Things to do in Phuket

Phuket is an island, but barely. A bridge joins it to the mainland at the north end, and the drive down from Bangkok is possible if unwise. It is the largest island in Thailand, about 540 square kilometres.

Two coasts and a town

The west coast has the sand and the sunsets. The east coast has the piers, which is where every boat trip actually starts.

• Patong — the loud one, with the nightlife and a good share of the hotels.
• Karon and Kata — long beaches south of it, quieter by degrees.
• Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao — north, and more expensive.
• Nai Harn and Rawai — the southern tip, where the island runs out.
• Old Phuket Town — Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Thalang Road, built on tin money, inland to the east.
• Nakkerd hill — the 45-metre marble Buddha visible from half the island, with Wat Chalong below it.

Boats out, jungle in

The sea days do most of the selling here.

• Phi Phi and Maya Bay — southeast by speedboat or cruiser, and the reason most people book a boat at all.
• The Khai islands — twenty minutes out, half a day, the gentle introduction.
• Phang Nga Bay — north, limestone stacks and sea caves by canoe, including the one from the 1974 Bond film.
• The Similans — northwest, the best diving on this coast, and open only from mid-October to mid-May.
• Inland — white-water rafting, ziplines, quad tracks and elephant camps in the hills behind the beaches.

Evenings have their own industry. The big cabaret and stunt shows run nightly, on a scale nowhere else in the south attempts.

Practical

• Season. This is the Andaman coast: dry and calm from November to April, monsoon from May to October. The Gulf islands run on the opposite calendar, which catches people who book both in one trip.
• Red flags. A red flag means the beach is shut for swimming, not that you should take care. Rip currents drown people here every low season, Karon and southern Kata worst of all.
• If a current takes you. It pulls out, not under. Float, do not fight it, and swim along the beach once it slackens.
• Maya Bay. Closed every year from the first of August to the end of September. Phi Phi trips still run past it.
• The airport. In the northwest, about forty-five minutes from Patong. Minibuses and app cars work; a metered taxi is rare.
• Local transport. There is almost none, and tuk-tuk fares are the standing complaint of the island. Budget for it or rent something.
• The Vegetarian Festival. Nine days in late September or October, with processions, firecrackers and street piercing. Hotels fill.