It was the beautiful island of Phuket that first lured me to the Kingdom Of Thailand. In fact when I first moved to Thailand my plan was to go to Phuket and secure a job teaching English down there but for whatever reason, it never happened and I ended up in Bangkok.Phuket is one of the world's premier beach holiday destinations and ranks alongside the French Riviera, the Mediterranean and Hawaii as places where people will happily endure up to 24 hours discomfort on a plane for the promise of the quintessential beach holiday.
Phuket is an island connected to the Thai mainland by a bridge, and is located about 1,000 km from Bangkok There are many beaches around the island province of Phuket but by far and away the most developed is Patong Beach.
Patong Beach is tourist central where all of the nations of the world come together. Here you will find far, far, far more Indian and Italian restaurants than you will Thai restaurants, proving just how touristed Patong place has become.Patong is the nightlife capital of the island, not that much different to Pattaya, only smaller.
For Phuket nightlife, Patong is the centre.South of Patpong Beach is Karon Beach, my favourite of Phuket's beaches. 3 km of soft white sand lead gently down to the beautiful Andaman Sea. While accommodation prices have moved in a similar manner to those at Patong, the prices at Karon are more attractive than Patong.South of Karon Beach is Kata Beach, a somewhat smaller beach that is NOT a private beach for Club Med as some people believe.This, like Karon, is another really lovely beach and a great place to wile away the days and baste yourself under the hot Thai sun.Accommodation and restaurants are a little cheaper there than the other beaches. It is certainly much quieter and less hustle and bustle than Patong. .
There are many day trip options available from Phuket.Two of these in particular are well worthwhile. The first recommended day trip is the one that takes you to Phanga Bay and the so called James Bond Island. The second day trip that is well worthwhile is over to the small paradise like island, Phi Phi.
Pros: Beautiful, diverse island with a little something for most people. Some beautiful beaches. Some SUPERB day trips available including Phi Phi Island and Phanga Bay.
Cons:Phuket isn't cheap. A lot of very jaded Thais work the Phuket tourist scene. Local transport is far too expensive. Food prices, especially some of the restaurants in big hotels targeting Westerners, are expensive.
The Bottom Line: If you want a comfortable beach holiday with Western comforts, Phuket is the place for you.
Picture source from here
