Things to do in Phuket Town
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China Inn
The organics movement meets Phuket cuisine at this turn-of-the-century shophouse. There's red curry with crab, a host of veggie options, homemade yoghurt and fruit smoothies with organic honey. There's also a gallery here with textiles, carvings and clothes from Myanmar and Laos.
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Shrine of the Serene Light
A handful of Chinese temples inject some added colour into the area but the Shrine of the Serene Light, tucked away at the end of a 50m alley near the Bangkok Bank of Commerce on Th Phang-Nga, is a cut above the rest. You'll see Taoist etchings on the walls, the vaulted ceiling stained from incense plumes, and the altar is always alive with fresh flowers and burning candles. The shrine is said to have been built by a local family in the mid-1880s.
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Siam Indigo
A stylish, whitewashed, shabby-chic gem, nestled in an 80-year-old Sino-Portuguese relic that specialises in Royal Thai cuisine with a twist. There’s a fiery seared tuna larb (minced chicken, beef or pork salad mixed with chilli, mint and coriander), minced and spiced pork satay roasted on steamed lemongrass, grilled duck breast sliced and stewed in a massaman curry, as well as a few Phuketian dishes, including gaeng poo, a sweet and spicy crab-meat curry. Siam Indigo has style, soul (check out the work of local artists on the walls) and insane food, which makes it one of the best restaurants on the island, if not the best. Be sure not to miss it.
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Hat Mai Khao
Hat Mai Khao is Phuket's longest beach. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach here between November and February each year. A visitors centre with toilets, showers and picnic tables can be found at Mai Khao, from where there are some short trails through the casuarinas to a steep beach. Take care when swimming at Mai Khao, as there's a strong year-round undertow.
Except on weekends and holidays you'll have this place almost entirely to yourself; even during peak periods, peace and solitude are usually only a few steps away, as there's so much space here.
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Watermark
Although it’s located at the Phuket Boat Lagoon marina on the east coast, Watermark is one of the best spots on the island for a sundowner cocktail. The espresso martini and passionfruit margarita are the house specials, although the tome-sized wine list is also very tempting. This chic venue is the island’s preferred address for jet-setters and, for the last six years it has been featured in the Thailand Tatler as one of the country’s best restaurants.
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Glastnöst
There is nothing better on a relentless Phuket City afternoon than to slip into this cafe that doubles as a law office and sip iced Ceylon tea or traditional Phuket coffee brewed by the lawyer himself, while jazz blares on the sound system. Sometimes the jazz is live – if the resident Bossa Nova man is in town. Call three hours ahead and you can have a traditional Phuket meal for four (2000B), cooked by the man who represents Greenpeace in Thailand.
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Pad Thai Shop
On the busy main road behind Karon, just north of the tacky Ping Pong Bar, is this glorified food stand where you can find rich and savoury chicken stew (worthy of rave reviews in its own right), and the best pàt tai on planet earth: spicy and sweet, packed with prawns, tofu, egg and peanuts, and wrapped in a fresh banana leaf. You will be grateful. It closes at around 7pm.
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Khao Rang
For a bird's-eye view of the city, climb up pretty Khao Rang, northwest of the town centre. It's at its best during the week, when the summit is relatively peaceful, but keep an eye out for the mobs of snarling dogs.
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Ka Jok See
Ostensibly, this is a restaurant, and, by all accounts, a quite good one. However, it has two identities, and once the tables are cleared it becomes a bohemian madhouse and the kind of party you’ve always wanted to go to. The superb music bounces between soul, rare groove, ambient and hip-hop. Some folks get on the mic, others bang away on bongos and everyone must dance.
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Sirinat National Park
The former Nai Yang National Park and Mai Khao wildlife reserve encompasses 22 sq km of coastal land, plus 68 sq km of sea. It runs from the western Phang-Nga provincial border south to the headland that separates Nai Yang from Nai Thon. The beach is absolutely pristine. Sea turtles patrol the reef and lay eggs on the park’s northern beaches and on Hat Mai Khao.
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Hat Nai Thon
Improved roads to Hat Nai Thon have brought only a small amount of development to this otherwise pristine coast backed by casuarina and pandanus trees. Down on the beach, umbrellas and sling chairs are available from vendors. Swimming is quite good here except at the height of the monsoon, and there is some coral near the headlands at either end of the bay.
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Timber Hut
Thai and expat locals have been filling this old clubhouse every night for nearly 20 years. They gather at long wooden tables on two floors, converge around thick timber columns, swill whiskey, and sway to live bands that swing from hard rock to funk to hip-hop with aplomb.
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Lotus Restaurant
An open-walled eatery 500m west of the entrance to Banyan Tree Phuket, this is the first in a row of beachside Thai and seafood restaurants that stretches to the south. It’s clean, breezy and friendly, and has an amazing assortment of live crab, lobster, shrimp, fish and other visual and culinary delights in well-tended tanks.
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Kachang Floating Restaurant
Set adrift in Ao Phuket, rickety Kachang is only a few minutes east of Phuket Town, but it’s far off the beaten tourist trail. Free long-tail boats shuttle grumbling bellies to the floating restaurant surrounded by schools of corralled fish. Enjoy soft-shell crab in the waning light as the sun dips behind the hills.
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Uptown Restaurant
This classic, breezy Chinese-style cafe may not look fancy, but look around and you'll notice mounted photos of Thai celebrities who have stopped by to slurp the spectacular noodles.
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Hat Nai Yang
Hat Nai Yang is good for snorkelling and is popular with Thai tourists. About a kilometre off Nai Yang is a large reef at a depth of 10m to 20m. Snorkelling equipment can be hired at many of the hotels. Judging from the lie of the reef, there could be a surfable reef break here during the southwest monsoon.
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White Box
Who cares if the food at White Box is good or not (although if you are wondering, it is delish); dining at this high-energy supper club is like spending an evening on the starship Enterprise. This chic realm is housed in, quite literally, a white box, which teeters on the rocky shoreline.
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Jammin' Music Club
Gun owners and under-20s are prohibited entry, but this live-music venue is a good bet for a late night knees-up. Expect bands playing everything from rock and pop to jazz, but call ahead to see what's on. The action usually kicks off around 22:00 and Thai youngsters are at the heart of it.
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O'Malleys
Travelling thousands of miles to sink Guinness in an Irish pub always feels a little daft, but Phuket's homesick flock to this cosy Celtic watering hole for pool and assorted shenanigans. It has a generally welcoming atmosphere and the interior is almost authentic, if a little clean.
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Ruamjai
Ruamjai (0 7622 2821; Th Ranong; dishes 50-200B; ;lunch & dinner) Delicious veggie eats are offered at this spartan, open-fronted Chinese restaurant. It's a bit noisy with the background traffic noise, and very popular. The service is quite swift, some say too swift.
reviewed
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Mae Porn
In a casual, open location, this popular eatery attracts both faràng and Thais. It has both indoor and outdoor tables, and cooks up some mean seafood at nice prices. Curries and other Thai specialities are on the menu as well.
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360
This open-air patio, covered with giant rattan lounge chairs, sits high above the gnarled jungle trees. The lychee Bellini goes down real easy while admiring the 360-degree views as the sun sets over the manicured Laguna grounds.
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Port
An outdoor bar smack in the heart of the action, the Port features glowing blue-and-green lounge chairs that match the designer cocktails and pulsates all evening long. Complimentary bar snacks are served throughout the night.
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Sea Fun Divers
This is an outstanding and very professional diving operation. Its standards are extremely high and the service is impeccable. There's an office at the Le Meridien resort in Patong, and a second location at the Katathani Resort.
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Don’s Mall & Cafe
This Texan-run food-and-entertainment complex showcases hearty American meat feast barbecued over a mesquite-wood fire. It also has an extensive wine list and freshly baked goods. It’s about 3km from the beach in Rawai.
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