Thailand is such a diverse and vast country that for our first time here we decided to explore just one part – Phuket! We had the most incredible trip to Phuket in Thailand recently. It was our first time to Thailand and will certainly not be the last. We loved every bit of this beautiful country from the beaches to the culture to the food. Here are all the details from our 1 week adventuring in Phuket.

Where to stay in Phuket :

We split our stay across 2 incredible resorts for our stay in Phuket. For the first part of our stay in Phuket we stayed at a gorgeous villa property on Karon Beach, called Centara Villas.  Perched upon a cliff overlooking beautiful Karon Beach, these Thai style villas all boast a million dollar view and have a quaint romantic vibe. Read more of my stay in my blog post HERE.

Centara Villas

For the second half our stay in Phuket, we stayed at the chic and beautiful Twinpalms Phuket resort on Surin Beach. Right when you enter this resort you feel its serene and tranquil vibes. Set right opposite one of the most beautiful beaches on Phuket – Surin Beach, and conveniently located from the airport, its location is super convenient. What I loved about Twinpalms that it has the best of both – the feeling of a luxury resort as well as the feeling of a true tropical escape. The hotel is also part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the world. Read more of my stay in my blog post HERE.

Twin palms Phuket

 

 Things to do in Phuket :

1 ) Beaches :

Thailand is known for its beautiful beaches. Phuket is one of the top beach destinations of the country; and what I loved most about it is that you have the best of both worlds – the lush tropics and the pristine beaches. Some of our favorite beaches we went to while we were on the island were Surin Beach, Bangtao beach and Kamala Beach. Of course Patong and Karon are super popular options, if you prefer a fun bustling beach with tons of cafes, shops and nightlife around. But we prefer quieter options and hence skipped these two. Another beach that is super pretty on Phuket is Freedom Beach, it is hard to get to but completely worth it.

Surin Beach

Sunset on Surin Beach

Kamala beach

 

2 ) Visit an ethical Elephant Sanctuary

Truly an incredible experience! Read more about this in my post here. Two sanctuaries I would personally recommend in the Phuket area are Elephant Jungle sanctuary and Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.

3 ) Day trip to the Phi Phi Islands 

This was certainly one of my favorite days of the trip, read more in my post here. If you have the time I would highly recommend staying out on one of the islands for a couple of days. This is something I definitely want to do on my next trip. We also visited Bamboo island on our excursion to Phi Phi islands.

Koh Phi Phi Leh Lagoon

Maya Bay

Bamboo island

4) Day trip to Phang Nga Bay

Unfortunately due to poor weather conditions we couldn’t do this trip, but the Phang Nga Bay is a must do when you visit Phuket. This gorgeous bay is home to stunning limestone cliffs, mangrove forests and small islands that offer plenty of snorkeling and kayaking opportunities among its numerous caves and lagoons! This is also where the famous James Bond island as well as the floating village Koh Panyi.

5) Old Town Phuket

Great place to spend an afternoon, read more in my post here.

6) Other places :

Other places worth adding to your Phuket itinerary – Big Buddha, Wat Chalong temple, catch a Muay Thai game , walk along Bangla street, etc.

 

Best Places to eat in Phuket :

Phuket has tons of amazing restaurants and beach clubs to choose from. Some of my faves were

1 ) Palm Seaside on Bangtao beach

The location of this place is phenomenal with postcard perfect views for days. Pineapple drinks, the dreamiest sunset, yummy seafood and of course with my love in tow, this was the perfect end to our amazing stay in Phuket.

2) Catch Beach Club on Bangtao Beach 

This is one of the trendiest and hottest beach clubs on the island of Phuket! We tried the fantastic bbq buffet here on one of the nights. The whole atmosphere is so chill and hip, we loved it! We stayed from the evening to sunset and beyond.

3 ) HQ beach lounge on Kamala beach

Went here for for lunch and loved the delicious seafood, as well as the stunning views of Kamala beach.

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

Jyo