Phuket is perfect if you want to enjoy the best of Thailand without having to back up your things and travel every few days to a new island/destination. After backpacking Asia for 6 weeks, moving to a new destination every couple of days I spent a whole week in Phuket. Lots of countries fly direct to Phuket (including the UK) so you lose less time travelling.
Phuket is more touristy and therefore expensive than other parts of Thailand but is still very reasonable and easier to get around on public transport, taxis or scooters.
Where to stay in Phuket?
I stayed in a girl’s dorm at Lub D Patong. This is the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed at and while it’s on the spenny side I prefer to stay in a hostel than a hotel when travelling solo. As usual, I booked through Booking.com as they offer lots of accommodation options that have free cancellation up to a day before in case my travel plans changed (which is known to happen when backpacking!) As a tourist hotspot there are accommodations of all types in Patong and wider Phuket to suit your needs. If I was travelling with friends or family I might not stay in Patong as it is very touristy and loud with nightclubs as a solo female traveller I would rather stay where the nightlife is so that I know I don’t have dar to travel home at night and I feel safer when there’s lots of people around.
Nightlife in Phuket
Bangla Road in Patong is notorious. Although you see families with their children walking down the road I wouldn’t advise anyone to take under 18s here. Lots of bars, nightclubs, weed shops (which is now legal in Thailand), Ping Pong shows, fireworks, shooting ranges it’s a complete sensory overload. I mean, I ended up there every night that week but I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea!
What to do in Phuket?
James Bond Island and Phi Phi islands are the most popular day trips for tourists. I visited both of these when I visited Krabi a few years ago and while I would recommend if it’s your first time visiting Thailand I didn’t go again this time.
Visit an elephant sanctuary. Ethical elegant sanctuaries are now available in Phuket. I went to one run by Chang Mai’s Elephant Sanctuary (Green Elephant Sanctuary is also a popular ethical one to visit) and it was one of the best experiences I have ever done. Although the sheer size of these animals should alarm you, they are so gentle and friendly you’ll be feeding them sugar cane straight to their mouths and having a cuddle before you know it. In the half day tour you get to prepare their food, feed them, give them a mud spa treatment and wash them. Although it cost £20 (quite expensive in Thailand) I paid the extra to get the photographs and video the professional photographer had taken.
Learn how to cook and enjoy authentic Thai cuisine. I really enjoyed the cooking class, from visiting a local market to get the ingredients to cooking and eating what we’d made. The longer I travel the more I realise that I prefer doing experiences rather than passively getting on a tour bus to look at something and take pictures.
Splash around at a waterpark. If you’ve made a group of friends at your hostel or are travelling with a group the Andamanda waterpark is a fun day out if you get bored too easy laying on a beach.
Try some Muay Thai yourself at a boxing class. As well as local gyms you can book a class at local hotels for beginners. I really enjoyed this class but be warned it’s quite intense and your muscles will ache the next day!
Simon Cabaret is a fantastic show. See iconic Thai Lady Boys perform extravagant routines and enjoy a cocktail or two in the glamorous reception beforehand.
Parasailing at Banana Beach on Coral Island. If you’re into water sports, this day trip is quite expensive but a great opportunity to do more activities at a beach far less crowded than Patong.
Similian Islands was the highlight of my week in Phuket. You can’t stay on the islands themselves and book your day trip tickets early as there are limited amount of people allowed in the National Park each day. It’s a long day with quite a bit of travelling but worth it. Most beautiful sand and blue water you’ll ever see and snorkelling was incredible- even got to swim with a sea turtle! If you’re a keen scuba diver the scuba diving is meant to be incredible but you’ll need to book a separate trip/stay on a Liveboard.
Enjoy the sunset on Patong beach each night. With crazy nightlife and so many activities to do in the day it’s nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful sky and beach right on your (hotel’s) doorstep.
