Oct. 2023

Phuket was our treat at the end of our Asian tour. We planned to have some downtime after spending so much time in the cities over the past 2 weeks of travel. Phuket is a popular beach region with brilliant blue water, rainforests and mountainous islands located in the western coast of Thailand. Since we were only able to spend 3 days here, I chose the tourist region of Bang Tao Beach, because of it’s proximity to the airport and it’s highly rated long stretch of beach. The weather was a tropical mix of sun and storm. It was a bit more touristy than what I was hoping for but we had a great time none the less.

Getting there…

Travel was hassle free fortunately getting to our final destination. We traveled on VietJet airline to get from Bangkok to Phuket airport. It was a no-frills airline, meaning you are squeezed in like sardines, no leg room and no amenities. I remembered my water this time and they allowed my bag to carry-on, unlike our flight to Bangkok from Japan, so I had no complaints. The view from above was spectacular once we neared the Phuket, seeing the spikey tiny mountain islands along the coast. Once on the ground, we caught a cab with easy to get to Bang Tao and were able to take in the sights of rubber tree orchards, small market towns and huge storm clouds.

Where we stayed…

I was charged with choosing our accommodations in Phuket. I searched Airbnb and landed on a room in the Hilton Garden Inn. It had a rooftop pool, breakfast, and was in walking distance to the beach. It also had a gym, which for me was a must if I wanted to exercise considering the heat and humidity. It was nice enough, had good people watching and happy hour on the rooftop to enjoy the sunset.

What we did…

We kept it pretty basic here trying to embrace the downtime and just relax. We spent a good chunk of time up at the rooftop pool, visited a few nearby beaches, and had a massage just before we left. If we were staying longer, it would have been nice to have scooter or a car because the beaches and towns weren’t that close to one another. It worked out though for our stay using Uber or a tuk-tuk. I want to give a shout out to the Thai massage therapists at Shana Spa for not killing us and relaxing our bodies before we took off for home.

The beaches we got to were Bang Tao, Surin Beach, and the elusive Haad Laem Sing (aka Lamsing Beach). We used AllTrails to find a hike near Haad Laem Sing and let me tell you that was a memorable, not to be repeated experience. It was uphill, muddy, humid, there was a spider the size of your hand and run-down shanties for people who tended to the rubber trees. AllTrails usually can be trusted but not on this occasion. We did manage to find the beach after we escaped the hike and we enjoyed some cold beers and fruit at Surin beach after. We had hoped to hang out at the hidden beach but anything near Haad Laem Sing was deserted. The water in Phuket is gorgeous and the highlight for me were the sunsets viewing over the ocean.

What we ate…

We had good food during our stay in Bang Tao beach, spending our morning meals and afternoon snacks at the hotel then venturing out to the town in the evening. We did have to dodge the downpour storms that would roll through, but we were pretty lucky overall. There were many beachfront restaurants and a small area that had bars and nightlife.

Here are some of the restaurants we visited:

• MR. TOM YAM– Thai food on the beach just after sunset on the first night. Very good food and view
• Catch Beach Club– This was our nicest meal in Bang Tao. It was beach side, upscale and super relaxing. The sunset was beautiful, and the food and atmosphere matched up well.
• Smigo’s Bar & Restaurant– Another great place for sunsets, apps and drinks. We were overtaken a bit by some Russian families with small children, but what can you do?
• CUT Grill & Lounge– Last night meal was had here. It is located in the Villa Market off Boat Ave, a popular region in during the on-season, but quiet in October. We had a nice view of the lagoon and the food, and service were good.
• MAYA BEACH CLUB PHUKET– After dinner drinks and people watching. This was located in a zone that probably goes off on-season, but we had a nice chill time.

Final thoughts….

Phuket is a beautiful spot on this world, and it was lovely to spend a bit of time in Bang Tao. It felt a bit familiar to me like a combination of the best parts of Hawaii and Mexico (no offense to any parties mentioned). I would have liked to have gone swimming more and seen more of the out of the way places- the islands, the big Buddha temples and maybe an elephant, but that can always be a reason to come back. I’m super happy we squeezed this into our trip and look forward to visiting Thailand again.

P.R.