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Taking Pleasure Seriously

Thailand : The Unconventional Guide To Phuket – Forget About The Usual Attractions Of The Island

Sleep in the best resorts

Devote an hour a day for a pampering massage

Enjoy real Thai food

Savour on fresh pineapple nonstop

Sip cocktails by the pool

Walk barefoot on the white beaches

If you ask me, these are the most important things you should do when you go to Phuket for vacation.

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

Chances are that if you look for other articles about ‘Things you must do in Phuket” on Google or Pinterest, you’ll find a completely different list. But, hey, who said you need to mark off a generic list at every place you visit in the world?

When we planned our honeymoon, we decided to spend 20 days in Phuket, and out of those days, 3 days in Krabi. I'm not ashamed to admit my mistakes and I must say that the way we divided our stay between the places wasn’t ideal, since Krabi definitely deserves more time.

Some even say that you should completely skip Phuket and only go to Krabi. On the one hand, I can understand them – if you look at the streets of Phuket that aren’t maintained, the crowds of tourists, some of the attractions and the prices that jumped over the last few years – then there really isn’t a special reason to go to Phuket. On the other hand, allow me to disagree with them – the resorts there are magical, the scenery is breathtaking and prices are still considered low compared to other places in the world.

Believe me, it’s fun there. A lot of fun.

More articles you'd enjoy reading :


>> 20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Phuket & Krabi
>>  4 Resorts You Can't Miss In Phuket : Phuket Resort Hopping 101
>> How To Start A Blog - A Guide For The Beginner Girl Boss

As you probably already know, Phuket is a tropical island, therefore the weather changes all the time. Even if you go during the “high season”, there’s a big chance to have at least one gray or rainy day, which is when your plans to sunbathe by the pool or the beach will get a surprising turn. Besides, as much as sunbathing by the pool is wonderful, I'm sure that at some point you’ll want to change things up a bit and leave the resort for a little while.

If you already checked off the 6 things I wrote on top, then your duties for this trip are completed. Looking for ideas for other things that might make your time on the trip more pleasant?  🙂

Oh, right here, this post saves you a ton of time searching.

 

Here’s a list of attractions I enjoyed most in Phuket followed by two attractions you really shouldn’t waste time on.

 

The Sunday night market in Phuket Old Town :

The super impressive night market in Phuket is held every Sunday on the most beautiful street in the old town of Phuket, known as Thalang Road. The colorful street, built in a Portuguese style from somewhere in the 18th century, attracts tourists not only during the evening but also during the day thanks to the front of the buildings that are unique to Thailand and the historical buildings there {You can read more about the history of the street here}.

The market is open on Sundays from 4 pm until 10 pm, and incorporates small restaurants, food stalls, clothing and special souvenirs that are different from those you can find at other tourist shops in Thailand.

The intertwined food stalls in the market were excellent but you have to leave room for dessert… a few minutes’ walk away from the market there’s a pancake restaurant called “Pancake Corner” that serves sweet and savory pancakes, and great drinks.

We went to the old city on evenings during the week and on the evening of the Night Market on Sunday. Take my advice – if you plan on going out to the old city of Phuket one of the evenings, do it only on Sunday. Apart from the market, the old city is quite sleepy during the other evenings – all the shops are closed and there are only a few small restaurants open.

Source

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

 

Island Hopping  : 

Trips to the surrounding islands of Phuket are one of the more loved and photogenic attraction of the island for a reason. The shiny turquoise ocean, dozens of islands and islets surrounded in green vegetation and the magical bays, will make you feel like you're in heaven on earth.

These trips can be booked anywhere in Phuket – through the hotel, street booths and even on the beaches themselves. Pay attention to the differences between the trips in terms of the number of islands that are included, the length of the trip, the number of people on the boat and the type of the boat – the price is accordingly.

We preferred to skip the motorboat although it’s faster and to go on a tour with an authentic Thai canoe because we wanted a less crowded trip and we enjoyed every second of it!

We went on a private trip with another lovely English couple also celebrating their honeymoon! We visited the amazing Kopipi islands, we stopped at the Monkey Beach {am I the only one who thinks they look evil??}, we jumped into the pleasant water and snorkeled {more precisely, while everyone snorkeled – I tried adjusting to the rescue vest }, we ate fresh, sweet pineapple {and also fed the fish }, we stopped at the magical but crowded Maya Bay that everyone remembers from the movie “The Beach”… {which I actually only watched after visiting the island, and it was pretty mediocre in my opinion } and we ate fried rice on the boat in front of the stunning views – it was an amazing experience!

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

 

The Big Buddha :

The “Big Buddha” of Phuket was one of the attractions I really wanted to get to on this trip. What can I say, I have weaknesses for marble – and a huge white marble statue of a Buddha is something that can totally get me out of my bikini.

This impressive statue, reaching a height of 45 meters, is located on a mountain in the southern part of Phuket, overlooking the stunning scenery of the island from a 360-degree observation point, making it an attraction for many tourists who visit the island. Next to the Buddha, that symbolizes hope and protection to the Thai people, there’s a temple that’s still under construction and a smaller golden Buddha.

The entry is free, but if you want, you can donate money to help finish building the temple and receive a blessing from a monk  😉

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

 

Wat Chalong Temple :

Just a short drive from the Big Buddha is the most famous temple of Phuket, which is considered the heart of the Buddhist community in the region. The complex was built 200 years ago and consists of buildings and gardens in a traditional Thai style.

Inside the buildings there are dozens of golden Buddha statues and the walls are painted with scenes from the life of Buddha – let's just say that minimalism is not their strong point…

If you're planning on visiting the temple, don’t forget to wear modest clothing, or bring a scarf to cover yourself inside the temple.

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

Cape Promthep Observation Point :

The most spectacular sunset I saw in Phuket was from the famous bar ‘Baba Nest’ inside the Sri Panwa resort, but if you didn’t have time to reserve a place there, or if you have a fetish for sunsets, you should definitely go to the Promthep Cape observation point during the evening hours to watch the vast ocean and waves crashing on the rocks below with the incredible sunset in the background.

The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

 

Central Festival Phuket Shopping Mall :

I know that you didn’t travel all the way to Phuket to hang out at the mall, but if you get surprised by a very stormy day the ‘Central Festival Phuket’ will be the perfect place for you.

This giant mall that spreads over four floors has everything you could dream of – fashion shops, beauty and cosmetics products, household goods, electronics, fast food and luxurious restaurants, a huge supermarket {Well, I have a thing for supermarkets… for me this is an attraction on its own   }, and even hair salons, massage parlors and a new movie theater.

Between shopping and window-shopping, eating, massages and even a very successful haircut – we survived 3 rainy days thanks to this mall.

If you’re there and you want to sin a little with Western food {that isn’t junkfood!}, it’s worth checking out the restaurant on the first floor – Wine Connection, apart from a large variety of wine from countries all over the world, you can order pasta dishes, pizza, soups, meat, cheese and sausages platters and more. By the way, this is a Thai chain that has 33 branches, and six of them are located in Phuket.

 

 The Hedonistit's Guide to Phuket

 

>> And now, 2 things I really recommend staying away from in Phuket <<

Patong :

It certainly might sound strange that I recommend you stay away from Patong, since it’s identified so strongly with the island, but there are several reasons that made me want to stay away from this area from the second that I got there, especially from the main street Soi Bangla:

1. Tourists, tourists, tourists – Patong Beach is exactly why Phuket got a bad reputation in my opinion. It’s busy with tourists and their byproducts – tourist traps. The restaurants there aren’t authentic at all, the booths and shops all sell the things that you regret buying the second you get home and the streets are filthy and overcrowded!

2. Sex “attractions” – I’m sorry but I really can’t understand how these things are still legal or how people still call this disgrace an “attraction” or think it’s a legitimate recreation. The second you get to the main street in Patong, salesmen and women try to get you into strip clubs, ping pong shows and sketchy massage places – and if you try to ignore and continue walking, most chances are that they will try touching you or grab your hand. Enough! How long will it be legitimate to enslave young women and girls to this horrible industry? I especially love it when people say ‘they chose to work in the field’ – of course they did, who wouldn’t want to strip her clothes off on a stage or do worse things in front of a group of old men and bored tourists?

3. Aggressive tourism – The aggressive tourism doesn’t end with the sex show’s sales people, there’s no chance you can walk by a restaurant, bar or even a clothing shop without them trying to force you to buy something.

Do yourself a favor, don’t go there.

Attractions Involving Animals :

I'm sure you got to see at least one picture on Facebook of someone who traveled to Thailand and thought that he can’t miss riding elephants or taking a photo with a poor tiger. After all, elephant riding, petting tigers and monkey performances are still among the attractions that are defined as mandatory for visitors in Thailand.

These animals are mistreated and sometimes get drugged to make sure that people can get close to them.

Animal abuse for attractions is unnecessary, but the problem is that many people don’t know about the horrors behind this tourism industry, or they know and think that it will continue to operate whether they will participate or not.

Don’t choose to close your eyes – skip it.

This video describes the horrors of the elephant riding industry, and presents a magical place in Chiang Mai which is a haven for elephants that have been abused and allows tourists to volunteer and connect with elephants in a different way.

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Tired of the same old generic Phuket travel guides? Read about the 6 things you have to do when going for a vacation in Phuket - and a few other attractions you should and shouldn't do while in the island. this article is simply great - pin it now and use it when in Phuket. Click through to read more @ hedonistit.com

 

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10 Responses

  1. Over Christmas break, we drove to Trang–a bit south of Phuket. We chose Trang because it was nearer to where we live, and not such a far drive, but still has the benefits of island hopping and gorgeous nature. We loved it! But I’ve heard such good things about Krabi…maybe one day we’ll drive further into Thailand to check it out!

    1. I think that no matter where you go in Thailand it’s going to be beautiful- simply beacuse you have a beautiful country!!!
      I’m going to post a specific article on Krabi soon – stay tuned 🙂

  2. Wow this post is beautiful and your photos are so colorful and inspiring! I’m going to Thailand for one week out of my honeymoon and hope we have a chance to get to an island/beach!!

    XO Sahra
    Que Sera Sahra

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