Phuket: Fun in the Sun ~ Rambles of an INFP

Phuket,the beach paradise of Asia located on the Andaman sea with plenty of pristine and scenic beaches.This is one place where you will never get bored whether you are in the land, water or sky. It is tiny island with plenty of islets sprinkled over it. Small hillocks of limestone rock rising out of nowhere can be seen in the middle of sea.

I have done a bit of research before packing my bags and a simple itinerary on my mind. My plan was to cover Phuket and nearby town Krabi in a week. Hotel reservations were done at agoda.com and reviews taken from tripadvisor on the hotels and restaurants. Since there are not much public transport on the island,renting a car would be the most convenient and cheapest option if you want to explore all places by your self. I love exploring a new place until my wife complains about losing the way in the middle of nowhere.

Stay in the patong area which is the hub of all commercial activities and night life. If you don't mind travelling another 15-20 minutes,stay in Kata or Karon which is far away from the commercial distractions. The beaches here are more cleaner and secluded than the rest.

Patong Beach

Day 1:
Patong nightlife has something for everyone with plenty of bars, discos and restaurants.
Phuket nightlige is incomplete without visiting Bangla road. Note : Advise not to visit this place with your family.

There are plenty of hotels on the patong beach to satisfy your cravings and try out different cuisines like Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian or Western. Try out Green Curry or Yellow curry ( Moong dhal gravy made with coconut milk) if you are vegetarian or pad thai ( Fried noodles) if you are non-vegetarian.

Streets@ Night

Day 2:

I have booked a trip to phi-phi islands from my hotel which cost 900 Bhat on a long tail boat. I went to Phuket on May which is the onset of rainy reason. Rains are pretty common during this time but it won't last for more than 1 hour. The trip includes pickup and drop from hotel, boat ride to phi-phi islands, lunch and snorkeling session.

At 9.00 AM, we started our 3 hour ride from phuket to phi phi islands on a cloudy day.
Later it turned out to a thunder storm and we had a terrific experience on a swaying boat in the middle of ocean. Boat operators assured that rains are pretty common and there is nothing to worry about. I must say it was a unforgettable experience being in the middle of sea in thunderstorm.

Rain on the way to Phi Phi islands

As you move towards the phi phi, the water will turn from blue to emerald and finally into a crystal clear water with everything beneath visible. One good thing here is the locals and tourist agencies take precautions to keep the nature unaffected by hordes of human activity. Snorkeling is a must do activity in these waters as there are plenty of corals in the bay. Please make sure you don't touch any of them as the coral which are growing for 1000's of years can easily get infected by human touch.

Also there would be sea urchins in the sea floor which can cause injury and spoil your day when you step on it.

Snorkeling near Maya Bay

Day 3:

After a tired day trip to phi phi islands, this days was to cover the local attractions in Phuket island.

Started from patong beach and went down south to cover Karon, katta and Katta Noi beaches on the same stretch. These are the best beaches I ever saw with turquoise waters, fine sand and plenty of sun :)

Make sure to use sunscreen liberally to avoid getting fried by the sun god.

Karon Beach, Phuket

Karon and Kata beach from the viewpoint atop hill

Big Budda temple:

This place is one of the important landmark located bit down south in the Chalong area. You need to drive up a small hill to reach this place but you will relish the views from this place. Atop the hill is a big buddha statue which was built recently and a temple beneath it.

Big Buddha temple, Phuket

Cape panwa is in the southern Phuket on a short drive from Chalong bay. I drove to this place to visit the Phuket aquarium and to have Indian food at Live India restaurant.

Cape Panwa, Phuket

Cape Panwa

Phuket Aquarium is in Cape panwa and has excellent variety of fishes and other sea creatures. It has entry fee of 100 Bhat but it is worth the money for entire family.

Phuket Aquarium, Cape Panwa

Great, Clean roads

Indian food at patong beach

Initially I was afraid whether I would get good Indian vegetarian food in Phuket. Currently there are number of Indian restaurants in the Patong area and few some on the other areas. Get the list of restaurants from tripadvisor on area you are the visiting to avoid ending up roaming a long distance for food.

Day 4 & 5 : I drove to Krabi which is 150 Kms from Phuket. I loved Krabi much more than Phuket and would take another post to describe.

Day 6 : I drove back from Krabi and dropped the car at Phuket airport. The wonderful journey finally came to an end.