Phuket, I'm Going!
(Pun intended)
Jai’s favorite place in the entire world is anywhere on someone’s island so when she learned about the beautiful beaches in Thailand; Phuket quickly flew to the top of her bucket list. We started our journey with a 5-hour flight from Tokyo to our 1.5-hour layover in Bangkok and then on to another 1.5-hour flight, finally arriving in to our final destination of Phuket, Thailand. The cost of this one-way ticket was $172pp including luggage. We purchased roundtrip tickets from the US to Bangkok to kick our trip off so we also purchased one-way tickets to get us back to Bangkok. We purchased these tickets through Air Asia, as well with a cost of $44pp. Air Asia charges for Carry-ons, Checked bags, and weigh both so make sure to follow the baggage policy for this airline.
"To go out with the setting sun on an empty beach is to truly embrace your solitude."
The Accommodations
For our stay in Phuket, we opted for an Airbnb, as it was extremely affordable. For a 6-night stay, we paid $349 for a fully equipped apartment with a rooftop pool. The condominium was perfectly located in the center of town with many convenience stores, restaurants, the beach, shopping, and spas right at our front door. The building was very secure with multiple guards on duty so we felt very safe walking in and out even during the nighttime. The Airbnb host was very responsive and gave great recommendation for places to visit.
P.S. DISCLAIMER: Although you can book an Airbnb, it is actually illegal in Asia. All of our hosts in Asia told us that if we ran into trouble with police while staying at their respective properties, to tell them that we were there visiting a friend. We did not experience any problems here in Phuket, but we did in South Korea (go check out that blog) so… book at your own risk!
-Jeanne Moreau
The Fun
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Phi Phi Island Tour. During our 8-hour excursion to the Phi Phi Islands, we were blown away by how amazing this experience was. We were picked up from our Airbnb up by our tour guide and taken to the tour’s facility marina where we were provided with a safety and information session, breakfast, and a side of Dramamine (motion sickness medicine). Afterwards, we boarded the boat of about 25 people and headed to sea. We made several stops at different islands including Maya Bay, Pileh Bay, Viking Cave, Ko Phi Phi Le (where we had a buffet style lunch), Bamboo Island, and Monkey Beach (no on land access, so many monkeys). We also made a stop for a 30-minute snorkeling session. This was our first ever-snorkeling experience and it was beautiful beyond words. The water was clear and there were tons of fish, coral, and even an eel. The Phi Phi Island Tour is a MUST-DO during your stay in Phuket.
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If you are looking for some adrenaline pumping hands on action with tigers then Tiger Kingdom is the place for you
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Tri Trang beach W/ Elephants- While this beach is crystal clear and more on the quiet end, this is the place to be if you would like to see elephants on the beach. To take pictures with the elephants, it is $20USD and if you would like a professional shoot with DVD disk of pictures, it is an additional $12USD. You do not have to book for this as there is no business page. Just walk up to the little shop and wait your turn.
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We went on a combination excursion that included zip lines, ATV riding, and water rafting. We had a lot of fun during this excursion and recommend that you do these activities however; we recommend that you research a different tour provider as we could have gotten a better bang for our buck.
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Bangla Road for music, food, bars, and fun!
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The Great Buddha of Phuket-Admission is free. Make sure that you are respectful of the dress code policies for the palaces: no low cut shirts and no tank tops so if you are wearing a tank top or shorts, just pack something light to cover up with while in the Palaces. In addition, there are stations that will rent you a scarf for any donation.
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We enjoyed an hour-long massage at a local spa for $10USD each. There are dozens of massage spas around and at this rate, be sure to relax your body.
The Grub
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The Coffee Club (food and milkshakes)
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Tiger Inn Restaurant
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The Pizza Company – Bangla Road
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The fruit from the street vendors is completely necessary; Mango and Passion fruit were our favorites!
The Car
If you are looking to get around in Phuket, we recommend that you either set-up transportation with a driver, Tuk-Tuk, or use the Grab App. When using Grab, which is equivalent to Uber, make sure to confirm the price of the ride to make sure that there is not any hidden fees. Although it is an option, you are not required to link your card to the Grab app as you can pay the fare after the ride is completed. Motor scooters are available to rent almost on every corner for a super low price but we highly recommend against renting a motor scooter as driving in Phuket can get a bit crazy! However, if you do plan to rent a motor scooter, make sure to obtain your international driving permit ($20 at AAA) as the police does ticket you for not having one if they pull you over.
SAFETY TIP: Make sure that the driver, make, model, and license plate on the Grab car matches with the information on the Grab app.
The Cash
We used AAA to exchange our U.S. Dollars for Thai Baht and since we were exchanging over 250USD total, the fee was waived. You can also exchange money through your bank. During our time, the exchange rate was 0.96USD= 30 baht