Kathu Street Festival July
Smaller local wet season festival in Kathu.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Phuket
Phuket Old Town
Pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses, shrines, street art and cafes make this the island cultural centre.
Phuket Walking Street
Sunday street market on Thalang Road with street food, crafts and live music from late afternoon.
Phuket Big Buddha
A 45 metre white marble Buddha with island views and a quieter terrace behind the statue for photos.
Wat Chalong
Phuket largest and most revered temple, built in the early 19th century and paired easily with Big Buddha.
Nai Harn Beach
Clean crescent bay at the south tip favoured by locals and long stay visitors, with a lake behind it.
Windmill Viewpoint
Quieter viewpoint between Nai Harn and Ya Nui beaches with views over the south coast.
Promthep Cape
Thailand most famous sunset point at the island southern tip, best arrived at shortly before sunset.
Freedom Beach
Secluded 300 metre white sand beach reached by steep hike or longtail boat, with no jet skis or strip.
Where to stay in Phuket
Kata and Karon
first trip, all-round base
Kata has life and surf schools, Karon has a long wide beach and space, both below luxury north prices.
Kamala
calm, family and upscale middle base
Sheltered bay with a fishing village core and resorts at every level without Patong noise.
Bang Tao, Laguna and Surin
luxury base
Six kilometre beach and the Laguna resort complex with lagoons, golf and shuttles, plus real restaurants nearby.
Phuket Old Town
food, culture and budget
Cheapest good rooms, best eating on the doorstep and Lard Yai on Sundays, but the beach is 30 to 45 minutes away.
Nai Harn, Rawai and Ao Yon
local feeling south
Beautiful beaches, Rawai seafood, village life and the best sunsets, with fewer big resorts and more villas.
Mai Khao and the far north
resort only flop near the airport
Long near empty national park beach with big resorts, isolated and wrong for exploring the island.
Think twice about
- Patong
Loud until early hours around Bangla Road, overpriced, overdeveloped, with a murky crowded beach and the centre for scams.
- Anywhere inland with no beach and no Old Town address
Slow traffic and expensive taxis will tax every day if a cheap room in Kathu or Wichit has no shuttle.
- Bangla Road and Soi Bangla side streets
Streets off Bangla are too noisy for sleep, stay at the north or south ends of Patong beach instead.
Best restaurants in Phuket
Raya Restaurant
Essential Phuket meal in an old house, order the yellow crab curry with rice noodles and moo hong.
One Chun
Raya sister restaurant in a vintage room, locals favourite for crab curry, moo hong and turmeric fish.
Mor Mu Dong Restaurant
Southern Thai in bamboo huts over a mangrove stream, fiercely spicy and known to every resident.
Nam Yoi Restaurant
No frills Southern Thai shophouse locals queue for, with bold, tangy and very hot crab curry.
Tu Kab Khao Restaurant Phuket
Peranakan house serving the full Phuket canon in a room that suits a group celebration.
The Charm Dining Gallery
Homestyle Peranakan dishes in a century old house, the gentle atmospheric version of a Phuket meal.
Rawai Seafood Market
Buy live seafood by weight and have it cooked across the street for the best value seafood meal.
PRU Restaurant
Starred farm to table tasting menu built almost entirely on Phuket and Phang Nga ingredients.
Best bars in Phuket
Illuzion Phuket
Phuket biggest club on Bangla Road, named for a big bachelor or bachelorette night in Patong.
Catch Beach Club
Beach club by day in the Kamala Surin area, named for group and bachelor days.
Cafe del Mar Phuket
Beach club at the north end of Kamala, named for beach club days without Patong noise.
Outdoor things to do in Phuket
Phang Nga Bay
Limestone karsts and sea canoe trips into Hong Island lagoons and caves, with Koh Panyee for lunch.
John Gray's Sea Canoe
Original sea canoe operator for guided paddling into Hong Island caves and lagoons.
Phi Phi Islands
Famous island day trip for Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and snorkelling, best on a sunrise boat before crowds.
Similan Islands
Protected islands with the clearest water and healthiest reefs on this coast, open only in dry season.
Red Mountain Golf Club
Scenic course carved from a former tin mine, with jungle cliffs and a famous steep drop par 3 17th.
Blue Canyon Country Club
Championship Canyon Course through natural canyons near the airport, a sterner test for low handicappers.
Laguna Golf Phuket
Immaculate forgiving resort course in Laguna with a strong clubhouse, walkable from nearby resorts.
Flying Hanuman
Original 28 platform zipline through rainforest canopy with sky bridges and abseils.
Best hotels in Phuket
Trisara
All private pool villas in jungle above its own bay, home to the PRU restaurant.
Amanpuri
Original Phuket ultra luxury resort from 1988, with pavilions on a private feeling beach.
Banyan Tree Phuket
Private pool villas around a lagoon with a flagship spa and golf next door.
Rosewood Phuket
Beachfront villas in jungle at Emerald Bay, calmer than Patong suggests and closest luxury to the action.
Keemala
Tree pool villas above Kamala, the honeymoon and Instagram pick in the hills.
The Nai Harn
Terraced rooms over Nai Harn beach, the landmark hotel of the south.
Beyond Resort Kata
Family workhorse resort tier in Kata, one of the best family bases on the island.
Sunwing Kamala Beach Resort
Family resort in Kamala as part of the family workhorse tier in that base.
Is Phuket expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 2,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 4,900 a person |
| Splurge | THB 10,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Phuket Elephant Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Phang Nga Bay: a few days ahead
- John Gray's Sea Canoe: a few days ahead
- Phi Phi Islands: a few days ahead
- Similan Islands: a few days ahead
- Red Mountain Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Blue Canyon Country Club: a few days ahead
- Laguna Golf Phuket: a few days ahead
- Book Phi Phi sunrise, Similan and Phang Nga canoe tours 2 to 7 days ahead in December to February.
- Book PRU, Smokaccia and Tu Kab Khao days to weeks ahead in season, and arrive early for Raya and One Chun.
- Book Phuket Elephant Sanctuary direct a few days ahead in season, and avoid any venue offering riding or shows.
- Check Big Buddha is open on the day, as Buddhist holidays can close temples at short notice.
Is Phuket safe?
- West coast surf and rip currents are the real danger, red flags mean no swimming and drownings happen every year.
- Roads are the second danger, cross Patong and Kata roads assuming traffic will not stop.
- Watch drinks being made on Bangla, use hotel safes and call Tourist Police on 1155 for scam disputes.
- Drink bottled or filtered water and choose busy street stalls cooking fresh in front of you.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Phuket travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not rent jet skis on Phuket beaches, the damage scam demands cash for pre existing damage on return.
- Never buy gems a tuk tuk driver suggests on a tour to gem shops, tailors or government sales.
- Decline airport minivan stop offs claiming your hotel is closed, and walk away from scratch card timeshare touts.
- Avoid upstairs Bangla bars taken to by a tout, and skip James Bond Island as a standalone cheap tour.
Getting around Phuket: public transport and more
- No useful public transport runs beach to beach, buses go slowly between beaches and Phuket Town.
- Use Grab or Bolt apps instead of street tuk tuks, and agree any tuk tuk fare in baht before getting in.
- A private driver for 1800 to 2500 baht for 6 to 8 hours suits a Big Buddha, Old Town and south beaches day.
- Ride a scooter only if licensed and experienced, police fine unlicensed and unhelmeted riders routinely.
Who Phuket suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Phuket your trip
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