Accommodation

Recommendations from the large choice available are made with a view to natural ambience. High season prices are listed as follows: $$$$ (5,000 Baht or more) $$$ (3,000 - 5,000 Baht) $$ (1,000 - 3,000 Baht) $ (1,000 Baht or less) Master and Visa credit cards have the most acceptance, but many hotels and restaurants also accept American Express, Diner's Club and JCB. National Parks provide rustic bungalows which seldom rise above 1,000 Baht in price (cash only).

When to Go

The high season runs from mid-November to the end of April. Advance booking is a must. The low season, however, offers a relaxed pace and greatly reduced prices (50%). Skies can be overcast, but this offers the best regime for getting a suntan.

Key Points

Key points listed along the tour route indicate important road junctions on maps.

 

Key Point One The Heroines Statue at the intersection of the main north-south highway (H402), H4025 (to the Andaman coastline) and H4027. Key Point Two Suriyadet Fountain,  Phuket City Key Point Three The intersection of H4029 and H4233 at Patong Bay.

Originally known as ‘Junkceylon', Phuket was a highly valued source of tin for the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya from the 14^th century. Various powers threatened to take over the island, including the Burmese who were driven back from a siege of Thalang in 1785 by defenders led by two women (the heroines at Key Point 1).

Large numbers of overseas Chinese arrived in the 19^th century, leading to the exhaustion of the tin deposits. Rubber, first introduced to the island in 1903, became the main source of income and the town of Phuket with its distinctive Malaccan style architecture was built. Tourism only began to evolve in the 70’s, but the industry now occupies much of the island’s current estimated population of 200,000.

Phuket Island is 44 kms in length as the crow flies. Though never long, distances can be greater than expected as the asphalt roads (generally two-lane) twist between the hills and round headlands.

A visit to Phuket City is a must for the Malaccan style architecture of the old city (Dibuk & Thalang Roads), and you may drive up to the telecommunications towers overlooking the city for views south and east.

Near the Suriyadet Fountain (The right turn off Phuket Road down Rasada Road to Key Point 2 comes after a small clock tower on the right) are the fresh food market and the Jui Tui Chinese Temple (Ranong Road). The latter becomes the focus of the noisy vegetarian festival held in the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month (usually October). Several hotels and good local restaurants including Sweet & Sour (Rasada Rd.) and Khrua Thai (Rasada Centre) are located nearby.

INLAND AND EAST COAST DESTINATIONS 
From Phuket city trips may be made south-east to the aquarium on Cape Panwa, east to the fishing (sea gypsy) villages on Si Rae Island, and north to the Boat Lagoon (a yacht marina and H4027 from Key Point 1. H4027 leads from the Heroines Monument past the National Museum (09:00-16:00 Wednesday-Sunday) through rubber plantations to Bang Pae Waterfall and a gibbon rehabilitation project in Khao Phra Khaeo National Park. Side roads lead to the eastern coast of the island.

PHROMTHEP CAPE AND THE WESTERN COAST
Starting at Key Point 2 in Phuket City, the most scenic drive on the island goes south on H4021 to Chalong and Phromthep Cape before following the west coast north. Wat Chalong is one of the best Thai temples to visit on the island, and Chalong itself has sea sport shops, as well as two well-known restaurants – Gan Eng and Jimmy’s Lighthouse.

From Chalong the road goes south to Rawai Beach, where Thai style restaurants can be found by the casuarina trees and goats may be hired for visits to nearby coral islands. Phromthep Cape offers a viewpoint before the road turns north to pass close to the less developed Nai Harn beach (turn left off H4233 to go to Nai Harn).

Hotels and resorts line the beach front roads along Kata and Karon beaches but it is at Patong where seafood restaurants, tailors, travel agents, souvenir and dive shops compete on the grandest scale. Bars and discos promise wild nightlife.

H4233 (from Key Point 3) along the coast north from Patong lease to more tranquil beaches. Restaurants in quiet spots can be found at the north end of Kamala and on Laem Singh. True exclusivity may be found around Pansea Beach north of Surin.

Turn left (north) at the lights at Ban Choeng Thalae for Bang Tao Beach (Laguna), and the undeveloped beaches that lie to the north in the Sirinath National Park (after approximately 3 kms. Keep going straight on a side road when H4030 turns sharply right at a village for a route to Nat Thon). The southern end of Nai Yang beach has local style seafood restaurants, but Mai Kao beach and the park headquarters to the north are best visited when leaving the island on Drive Day 1.

Warning. During the monsoon season strong undertows can make swimming dangerous on the Andaman Sea coastline of Phuket and Phang Nga.

ACTIVITIES
Phuket offers everything from mini golf and bungee jumping at night to parasailing and sea canoeing by day, golf or sailing, riding elephants or horses, visiting pearl farms or going on 'eco safaris'