Phuket

Here it starts – the first leg of the longest travel (45 days) of my life so far – Phuket. My flight landed at 11 in the night at Phuket airport and going to downtown at that hour was going to be a challenge. Hence, I decided to look for stay options near the airport and I found a great option in Luna.

Direct flight is available for Phuket from Mumbai operated by Indigo.

Luna Hostel – Hit

Luna is walking distance away from the airport. All it took me was 10 minutes to walk down to the hostel. Spacious dorms, clean washrooms and great support staff – I loved their free breakfast as well. I think Luna was the only top rated hostel providing free breakfast in that complete area. At 360THB per night, Luna is a great deal to watch out for.

Sim card

In Thailand, one of the very convenient aspects of travel is that you can you buy SIM cards in any supermarket.

You can opt for True sim card for as low as 49 thb for 7 days and it does have data access too. Beware of the staff who may try to sell you 200thb plans citing that 49thb sim doesn’t have data. I had fallen prey to this selling gimmick, hence this lesson learnt. Do keep image translation app readily available with you as almost everything will be written only in Thai language here in Thailand.

Phuket Smart Bus – Travelling to downtown from airport

Next day, after checking out from Luna, I got the precious information on Phuket Smart buses. One trip from anywhere to anywhere costs just 100THB. They have the option of day passes and multiple day passes as well.

I took the Smart bus which starts from the domestic departure terminal – 100 THB to Karon circle. There are different domestic and international terminals at Phuket airport, however they are walkable from each other.

The drive from Phuket airport to Karon circle was a delight. Phuket has impeccable roads and everyone religiously follows traffic rules. The landscapes on the western coast of Phuket are amazing with roads going uphill and downhill presenting wonderful views of this tropical island. Most of the beautiful beaches lie on the western coast of Phuket and taking a ride from Airport (in the northern end of Phuket) to Rawai (which is the last stop on the extreme south) would be a wonderful idea to see the complete west coast.

Karon Circle in the evenings

The beach next to Karon circle is a great place for evening walks. One can spot several visitors and locals frequent Karon beach in the evening. The complete stretch from Karon towards Kata is popular for jogging and walks. Although, you may not be able to find beach side shacks here in Karon and if that’s your thing, you would have to head towards Kata beach. All in all Karon circle and the beach alongside it, is a bustling spot in the evenings and I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of my evenings that I spent here.

Why stay at Karon

I wanted to avoid the overwhelming rush at Patong where almost everyone stays, which gave me two major options – Kata and Karon. Kata tends to get a bit busy for my liking which is why Karon was finalised. Karon comes first while travelling from Patong towards south just before Kata.

KPop

At 280THB a night, KPop appeared to be a great value topped with wonderful reviews. I stayed here for a couple of nights and would definitely say that the hospitality was remarkable. Just that I personally found the bed a little too stiff and the private bathroom inside the dorm as a disturbance rather than a convenience. These are my personal views, somebody might very well prefer a private bathroom. I don’t prefer it because of all the noise one needs to endure due to usage by others especially at late nights. If the washroom is outside, one get saved all that noise however at the cost of going outside to use them. So, it is tradeoff.

Kiwi Boutique Hotel Karon – Hit

Kiwi was the find of my stay at Phuket. After checking out a few stay options at Kata and Karon, I finally reached Kiwi and discovered its cute little private room with attached washroom – all at just 400THB. I booked it for 2 nights and extended it till the end of my stay in Phuket. Staff is helpful, rooms clean and bedding posh.

Sunset at Karon Beach – Serene & picturesque

Illuzion Phuket – Hit

Illuzion continues to be the best party venue in Patong and probably in complete Phuket. Great guest DJs belting out EDM numbers with the infectious energy of its MJ makes Illuzion a memorable experience every night. Free entry every day any time of the night makes Illuzion even more lucrative and busy. I saw packed crowds here even on Mondays and Tuesdays despite monsoon rains in September. Highly recommended as the best nightclub in Phuket.

Nightclubs beyond Illuzion

I did explore the other options and found out Armania to be a great party place in Patong. Great interiors and classy crowd. Only downside was it’s virtually non-existent dance floor. Otherwise, this place has upscale vibes which even Illuzion lacks to an extent.

Flame, located in Phuket town probably is another decent option. However I couldn’t explore this as it was around 20kms one way from Karon.

Harmony Naturist Resort & the scenic drive to Rawai

It was a fine Saturday morning and spending some time at Harmony exploring naturism appeared to be the best plan. Harmony is one of the best when it comes to naturist resorts. Only Thailand has such resorts in complete SE Asia – a few of them in Phuket, one in Pattaya I think and one in Chiang Mai.

I hopped onto my InDrive bike and starting riding towards Rawai – the extreme south of Phuket where this resort is located. I have to say I was overwhelmed seeing the picturesque landscapes on this complete drive – The mix of perfect beaches, the mountain cliff overlooking the shores and the lush greenery all around made this drive memorable. The roads were in their perfect condition even to the far south. Phuket has indeed been developed good. Even with rains lashing out every day of the monsoon season, roads were in impeccable state.

My experience at Harmony was good, staff were hospitable and the guests who happened to be mostly from Australia were very welcoming even when I was the only single guy around. Exploring naturism on a cold rainy day was a bit of a challenge for me though, for obvious reasons 🙂

Promthep Cape – Hit

After leaving Harmony, I didn’t want to return to Karon so soon and was scouting for nearby places. Thats when I stumbled upon Promthep Cape as it had great reviews. It was 20mins by walk and I started walking with music in the background. This side of Phuket is so calm and serene, I could hardly find any people on my walk to the Cape from Harmony.

Upon reaching the top, I was richly rewarded with a great view of the Andaman Sea with a couple of small islands punctuating the scenery. There is a monastery nearby, however I did not find it open. After spending some time soaking in the scenery at sunset, it started to drizzle, the good thing though was – I got my InDrive bike ride here as well.

Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong is a temple near Phuket town around 10kms drive from Karon circle. I got an InDrive for 100THB to Wat Chalong and the drive was mostly through local Phuket areas without the touristy vibe. It took about 40mins to reach there. The temple has nice views owing to the backdrop of mountains. One interesting ritual I saw here was firecracker offering. It is said that when a prayer is fulfilled, locals offer firecrackers which is then burnt in a furnace especially dedicated for it. If you hear crackling noise when around, don’t be alarmed. 🙂

Cape Panwa Viewpoint

I took another bike ride to reach Cape Panwa. It is about 20kms from Karon circle. The ride was just about average on the landscape beauty probably because of the incessant drizzle throughout the sunset time. Noteworthy is that I could find my return InDrive from here as well even being 20kms away from tourist spots which was a great help.

Soi Seadragon for agogos (Suzy Wongs) – Hit

This is your place for naughty time in Phuket 😈. Visited by men and women alike, this lane offers an experience which can be witnessed only in Thailand in complete SE Asia.

Suzy Wongs have 3-4 bars on this street – Suzy Wongs, Devils Playground (also known as Suzy Wongs 2), Harem Club – all owned by the same person. Suzy Wongs is the oldest name in Phuket’s agogos scene and you can visit one of their cubs without the worries of getting scammed. Bills are brought to you after every order and you are asked to confirm it with your signature and then it is kept right on your table. Complete transparency, however one is advised to be cautious and keep a check on your wallets, for your own safety. Prices are 100 bucks for a normal beer pint and 300THB for a lady drink.

I found agogos overtly commercialised and costlier in Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy comparatively. If you want to check agogos, Phuket’s Soi Seadragon is your destination.

Phuket Rains

After finishing my lunch at Saneha cafe, as I was planning for my day outing – something unfolded in front of me which I will forever remember and of course it forced me to stay indoors for that whole day.

I witnessed very heavy downpour lasting an hour by the end of which roads were completely flooded. And in the next 30mins, all the water had drained away and life was back to normal as if nothing had happened at all.

This reminded me of a night in Soi Bangla 7 years back. It was my very first international trip and the moment I stepped out of the club late at night, everything was flooded. Luckily, I was staying in Patong back then and I still remember clearly how we all had walked back to our hotels in thigh deep water holding our shoes in our hands. 🙂

Soi Bangla inspite of the rains 🙂

Rains surely can’t be a spoilsport for tourists visiting Soi Bangla. It was indeed a fun filled and memorable evening with the rain adding an interesting twist to the festivities here.

Black Rock Viewpoint – Hit

I waited to visit Black Rock for a couple of days as the rains didn’t seem to budge and visiting Black Rock with sunshine would make it worthwhile. Finally the day I got a bit of sunshine, I set off. I booked Indrive with Black Rock Viewpoint as my destination. The route was the same which goes to Rawai and I was treated again with beautiful scenery.

It came as a surprise to me when my InDrive stopped just after Karon view point. My rider told me that the roads are not built after this point and one has to take a dirt bike or walk to reach Black Rock. I chose to walk and after 30mins, I wasn’t able to understand google maps anymore to Black Rock. After being puzzled for a little bit, I found out that one has to take a trek upwards towards the left side from the point where a big black rock on the right side can be found with PA Hindaism written on it. I started walking and after 15mins of trekking in the jungle (trekking shoes and raincoats are good to have), I finally reached the top. And boy oh boy – what a scenery it was! I was richly rewarded for my efforts for coming this far.

I was ecstatic to see the landscapes in front of my eyes – the beauty of the western coast of Phuket with almost 270 degrees sea view. To make the feeling even more special, I was alone at the top. 😁

Nui Beach

While walking from Black Rock or rather rushing back because of the rains, I took a detour towards Nui beach. While I walked, I was constantly puzzled about my return (as I would have to cover a 3 km long steep uphill walk back), but I kept walking down to the beach fuelled by my wanderlust.

Nui Beach is a very small beach which serves as a private beach to Nui Beach Club. The resort is upscale with great views of the ocean. I had a well made coconut smoothie in their cafe overlooking the ocean whilst treating myself with the beautiful scenery in front of me.

On return, I requested the resort for a taxi to the main road to which they obliged – my fear of the steep return walk was solved at the cost of 100THB only. Finally, I found out the dirt bikes charged 300THB for a return trip which is inclusive of 100THB beach entrance fee. I feel those 300THB would be money well spent if someone doesn’t want to walk to Nui beach from the main road. However, it is to be noted that the final 15 mins trek to Black Rock still has to be done by walk as the dirt bikes cant go to the top of Black Rock.

Karon Viewpoint

The ride from Nui beach would drop you at the main road from where Karon viewpoint is walkable. I would recommend spending some time here. I was lucky to reach here at sunset time and I was treated with nice sunset views of the vast stretch of several famous Phuket beaches all at once. As you can see in the pics below, Kata Noi, Kata and Karon Beaches are all visible in that order from Karon viewpoint.

Another beautiful aspect of this place is that one can spot Big Buddha from here.

Illuzion Again

The Snug Airportel – Hit

Great stay option walkable from the airport. They have a restaurant serving decent food and the icing on the cake is their pool facing dorm beds – the dorms are located right next to the pool which gives a very beautiful touch to your stay here.

Only downside, I felt the number of washrooms weren’t aplenty.

Eateries – Saneha Cafe & Ya Restaurant – Hit

Saneha Cafe – is an upscale eatery located in Karon area. Their vast menu has everything from steaks, burgers to Cambodian dishes and of course the delicious Thai cuisine. The service is impeccable and food tastes great every time. Priced slightly on the costlier side, however, they make it up with the quality of their food. I had almost all my lunches here. Must visit.

Ya Restaurant – is located near Wat Karon and Karon night market. It serves fresh Thai dishes at very reasonable prices. Food tastes yummy and the shakes refreshing. You can have food (meal+shake) here for as low as 200THB. I visited this joint regularly and was delighted every time. It appears to be a family owned joint where only the women are seen managing the place – and like always, they are doing a great job of it – maintaining utmost cleanliness and hygiene.

Take off from Phuket

After wrapping up a week and half long memorable stay in Phuket, I took off for Siem Reap, Cambodia. More on that in this blog here.

Budget details

Flights in – 150 $ ($ stands for USD)

Flights out – 140 $

Total expense – 350 $ for 9 nights = 40 $ per night

Average stay at hostel – 300THB (I got a great private room at 400THB)

Average meal for one ~ 200THB (some times inclusive of a fruit shake)

Bike taxi for 10 kms – 100THB (In Drive was cheaper than other options, Grab also available)