Phuket ,pronounced "Poo-get", is
Thailand's largest island and also its second
smallest province. 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 is the administrative centre of
Phuket Province, and the island's main population
centre.
Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel
destination. Most beaches are on the west coast,
with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport
in the north.
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.
Beaches
Particularly in the monsoon season, there are
strong currents on many of the beaches and drownings
are a depressingly common occurrence. Heed the
warning flags on popular beaches and play it
safe if off the beaten track. It is important
to note that, while many tourists who flock
to the beaches of Phuket are European, nudity
is viewed as highly offensive to Thais. It is
very rude to go topless to beaches. Thais are
generally non-confrontational, but it is always
best to be respectful while treading on another's
home country.
The major beaches from north to south are:
Bang Tao - long, very quiet
beach
Surin Beach - an up-and-coming
destination
Laem Singh Beach - small bay
with stunning views, between Kamala Beach
and Surin Beach
Kamala Beach - a quieter beach
to the north of Patong
Patong Beach - the largest beach
resort, known for its nightlife
Karon Beach - a quieter beach
to the south of Patong
Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean
tourist beach with good surf
Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister
of Kata Yai
Ao Chalong - home to Phuket's
most popular yacht anchorage
Rawai Beach - set off point
for lots of local islands, popular with locals
for eating on the beach
How to get here
The island has an international airport and
is also directly connected to the mainland by
a bridge, so it's possible to arrive by air,
road, or sea.
By plane
Airport
The compact Phuket International Airport (IATA:
HKT) (ICAO: VTSP) is located in the north of
the island, and is Thailand's second largest
hub.
International departure tax is 500 baht (700
baht after 1/1/07), payable in cash (there are
several ATMs at the airport). Departure tax
for domestic flights is included in the ticket.
Airport transfers
Limousine (blue) taxis from
the airport are expensive, costing 500-600
baht to Patong Beach or Phuket Town
Metered (yellow) taxis (available
outside the car park gates) cost 300+ baht
Minibus services (basically
door-to-door share taxis) charge 100-200 baht
per seat. One realworld example is from airport
to Chalong to 6 persons was 1100 baht and
there was not possibility to lower it easily.
Airport shuttle bus service
(6:30-20:30, every 30 minutes) to Phuket Town
bus station costs 52 baht; local buses run
from there to all the major beaches until
around 18:00
Flights
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.
Domestic
Several domestic discount airlines fly here,
including Air Asia and Nok Air - 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.
Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on direct flights
between Phuket and U-Tapao (Pattaya / Sattahip)
and Ko Samui.
Destination Air Shuttle 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.
International
AirAsia has a direct flights from/to Kuala
Lumpur.
Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways provide
very affordable tickets from/to Singapore. Other
low cost direct connections include Hong Kong,
Macao, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
By train
The nearest train station is about 3 hours away,
at Surat Thani.
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 those
from the Southern (Sai Tai Mai) Bus Terminal.
The dodgy Khao San Road operations (which have
a bad reputation for theft, and often turn out
to include a "surprise" transfer to
a minibus at Surat Thani) are best avoided.
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 boats to Ko Racha (2 hours),
the Similan Islands (9+ hours) and other islands
in the high season only. Boats and yachts can
be chartered at Chalong Pier, the Boot Lagoon
and the Yacht Haven.
It's possible to visit Phuket by cruise ship.
For cruises from Singapore, try Star Cruises
Phuket Information
