Phuket, Thailand

They are less than 100 km apart across the Andaman Sea, but Phuket and Ko Lanta couldn’t be more different. Both islands boast beautiful beaches, but that is the end of their similarities. Where Ko Lanta has empty beaches and a small town feel, Phuket has night clubs and McDonalds. That being said, Phuket is still a must-visit stop on a Thailand itinerary, and there is plenty to do on this big (576 sq km) island.

After catching a bus from Krabi to Phuket Bus Terminal 2, then from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 in Phuket Old Town, then walking to 7Eleven to catch a minibus from the Old Town to the beach, I finally arrived! There were easier ways to make the journey (a 500 baht taxi at Bus Terminal 2), but I was determined to save money with public transportation, so the whole 6+ hour journey cost less than 200 baht ($6.30USD).

The minibus from Phuket Old Town to Kata Beach.

The first thing I did in Phuket was rent a motorbike (the best way to get around the island since the “taxi mafia” keep the prices high) and explore the different beaches on the island. From North to South, the popular beaches on the west coast of the island are:

Nai Thon, Bang Tao, Surin, Paradise Beach, Kamala – I didn’t go to any of these beaches. They’re not as popular and were too far North for me.
Patong – The most famous, most popular, and therefore most crowded beach. This is where Phuket’s crazy nightlife lives.
Karon – Still very developed, but less crowded and crazy than Patong. The beach is long and the sand is yellow.
Kata – More beautiful than Patong or Karon, but still pretty busy. The Kata area has a more laid-back vibe.
Kata Noi – Less well-known than the other beaches and harder to reach (you park on the side of the road and walk down steep stone steps to get here), I thought this was the most beautiful beach on mainland Phuket.
Nai Harn – A pretty beach with lots of sailboats docked nearby.
Rawai (not on the west coast) – The jumping off point for lots of longboat tours. No swimming here and not many tourists.

Sunset on Kata Beach.
I named this rock on Kata Noi Beach “mermaid rock” because I think it is the exact rock Ariel sang on in The Little Mermaid.
The view of Kata from Karon Viewpoint.
Pineapple on a stick at Nai Harn Beach.
Karon Beach

I had a few days to kill before my best friend Jackie would arrive (!!!), so I explored the non-beach side of Phuket. I motorbiked to the Big Buddha at sunset (I recommend going for sunrise as the sunset was blocked) and I spent a day exploring Phuket’s colorful Old Town. I had some really tasty mushroom soup at China Inn Cafe on Thalang Road, saw the old hotel where Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach was filmed, and saw the famous Soi Romanee, with its colorful, sino-Portuguese architecture.

Big Buddha Phuket
Inside the On On Hotel
This is how you buy gas on a Thai island.
On On Hotel from the movie The Beach
Thalong Road
Phuket street art
More Phuket street art
Pink buildings on Soi Romanee
Soi Romanee

Then Jackie arrived in Phuket! When we weren’t hanging out on beaches getting stung by tiny (and avoiding some not so tiny) jellyfish, we went to the famous Bangla Street in Patong, ate rolled ice cream at Kata Night Market, and had random tourists take our photo for us. Jackie also tried her first ever pad Thai at The Pad Thai Shop (it was delicious).

Technically Bangla Street was closed when Jackie and I went because of elections
So. Many. Tourists.
A jellyfish washed up on the beach.
The amazing pad thai. I am actually really jealous that Jackie got to have reeallly good pad thai for her first time.
“Pose like a sorority girl!”

We also took boat tours to Ko Phi Phi, including Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon. We snorkeled at Green Bay, kayaked in Ko Hong, explored James Bond Island, had lunch on Ko Panyee, and saw a blue Portuguese Man’O War jellyfish (that scared the crap out of an Italian guy on our tour) on Ko Khai.