Things to do in Phuket Province
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Babylon Beach Club
Accessible by dirt road are the seaside, polished, whitewashed environs of the Babylon Beach Club. Under new Italian management, lunch is more casual 'beach fare' such as burgers and salads while dinner gets more lavish with mains such as prawn and asparagus risotto.
reviewed
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Baru
OK, imagine that (fashion) disaster has struck. More specifically, that the ‘bozos’ at the airlines have misplaced your bags. Which means that you have arrived on Phuket with only the clothes on your back – ie sweaty leather shoes, a ‘comfortable’ (read: unsexy) ankle-length skirt and a long-sleeve knit sweater (relax, we know, you were dressed for the plane). But now the sun is shining, the beach boys are beckoning and you need a shot of beach sexy (think skimpy bikinis, beach wraps and candy-coloured flip-flops), and fast. Welcome to your Eden.
reviewed
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Sovrana Spa
At first blush it looks like just another local massage salon. Then you’ll notice the gallery is stocked with all-natural aromatic oils, soaps and creams, which seems like reason enough to indulge in a massage, facial or both.
reviewed
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Phuket Fantasea
This is a US$60 million 'cultural theme park' located just east of Hat Kamala. Despite the billing, there aren't any rides, but there is a show that takes the colour and pageantry of Thai dance and combines this with state-of-the-art light-and-sound techniques that rival anything found in Las Vegas (think 30 elephants). All of this takes place on a stage dominated by a full-scale replica of a Khmer temple. Kids especially will be captivated by the spectacle but it is over-the-top cheesy, and cameras are forbidden.
reviewed
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Phuket Scuba Club
This ecologically sensitive outfitter has a shop here and another on Karon. It can arrange day trips to Racha Yai and Racha Noi Shark Point et al, as well as live aboards to the Similan Islands, and it’s the only shop in the area to offer two beach dives from Hat Karon daily (11am and 3pm). The visibility isn’t as magical as more distant reefs, but there are interesting fish around, plus it’s close, so you’ll be able to slip underwater and be back with the family in no time.
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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.
reviewed
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Amazing Bike Tours
Phuket’s best new adventure outfitter leads small groups on back-road bicycle tours through incredibly scenic countryside. In addition to its half-day rides through Thalang, which take in the Khao Phra Thaew National Park, it offers terrific day trips through Ko Yao Noi and the overlooked yet gorgeous beaches and waterfalls of Thai Muang in nearby Phang-Nga province.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Savoey
On an island packed with weighed-to-order fish grills, this is one of the best. Its huge ice shelf is packed with lobsters, prawns, grouper, red snapper, sole, trevally and barracuda. It also has live lobsters. It has one menu and four dining rooms – two of them on the sand. The food is always great, and the prices are quite reasonable.
reviewed
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Dino Park
Jurassic Park meets minigolf at this bizarre park on the southern edge of Hat Karon. It’s a maze of caves, lagoons, leafy gardens, dinosaur statues and, of course, putting greens. Kids will dig it the most.
reviewed
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Banana Disco
If you're after a more sophisticated nightclub experience, this is your ticket. A corny Aztec theme prevails, but at least you can dance without skidding around in puddles of beer.
reviewed
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M&M’s Pizzeria
Simply put, this is easily the best pizzeria on the island. The slightly sour crust is thin but with ample integrity, and its pastas and salads are tasty, too.
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Paddle Asia
Caters to beginners and those who don’t enjoy being surrounded by noisy tour groups. Groups are small (two to six people) and multiday tours are offered.
reviewed
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Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park
The 125-sq-km Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, just south of town, is a splendid collection of sea cliffs, mountains, beaches, estuaries, forested valleys and mangroves. The park is home to hornbills, drongos, tapirs, gibbons, monkeys and the seldom-seen Asiatic black bears. Guided treks along the coast or inland can be arranged through many tour agencies in town, as can long-tail boat trips up the scenic Khlong Thap Liang estuary. The latter afford opportunities to view mangrove communities of crab-eating macaques. Just north of Khao Lak is a network of sandy beach trails – some of which lead to deserted beaches – which are fun to explore on foot or by hired motorbike. Mos…
reviewed
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Khao Phra Thaew National Park
The last of Phuket’s virgin rainforest is within the boundaries of this reserve, which includes the Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre and two waterfalls. There once were tigers and Malayan sun bears here, but today it’s a habitat island that still suffers from timber poaching. It isn’t lifeless, however. There are monkeys, langur, civets, flying foxes, cobras and wild pigs in the bush, and there are some wild and semi-wild gibbon families thanks to rehab. Khao Phra is the park’s highest peak at 442m. There are guided 6km hikes available from Ton Sai falls to Bang Pae falls. Guides gather at Ton Sai (the park’s HQ) in the morning and charge about 1000B for the day. This …
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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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Wat Phra Thong
Phuket’s ‘Temple of the Gold Buddha’ is half buried so that only the head and shoulders are visible above ground. According to local legend, those who have tried to excavate the image have become very ill or encountered serious accidents. The temple is particularly revered by Thai Chinese, many of whom believe the image hails from China. During Chinese New Year pilgrims descend from Phang-Nga, Takua Pa and Krabi. In addition to Phra Thong there are 11 other Buddha images, including a Phra Praket (an unusual pose in which the Buddha is touching his own head with his right hand). Each promises a different virtue (success, health, wealth etc) to those who make offerings.…
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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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Thalang National Museum
The museum contains five exhibit halls chronicling Phuket’s history and tracing the various ethnicities found in southern Thailand. The legend of the ‘two heroines’ (memorialised on the nearby monument), who supposedly drove off an 18th-century Burmese invasion force by convincing the island’s women to dress like men, is also recounted in detail utilising backlit display panels and touch-screen electronic presentations. The prize artefact is a 2.3m-tall statue of Vishnu, which dates to the 9th century and was found in Takua Pa nearly 100 years ago.
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Heritage Collection
Without a doubt, the owner of this gallery (he has two galleries in Phuket and another two in Bangkok) has the single best collection of traditional Southeast Asian art in Thailand. In this museum-quality showroom there are 3m Buddhas encrusted with precious stones, ancient teak shrines, Buddha’s glorious footprint carved from sandstone and a large alabaster Buddha carved from one rock. Some pieces are for sale (deals are only done face to face and prices can be more than one million baht). Others are just for show.
reviewed
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After Beach Bar
It’s difficult, make that impossible, to overstate how glorious the view is from this stilted, thatched, patio bar hanging off a cliff above Kata. Think 180-degree views of the sea, rocky peninsulas and layered palm-dappled hills. Now turn on the Bob Marley and you’ve got the best reggae bar in Phuket. The menu is packed with northern and southern Thai faves, at sunset the sky performs a light show, and when the fireball finally drops, the lights of fishing boats blanket the horizon. Not bad at all.
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Jung Ceylon
Even anticorporates will have to admit that this is a pretty cool mall. Yes, the major multinationals (Apple, Starbucks, Adidas, er, Dairy Queen) are well represented here, but the Sino-Phuket wing has a decent international restaurant row and the top-floor cinema is plush. Thankfully authorities seem to have dispatched that stall in the back corner that once sold automatic weapons and flak jackets. Yeah, from here on in gunlovers will have to settle for simulated war on the top floor.
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Phuket Fantasea Show and Dinner
4 hours (Departs Phuket, Thailand)
by Viator
Spend an evening at Phuket Fantasea, a theme park and entertainment complex the whole family can enjoy. Buffet dinner is included as you sit back and appreciate…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$68.75 -
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Som Tum Lanna
This place has three dishes worth mentioning: the salted, grilled red snapper; the grilled chicken; and the paint-peelingly spicy som tum (green papaya salad). Now, the fish is very good, but you can find its equal on Hat Rawai. The chicken on the other hand…well, heed the words of another blissed-out, greasy-mouthed customer: ‘This is some fucking killer fucking chicken!’ As for the som tum? Don’t be a hero. Order it mild. It will still bring some serious heat.
reviewed
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Phuket Half-Day Safari Tour
5 - 6.5 hours (Departs Phuket, Thailand)
by Viator
It's fun for the whole family on this half day combination tour on Phuket island. Admire the unspoiled scenery from the back of an elephant and canoe the calm s…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$70.56
