Phuket, Thailand

       There are many fascinating places to visit in Thailand but its the seaside resorts that attract the majority of foreign visitors. While the main draw of these areas is sunny tropical beaches, their well established popularity with overseas tourists also means there are other advantages. World-class hotels, all manner of international cuisine, supermarkets that stock imported goods and widely-spoken english all help to ensure foreigners don't have to go without their home comforts while on holiday.
       Excluding the capital Bangkok, statistically the most popular Thailand tourist destinations are : Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Krabi Province (includes Phi Phi). Of these only the ancient Thai capital of Chiang Mai is not a beach resort. There are many other popular alternatives but well over half the people who visit the country will spend the most of their holiday in one of these places.
       The following lists brief descriptions of the top five Thailand Destinations including information on things that are important to many such as dining, nightlife and available activities. 


Phuket

Phuket Thailand

       Probably the most famous of the Thailand beach resorts, Phuket is a very scenic island about 50kms long by 20 kms wide that is connected to the mainland by a road bridge. Hotels are located all over the island and allow visitors to choose from some beautiful secluded getaway spots or from several small towns that offer more opportunity for shopping and nightlife.
Main Tourist Areas : The town of Patong with its huge beach and frenetic nightlife is by far the most popular area. Smaller towns Kamala, Karon and Kata all have access to smaller but less crowded beaches and suit those who prefer a more peaceful location while still being able to enjoy some choice of nightime entertainment
       For those that prefer even more seclusion there are some very upmarket hotels in remote areas of the island that offer self-contained resort holidays with multiple restaurants, shoppping and bars all being contained within the hotel grounds.


Things to Do : 

• Beach activites - Banana boats, jet skis, para gliding and wind surfing are available at the busier beaches such as Patong and Karon. 
• Scuba diving - Day and live-aboard trips abound from a host of dive-tour operators. The main dive season runs from November to April.
• Land and Sea Tours - Explore the island or board one of many day tours around the amazing islets off the coast of Phuket.
• Fishing - Day fishing trips to suit all grades of fishermen from big game to family fun.
• Golf - There are six very good golf courses on Phuket. Reasonable prices, warm weather and great facilities make Koh Phuket a golfers paradise.

Dining & Nightlife : Restaurants can be found all over the island with a huge array of international cusine being available in the main tourist towns in addition to the excellent Thai food. Countless small and friendly Thai-style bars provide fun night entertainment. 
Comments : Phuket has something to suit most tastes whether you are a party animal or just looking for a peaceful tropical getaway. Different locations will suit different people so it may be a good idea to read about where to stay in Phuket before you book your holiday.

Getting To Phuket by Airlplane
The following low cost and major airlines serve Phuket:

• Air Asia — flights to Phuket from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
• Thai Airways — flights to Phuket from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
• Orient Thai Airlines — flights to Phuket from Bangkok.
• Bangkok Airways — flights to Phuket from Bangkok, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Siem Reap, Cambodia.
• Nokair — flights to Phuket from Bangkok.
• Silk Air — flights to Phuket from Singapore.
• Tiger Airways — flights to Phuket from Singapore.
• Firefly — flights to Phuket from Penang, Malaysia.
• JetStar — flights to Phuket from Singapore and Sydney, Australia.
• Condor — flights to Phuket from many European cities including Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Rome.

Phuket MAP ~ Download Phuket Map Here

TRANSPORTATION: Growing up in Detroit and moving post college to Los Angeles has made me forever traffic conscious. I am always anticipating everyone's possible shifts and turns and watching the road for any signs of cautionary behaviour i.e. creepers, cell-phone talkers, random pedestrian crossings… etc.  It certainly has paid off here in Phuket. 
Take the insanity of Bangkok driving and place it on a road half the size with people using the slow lane as a parking space and you have Phuket driving. Throw in a gaggle of motorcycle carts filled with stall foodstuffs, insane tour bus drivers heading back to the airport for the next overpriced fare, and the random 10 person family on one bike and you are ready to begin. 
       For these reasons alone, I do not condone motorcycle rentals or purchases and will not even quote you the price here because of the danger.  I am adamant about this.  Even if you were born on the back of a Harley, you cannot fathom the 6:00pm rush hour traffic and how the Thai's work the road on their bikes. 
       It must be a cultural thing that westerners have yet to grasp.  Instead of owning a spot on the road in a lane that we tend to think of (hey he cut me off!) the Thai's take a shared look at it.  If the guy next to you has to swerve because of a parked car or tuk-tuk, you are expected to move over with him to make up the room, even if you find yourself in the median.
So I have scared you enough… so lets look at some costs of other options. 

• Car Rental A car rental is one of the best ways to get around. Just stay off the main roads from 5-7 and you'll be fine.  And always make sure the car has FULL RENTER'S INSURANCE, and not just regular Full Insurance! Daily rates - 1200 baht - 1700 baht (hotels get a cut and Patong hikes the cost up big time) for the Honda City (like the Civic) The rates decrease if you take a rental for more than a few days or even a week.  You can try and negotiate them down big time for monthly fees.  You might be able to get them down to 18,000 - 20,000 baht for a low season month on a Honda City. It's a good idea to talk to some of the locals for help in finding cheaper deals and the more honest companies, but as always YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR!  Gas is a little expensive, currently 36 baht per litre (5 bucks a gallon).
• Taxi The Taxis in Phuket are among the most expensive in the world.  A 20 minute night taxi from the airport to your hotel will cost you 1500 baht! That's the same price as a rental car for an entire day. Most rental car companies offer free airport pick up and drop off, so I'd take them up, even if it is for one day of the rental.  Away from the airport isn't much better.  I was quoted 1200 baht for one hour of errand running to the local supermarket and hardware store only 5km away! Once again, arrive and talk up the locals for the best deals/ideas.  Some might even be willing to take you themselves.
• Bus We do have busses in Phuket, but they are not modern, run only every hour or so and look more like a pickup truck with benches and a roof installed by the owner of the vehicle.  Apparently they are legit, but I've yet to try.  40 - 80 baht will get you where you want to go.  Most buses are only for 2 areas like Chalong-Rawai or Kata-Patong.
• Bike Taxi The more widely available and least expensive public mode of transportation is the bike taxi.  For around 10 baht per km you can get where you need to go. And pretty safely I might add.  Granted it's only for one or possibly 2 people, but they are good at taking on a few bags of groceries if you need to make a quick run to the market for essentials.

If you would like more information on moving to Phuket, please leave a comment or you can also contact me this blog...:)

Phuket Travelling

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