Phuket
Phuket is the largest island of Thailand. The beauty this place has to offer will be etched in your memories forever. No wonder this place pops in the best island destinations of the world. You may either take a direct flight to Phuket from India or Bangkok. Buses do ply from Bangkok to Phuket but they take very long as Phuket is approximately 848 km from Bangkok. The runway at Phuket airport is one beauty to experience. Amazing views from the top just before landing. You land just beside the sea. The first glimpse of this island may take your breath away.
Phuket is very similar to Pattaya except it is more chilled out and more expensive. They have almost similar tourist spots. We have a detailed comparison of Pattaya and Phuket in this post. Phuket is full of different beaches and several islands close by. It is frequented by foreigners and hence everything is a bit pricy here: hotels, food, taxi, tours. Even the taxi drivers expect a tip after your ride. You have plenty to do here. 3-4 days in Phuket might be just enough to cover this entire place. There are many beaches and viewpoints, waterfalls, a museum, adventure sports to do just in the town. Then there are many island-hopping day tours to enjoy also.
Some of the popular things to do in Phuket are as under. Depending upon the availability of time you may adjust where you would like to go.
Beaches
There are at least a dozen beaches in Pattaya. All popular for different activities and different feel. Patong beach is the most popular because of the buzzing nightlife and swimming and adventure sports option. Karen and Kata beach are more rocky and quiet, offering some picturesque views from the viewpoints. You may spend an entire day just beach hopping and exploring all the beaches.
Waterfalls
There are several waterfalls in Phuket. Some are located on the eastern part and one on the western part. Kathu and Ton Sai being in the central part of Phuket. Kathu is a small waterfall but pretty. Ton Sai waterfall is medium high but cascades down the hill. They need a bit of a hiking to reach there. You may explore these two easily. We did not go to the waterfalls as we were short on time and they needed few hours to explore
Big Buddha
Wat Chalong is a Buddhist temple in Phuket. It has a beautiful architecture and houses the Big Buddha sitting in meditating posture in its campus. It is the largest Buddha statue in Phuket.
Promthape cape
This is the cape of Phuket and is a special place. The sunsets from this viewpoint are magical. Try to be present at the sunset time here to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets of your life.
Bangla street
This is where the nightlife of Pattaya is. Similar to the walking street in Pattaya, this place is also buzzing with clubs, bars and music. It has several food options also. You may enjoy your time here with a mug of beer and some dance with music. The most popular cabaret of Phuket is the Simon cabaret located in this street.
Island Tours
One of the major attractions from Phuket as well as Krabi are the one day island tours. It forms the backbone of tourism in Thailand. You will find many tour operators with shops on road sides offering you a number of tours from different companies at different costs. Always check out 2-3 tour operators before deciding on any one to get best rates. There are several important things that you must to carry while taking a boat tour: a hat/cap, sunglasses, sunscreen, extra clothes, towel (microfibre is best) and a bag to carry wet clothes. The operators provide breakfast, lunch, water and snacks during the trip. These island tours are made on a speedboat, long tail boat or a big boat. Hereunder is a comparison of the three types of boats to help you decide which boat will suit you the best:
| Speed Boat | Long tail boat | Big Boat | |
| Image |  |  |  |
| Speed | fast | slow | medium |
| Used for | long distance | short distance | long distance |
| Ride | bumpy | less bumpy | smooth |
| Capacity | 12-15 | 7-10 (private) | >25 |
| Hop off on islands | yes | yes | yes (use kayaks/long boats) |
| Price | high | medium | medium |
| Lunch | on island | on island | on-board |
Phi Phi Islands Tour (by speedboat/big boat)
The most talked about place in all of Thailand- Phi Phi Islands are one of the most stunning islands in Thailand. It is a group of Two Islands: PhiPhi Don and Phi Phi Leh. You may stay over at this island also. For this you will have to take a ferry from Phuket or Krabi to Phi Phi Don. You may book a day tour from one of the many tour operator counters all over Phuket.
The day tour to Phi Phi islands has 6 points visit including lunch and costs about 900-1400 Baht depending on the tour you book from and the type of boat. Operators will quote a very high price for it but bargain till you get genuine price. Some people may be lucky to even get it at 700 Baht. The points of visit are : Monkey Beach, Viking Cave, Maya Bay(Loh Samay), Phi Phi Don, Pileh Lagoon, Khai Island. The order of visiting the places varies for different operators to not cause crowd at the same time and allow tourists to enjoy the place well.
Monkey Beach, Viking Caves and Phi Phi Leh
Pick up from your hotel at Patong will be by 7:30 AM in a minivan. You will arrive at the departing pier in 40 minutes. There will be an arrangement for breakfast with tea/coffee, biscuits, bread & butter. After around 40 minutes you will leave for your onward journey. Water is available on board so you do not need to carry your water bottle. Do not forget to carry extra pair of clothes, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. The first stop is the Monkey Beach. The beach is so named due to the abundance of monkeys here. Hence, for security reasons, you will not get down on the beach but a little off the beach, the boat will anchor to allow you some time to swim or dive in the clear water of the bay.
After about half an hour here, you will go to see the Viking caves. The Viking caves are deep caves carved out by the waves crashing in to the limestone karsts near the Phi Phi Leh (smaller) Island. It is the hunting site for swiftlet bird’s nests, a popular dish made of bird’s saliva. You stop for a few minutes to get some pictures before leaving.
Phi Phi Don Island
Next you arrive at Phi Phi Don (bigger) island to have your buffet lunch of Thai cuisine and get about one and a half hour to explore the island. Arrangement for your lunch buffet will be in a local restaurant. Let us tell you that the food was delicious. You have salads, pasta, rice, fruits, soup, chicken dishes etc. Eat to your heart’s and stomach’s content. You may explore the beaches or go into the town to explore the markets and restaurants. There is so much to do here that 1.5 hours seem very less. The shore line is stunning and there are shacks, paid lounge chairs and some swings for you to enjoy. The place has plenty of beautiful sights for your eyes.
Loh Samay, Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon
After your time here, your next stop is the Loh Samay Bay. It is the entrance to the famous Maya Bay where you find white beaches, crystal clear turquoise blue water and mini sharks. This place became famous after it featured in the movie, The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It stays in news because of the ecological damage to this area due to tourist footfall. Consequently, it was closed for two years to restore the balance. Unfortunately, it was again closed to check the progress of recovery, just 2 days before we went there. We could not get off on the beach but we got a clear view of the bay from the loh samay bay. So do check the status of the bay before visiting. Or else, you will not get to hop off on this beautiful beach.
Next you will be taken to Pileh lagoon. Here the boat will anchor and you will have an hour to snorkel, kayak, swim or watch the fish and soak in the natural beauty of clear green water amidst tall limestone karsts. You can get plenty of pictures here. It is so beautiful that we just wanted to soak in everything.
Khai Island
Your last stop will be Khai Island. It is an oval shaped island with sandy beach on to one side and rocky sides with steep cliff on the other. The beach side has shacks and activities with tourists enjoying their time in the water. This side gets too crowded. The other side is not fit for swimming and hence less or not crowded at all. This side is more peaceful and allows you to enjoy your time to your heart’s content.
The views are amazing and if you have nothing to do with swimming like us, rush to this side and have fun in the clear water. Sit under the shades of trees on the cliff and be grateful that you are able to witness such beauty in your lifetime. It is a bit difficult to walk on the ragged and pointed stones but they make for great backgrounds in your pictures. You will be provided snacks like juice, fruits and biscuits on the beach.
Phang Nga Bay Tour (speed boat/big boat)
Phang Nga is a beautiful bay in Thailand between Phuket and Krabi. This bay forms a part of Phang Nga National park and may also be visited by road on a bus from Phuket to Phang Nga town. This is another day tour on boat that can be taken from Phuket. The cost of this trip will be around 1200-1600 Baht with lunch for the big boat. It is nothing like the Phi Phi Islands and Phi Phi Islands are nothing like it. This tour takes you to explore the following places: Bat Caves (Panak Island), Hong Island, Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island, Lana Island. You may book this tour from any tour operator in Phuket (follow the same tip- check out 2-3 and bargain). You can also make bookings online if you find it cheaper.
You will be picked up from your hotel in Patong by 7:15 AM and will reach the pier in about 40 minutes. Here again, you will have the option of breakfast with similar menu. After a short break of 20-30 minutes your trip will finally start. If you are in a big boat you may enjoy the sceneries while the boat sails through the waves. Water is available on board so you do not need to carry your water bottle. The big boat has plenty of shade unlike the speed boat. You may carry extra pair of clothes if you would snorkel or swim. Sunscreen is mandatory while on an island trip. It takes about 1.25 hours to arrive at your first stop.
Panak Island
You get off the big boat on a small canoe and go around the bay to explore the Bat Caves in the Panak Island. These are dark caves formed deep into the cliffs where bats live. It is so dark inside that you will not be able to see your own hand, let alone the bats on the roof. The entrance to the cave is very narrow and the pathway allows only one boat at a time. It is normal to have a traffic line at the mouth of the cave. Canoeing into the cave gives an exiting touch to the experience.
Hong Islands
Next you will canoe around the beautiful Hong Islands undergoing through caves and reach a beautiful lagoon surrounded by forest cliffs on all sides and a tree roof with a small heart shaped opening for the light to come through. This place felt magical. It was calm except for the chatter of tourists on canoes. It felt like being transported to another world. The surroundings of the bay will give you strong King Kong movie vibes. Our boatman was very sweet. He gave us a heart shaped cutout of a leaf to take pictures. And gave us a beautifully woven finger ring made out of grass.
James Bond Island
After you return from your canoe, you will take off to your next destination which is the famous James Bond Island or Koh Tapu. Before reaching you will be offered buffet lunch on board. The lower part of the big boat has a kitchen and all the food that are offered is made fresh and served hot. The staff was generous and the food was as delicious as it can get. We loved this part of all of our tours- the food. It was raining outside and we were enjoying our lunch amidst the natural views. This is in itself is an experience to be had in your life.
When you arrive at James Bond Island your first impression is that it is man made. The surrounding area has been preserved as it is a part of the national park and tourists have guided paths to take to explore the island. There is a cliff which you cross to get the view of the iconic Khao Phing Kan island that featured in the Hollywood movie. You may take a short climb up to the hill via steps to reach another viewpoint. You will get about 1 hour to spend here. This island has all tourist facilities like toilets, shops and food.
Lana Island
From James Bond island, you start your return trip. On your return you visit another island, the Lana Island. This is a long beach island where you have shacks, paid lounge chairs, drinks, food, water activities or swimming as an option to pass time. One side of the beach is packed with shops and swimming tourists. If you walk a few hundred metres towards the other end, the beach is more secluded and very few people in sight.
There are more trees and some swings both on the beach and in the water to enjoy and get some pictures as you like. This side is a bit rocky and not fit for swimming. Still a good place to sit by the sea and watch other tourists riding some jet skis. After about an hour on the beach you will get on your big boat, bid Phang Nga bay a sweet good bye to return to Phuket. On your return journey you will be offered some drinks and snacks.
