Conquered another part of Thailand recently, besides the usual
Bangkok,
Koh Samui and
Pattaya. This time, we headed to Phuket Island, which has its own airport, so it made travelling more convenient. The flight was around 1 hour, 30 minutes. What did we do in Phuket, where did we stay in, and what dishes did we feast on this time round?
PLACES OF INTEREST
Phuket is a very scenic island with lots of lovely beaches such as Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Phatong Beach, etc. Besides beautiful views to take strolls or chill out against, water sports also form part of the itinerary. We went island-hopping during one of the days so we explored more than our fair share of gorgeous seasides.
AO PO GRAND MARINA
113/1 Moo 6 Tambon Paklok, Phuket, Thalang Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 336 200
Website: http://aopograndmarina.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aopograndmarina
A beautiful and halcyon marina where one could enjoy the views, charter a yacht out to the seas, take photos or just chill at the Port of Call Restaurant or Deck Bar located right at the marina itself. I don't know about you, but I could stare at the yachts at the marina for hours. We booked an Andaman catamaran boat under the operator Blu Anda, which brought us island-hopping.
KOH HONG ISLAND (KRABI)
Nong Thale, Krabi Town, 81000 Thailand
Koh Hong Island is nestled on crystal clear waters and has two stunning twin bays at its side; high cliffs and white sands also add to its picturesque beauty. We tried snorkeling here, as well as some swimming.
PAK BIA ISLAND
Nong Thale, Krabi Town, 81000 Thailand
A small isle located behind Koh Hong Island, between Koh Yao Noi and Krabi Coast, this remote paradise is a popular spot for island wanderers. Its peculiar dome-like shape is covered with thick lush foliage and links to a thick strip of sand that seems to divide the waters. When the tide is high, the waters would cover the entire strip of sand, merging into one.
FISHERMAN'S VILLAGE
I couldn't find the address for this small little mysterious fisherman's village that we visited- had thought it was Koh Panyee but it did not have the crafts shopping section. It should be in the Krabi district, near Koh Hong and Pak Bia Island for sure, since it was our in-between stop.
It was here that we were exposed to the many types of sea creatures, got to hold some of them (such as the puffer fish and lobsters, had lunch surrounded by cooling breezes, and had fun kayaking in the waters. This was part of the island-hopping itinerary.
BIG BUDDHA TEMPLE
Yot Sane 1 Chaofa Road, Karon (Chalong), Mueang Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 81 891 3827
Website: http://phuket-big-buddha.com
Opening Hours: 6.00am to 7.00pm
Admission is free of charge.
Located at the Chalong district on Nakkerd Hills, this 45 metres tall Buddha statue is created out of concrete and adorned with white Burmese jade marble. From this temple, one can glimpse the beauty of Southern Phuket island. At the side of this white Buddha statue, there is a beautiful golden Buddha statue as well.
PIMNARA SPA @ PIMNARA HOTEL
195 Rat U Thit Road, Jungceylon Mall, Patong 83150, Phuket, Thailand
Tel: +66 08 69 422 226
Website: http://www.pimnaraspa.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PimnaraSpaThailand
I believe that one shouldn't leave Thailand or a resort holiday without a good massage, therefore we headed to Pimnara Spa for a good 60 minutes classic massage at only 500 baht! Clean settings and polite uniformed staff endeavor to deliver a good bone-cracking massage that lets you feel rejuvenated and relaxed at the end of it.
30 MINUTES TO ESCAPE
187/1-4 Thanon Ratuthit Songroipi Rd, Tambon Patong, Amphoe Kathu, Chang Wat Phuket 83150, Thailand
Tel: +66 63 081 5992
Website: http://30mintoescape.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/30mintoescape
Opening Hours: 11.00am to 10.00pm daily
Fees: Adults 690 Baht / Children 370 Baht
Be an investigator for 30 minutes as you and team are locked in a room (Robbers or Temple) trying to break the code that enables you to escape from the room. Pretty exciting, and good game for teamwork for sure.
ATV (ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE)
59/26 Moo 5, Si Sunthon Thalang Phuket 83110, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 617 747
Website: http://www.atvphuket.com
An exciting and different way of touring the island, cutting through rough roads, farms, plantations and rainforests etc, on these steady 4-wheeled vehicles that are automatic, safe and easy to operate. Plus, they will have staff members riding alongside your entourage to assist and steer your ATV back on track whenever necessary.
SHOPPING
To me, no holiday is complete without shopping, and that makes Phuket no exception. We were exposed to a variety of shopping environment - larger malls, smaller malls, and night market for our buying needs.
CENTRAL FESTIVAL PHUKET
Wichit, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 291 111
Website: http://www.centralfestivalphuket.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentralPhuketFanpage
If you are familiar with Central World Shopping Centre in Bangkok, this new multi-storey mall should be no stranger to you. Spacious and containing many retail shops as well as cafes, restaurants, etc - be prepared to hang out here for hours. Familiar names such as H&M, Aldo, Charles & Keith, Segafredo, Bebe etc are all here for your shopping and cafe-hopping pleasure.
JUNGCEYLON MALL (PHUKET SQUARE)
200 Tambon Patong, Amphoe Kathu, Chang Wat Phuket, 83150, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 600 111
Website: http://www.jungceylon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JungceylonFanpage
A huge mall with Robinsons, cinema and lots of shops within its building, and many retail shops, restaurants, cafe and beauty parlours making up the tenants, this mall is another pulse of the city, allowing visitors to be kept entertained within its walls for hours.
TESCO LOTUS SUPER-CENTER
104 Moo 5 Chalermprakiet Ror 9 Road, Rasada, Muang, Phuket 83000 Thailand
Website: https://www.phuket.net/directory/shopping/tesco-lotus-supercenter
A 3-storey shopping centre whose anchor tenant is Tesco, a huge supermarket where we bought all our groceries and foodstuff for the next few days of the villa stay. There are also smaller shops and push carts retailing clothes, shoes, manicure services etc, as well as familiar brands such as Watsons and Starbucks. There are also quite a few restaurants for one to fill their stomachs.
KARON TEMPLE MARKET
Patak Rd, Tambon Karon, Amphoe Mueang Phuket, Chang Wat Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 98 885 6306
Website: http://www.phuket.com/shopping/karon-shopping.htm
A small night bazaar comprising many stalls retailing local goods - clothes, ornaments, crafts and some food stalls. We thought the variety was not impressive, but what really put us off was the attitude of some of the vendors. One lady was loudly singing in English to her stall neighbor that we were probably "Only shopping, no buying". Damn right lady, with such an attitude, you can be sure that you merchandise won't move.
ACCOMMODATION
There are plenty of choices to stay at Phuket, from seafront hotels and villas to smaller hostels for the backpackers. We put up at this super-new villa located at Kata Beach area, pretty secluded, and enjoyed the stay tremendously. The owner is a pretty lady who, together with her female crew, ensured that we had a good stay throughout.
BAAN ST. TROPEZ VILLA
12/19 Patak rd, Soipatak10, T.Karon , Kata Beach Phuket, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 86 364 2269
Website: http://baan-st-tropez.com
Baan St. Tropez Villa has a variety of different housing - villas with 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms. All villas come with its own pool overlooking the lush foliage and further beyond - the sea. Facilities are complete, as are kitchen-ware. The villas are clean and rather tastefully-decorated; housekeeping takes place everyday.
RESTAURANTS
Here at Phuket, Thai food and seafood were our main cuisine - we got to experience Thai food and "local cuisine" referring to Southern Thai food, which makes up traditional here at Phuket.
BAAN CHOM VIEW RESTAURANT
69/15 Kata Noi Road, Kata Noi Beach, Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 95 352 5836
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baanchomviewkata
Views were magnificent at this restaurant, overlooking Kata Beach and offering breezes throughout the evening. We had good Thai cuisine and seafood dishes here, such as Green Curry, Garlic Prawns, Basil Chicken, Clear Tom Yum Soup, to name a few.
KAN ENG @ PIER PHUKET SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Rawai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 381 212
Website: http://www.kaneang-pier.com
This restaurant was a surprise for us, having entered through the super vintage-looking main entrance, expecting the interior to be just as traditional. But what greeted us was a beautiful pier, sea view and natural alfresco dining settings. It was here we enjoyed some delectable Southern Thai cuisine, the best being the Yellow Crab Curry, Papaya Salad and Red Tom Yum Soup. The staff crew provided superb service too - attentive; they even took the trouble of retrieving a balloon dropped accidentally into the pier while we were dining!
MK RESTAURANT
104 Moo 5 | Tesco Lotus Extra Phuket, Phuket Town, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Website: https://www.mkrestaurant.com/en
Always a favorite restaurant of ours when we are in Thailand, we stumbled upon MK Restaurant at Lotus Tesco Super Center, and had lunch there. We shared the Wanton (meat dumpling) and Roast Duck Spinach Noodles, as well as the Roast Pork Noodles.
BLUAQUA RESTAURANT
None supplied - seems the only information I got about this restaurant is from Blu-Anda website. A hut-like restaurant where we had our breakfast and buffet dinner during the island-hopping trip. While out at the floating fisherman's village, we were served set meals "pin-to" style (what we probably call "tingkat" in Singapore) - round metal tiered tins of food. One could choose seafood, poultry or vegetarian.
Overall, our Phuket trip was very gratifying and pleasurable; I was glad to be able to try out so many activities I wouldn't have gotten to try usually. The first day was a rainy one, as well as the morning of our 2nd day - but none of these days dampened our moods, because there were myriad of activities to keep one entertained even if we had to stay indoors.
