Phuket (ภูเก็ต) [1], pronounced (roughly) "poo-get", is Thailand's largest island. 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 - The administrative center of the province, and the island's main population center. Has the cheapest accommodation, but no beaches.
Chalong Bay - on the east coast, home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage and the primary gateway to the islands off Phuket
Beaches
Mai Khao (Sai Kaeo) - near the airport, very quiet (aside from the planes!) and far away from it all
Nai Thon and Nai Yang - two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park
Bang Thao (Laguna Beach) - long, very quiet beach
Surin and Pansea Beach - an up-and-coming upmarket destination
Laem Sing - small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
Kamala Beach - a quieter beach to the north of Patong
Kalim Beach - a series of small beaches just to the north of Patong
Patong Beach - the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
Karon and Karon Noi Beaches - the second most-developed beach after Patong
Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister of Kata Yai
Nai Han and Ao Sen - a quiet beach (probably the best) in the south, near Phromthep Cape view point
Ya Nui Beach
Rawai, Mittraphap and Laem Ka - set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach
Cape Panwa - home to Phuket Aquarium
Islands
Ko Bon — 10 minutes from Rawai, an ideal island for a day of snorkeling and relaxing.
Ko Hae (Coral Island) — 15 minutes by speedboat from Chalong Bay, accessible all year.
Ko Lon — quiet, mostly Muslim island with a few bungalows
Ko Mai Thon — gorgeous little island with only one (expensive) place to stay
Ko Maphrao (Coconut Island)
Ko Racha (Ko Raya) — consists of two islands (Yai and Noi), popular with scuba divers.
Ko Sire (Ko Si Le) — Sea Gypsy colony, connected to the mainland by a causeway
Ko Yao — two islands halfway to Krabi, with four upmarket resorts
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 May to October the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. 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. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.
Culture
Phuket is a melting pot of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Muslims and even sea gypsies. The majority of the population in the rural areas is Muslim. Outside of the provincial town, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern dialect which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The provincial town’s economy having boomed over the past decade has lead to a lot of the youngsters leading similar lives to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the lifestyle of the urban Thai-Chinese resembles that of Bangkokians.
Festivals and Events
Phuket Vegetarian Festival [2] - an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and ascetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".
Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Sisunthon Fair (งานท้าวเทพกระษัตรี - ท้าวศรีสุนทร) is held on March 13 every year to commemorate the two great heroines who rallied the Thalang people to repel Burmese invaders. Many activities and celebrations are organised.
Seafood Festival (เทศกาลอาหารทะเล), held around May yearly, is designed to publicise the delicious seafood of Phuket and attract visitors during the rainy season. Activities include a Marine Tourism Resources Parade, seafood stalls, demonstrations of regional cuisines and cultural shows.
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (งานแข่งเรือใบชิงถ้วยพระราชทาน) is held in December. The Kata Beach Resort hosts international yachtsmen, largely from neighbouring countries who compete in the Kata Beach area for royal trophies.
Laguna Phuket Triathlon (ลากูน่าภูเก็ตไตรกีฬา) is held in each December. The triathlon (a 1,800 - metre swim, a 5.5 -kilometre bike race and a 12-kilometre run and a 6 –kilometre fun run) attracts world-class athletes from all over the world.
Phuket Travel Fair (เทศกาลเปิดฤดูการท่องเที่ยวจังหวัดภูเก็ต), starting from November 1, is usually called the Patong Carnival, from the place where celebrations occur. Colourful parades, sports events, and a beauty competition for foreign tourists are major activities.
Chao Le (Sea Gypsy) Boat Floating Festival (งานประเพณีลอยเรือชาวเล), falls during the middle of the sixth and eleventh lunar months yearly. The sea gypsy villages at Rawai and Sapam hold their ceremonies on the 13th; Ko Sire celebrates on the 14th; and Laem La (east of the bridge on Phuket’s northern tip) on the 15th. Ceremonies, which centre on the setting adrift of small boats similar to the Thai festival of Loi Krathong, are held at night and their purpose is to drive away evil and bring good luck.
Get in
By plane
The compact Phuket International Airport [3](IATA: HKT) (ICAO: VTSP) is located in the north of the island, and is Thailand's second largest hub, second only to Bangkok. 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.
International flights
Malaysia - AirAsia [4] and Malaysia Airlines [5] have direct flights from/to Kuala Lumpur. Also, FireFly [6], a new Malaysia-based low-cost airline, has flights from its Penang hub to and from Phuket.
Singapore - SilkAir [7] has 32 flights a week. Low cost alternatives are Thai AirAsia [8] and Tiger Airways [9].
Germany - LTU [10] has several flights a week nonstop to Munich.
Other low cost direct connections include Hong Kong, Jakarta, Macao, and Seoul.
Domestic flights
Several domestic discount airlines fly here, including Air Asia [11]. 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.
Thai Airways [12] flies from Bangkok (both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports) several times every day, as well as once daily from Chiang Mai (but there are no direct flights in the opposite direction). Additionally, they sell tickets from/to many domestic and international destinations with stopover in Bangkok - which are usually cheaper (especially international) than if you book separate tickets. Cheapest (non-exchangeable and non-refundable - though taxes are refunded even in the unfortunate case of no-show, if you call them later) one-way ticket from Bangkok, as of April 2008, costs 2320 baht - worth checking if you book just a few days before flight, as low-cost airlines may cost only 200-300 baht less in this situation, but you get world-famous Thai Airways service, and free onboard meals too.
Bangkok Airways [13] has a monopoly on direct flights between Phuket and U-Tapao (Pattaya / Sattahip) and Ko Samui. They also have 3 daily flights from Bangkok - but they are really overpriced (3815 baht one-way).
Destination Air Shuttle [14] offers direct seaplane transfers (some of which operate seasonally) between Phuket and Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Ranong, Trang, the Similan Islands, and other popular Andaman coast destinations.
Transport
To get from the airport to your destination, there are several options:
Limousine (blue) taxis from the airport are expensive, costing 500-600 baht to Patong Beach or Bt 400 Phuket Town. The airport co-op booth tucked away towards the back is a little cheaper than the competition.
Metered (yellow) taxis (available outside the car park gates) cost 300+ baht.
Minibus services (basically door-to-door share taxis) charge 150-250 baht per seat. Any travel agent can arrange a ride for the way back to the airport, but if you want one from the airport, you'll usually need to charter the whole thing for over 1000 baht.
Airport shuttle bus service (6:30-20:30, every 30 minutes) to Phuket Town bus station costs 82 baht; local buses run from there to all the major beaches until around 18:00.
Departure tax is now included in the ticket price. The airport is notionally divided into Terminal 1 and 2, with some charter and low-cost operators using the second, but these are only a few hundred meters apart and connected by an air-conditioned walkway.
By train
There are no direct train services to Phuket. Travellers by train must get off at Phun Phin railway station in Surat Thani and continue for another 5 hours by regular bus to Phuket. See Surat Thani for details.
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.
The most reliable buses from Bangkok are the public BKS [15] buses from the Southern Bus Terminal to Phuket. The journey takes 13 hours. There are also 2 private bus companies, Phuket Travel Tour and Phuket Central Tour. Khao San Road operations have a bad reputation for theft, often turn out to include a "surprise" transfer to a minibus at Surat Thani, and are best avoided.
From Phuket bus terminal to your final destination, you can take a motorcycle taxi, tuk-tuk, meter-taxi, or bus. A motorcycle taxi into Phuket Town will be about 10-20 baht; to most beaches 100-200 baht (negotiable).
A local bus to one of the main beaches will cost around 15-30 baht. It's not unusual for the tuk-tuk drivers at the bus terminal to tell arriving travellers that the local bus service has finished, even though it hasn't. If you are of the hiking/backpacking type, the local bus station, which will take you to Patong Beach is about twenty minutes away. When exiting the bus terminal, make a right onto Phang-Nga Rd. Continue down Phang-Nga until it terminates at Yaowarat Rd., then turn left. Within a few steps you will see a roundabout. Once at the roundabout, keep right. By keeping right, you will find Ranong Rd. Within 100 to 200 meters you will find the local bus stop.
Before exiting the Phuket bus terminal, grab a free Phuket map from the information window. While supplies may always not be on hand, the map is a great way to get your bearing before jumping-off.
By Car
Phuket is directly connected to the mainland by the Thao Thepkasattri Bridge. From Bangkok, take Highway 4 through Nakhon Pathom, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, thence through Ranong province’s Kra Buri and Kapoe districts, Phang-nga province’s Takua Pa and Thai Muang districts and onto Phuket island. The total distance is 862 kilometres.
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 speedboats to Ko Racha (2 hours), the Similan Islands (about 3 hours) and other islands in the high season only. Boats and yachts can be chartered at Chalong Bay, the Boot Lagoon, the Yacht Haven and Royal Phuket Marina.
It's possible to visit Phuket by cruise ship. For cruises from Singapore, try Star Cruises
