Phuket

Phuket located on the Andaman Sea is known as ‘the pearl of the south’. Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and is linked to the mainland by a bridge. It has the highest number of both permanent residents and visiting tourists than any other island in Thailand.

It is the perfect access hub for transportation to a number of beautiful islands nearby including Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. It is also an hour or so to the beach resorts of Khao Lak and a couple of hours away from the beautiful Khao Sok National Park.

It also operates as the transfer location for three to five day fully inclusive liveaboard scuba dive tours around the famous Similan and Surin islands which are located in the Andaman Ocean North West of the Phang-nga region.

Phuket is the most popular tourist island in the southern Gulf of Thailand thanks to international flights arriving directly into its airport and also due to the low-cost domestic airlines operating out of the airport.

The beaches at Karon, Kata and Patong are the most popular with a large variety of hotels, restaurants with some beachfront eateries.

Phuket has endless amounts of water sports on offer, leisure activities, entertainment shows, golf courses, and in the evening the nightlife scene is electric!

Phuket has its own airport, so getting there from Bangkok Airport is very easy and fast about a 1-hour flight.

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Where to Stay in Phuket

The best places to stay in Phuket are:

Phuket Town. The capital of the province, this city is historic yet thriving. This is a working city, with not many beach clubs.
Patong. This is a picturesque coastal town, where you can find stunning white sand beaches and lots of fellow tourists.
Karon. This beach is located on the west coast of the island of Phuket. Stay here to enjoy the stunning views, white-sand beaches, and shimmering turquoise waters.
Kata. Located on the west coast, it is great for the lovers of exciting nightlife.
Kamala. Located on the west part of the island. It is perfect for a family vacation.

How to Get to Phuket

Beaches

Phuket is a perfect place for diving in Thailand. Dozens of schools, diving centers, specialized shops, and rental points are scattered along the coast of the island, and there are a lot of sites for divers of various levels in the water area of the resort town and the surrounding areas – suitable for both pros and beginners.

In our opinion, the top 10 beaches are:

Naithon Beach
Bang Tao Beach
Nai Yang Beach
Surin Beach
Karon Beach
Patong Beach
Kata Noi Beach
Kata Beach
Banana Beach
Laem Sing Beach

Important Information

Currency Exchange

There are many currency exchange offices in popular tourist places like Patong and Kata. Make sure you check the rates, and make sure they don’t charge an extra fee. Moreover, you can always withdraw money from the ATMs, which are almost on every corner. When the ATM asks you if you should proceed with or without conversion, always check without, since otherwise it will make it at an unfavorable exchange fee.

Emergency Numbers

Police emergency: 191

Phuket Tourist Police : +66 76 223 891

Tourist Police – Emergency: 1155

Fire Department: 199

Bangkok Hospital Phuket: +66 (0)76 254 425

Phuket Immigration: +66 76 221 905

TAT Phuket Office: +66 76 211 036