Beautiful Phuket | Part I

During our vacation, we spent three days in Phuket. I’m going to split our time in Phuket into multiple parts to better cover the wide range of information about the places we visited, modes of transportation, and prices.

In this first chapter, I’ll share about few things about what to do in Phuket and summary of our stay at Phuket.

Phuket is located in the southern part of Thailand and is famous for its beautiful beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Some of the most popular tourist destinations such as Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands, James Bond Island, Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Patong Beach, and Bangla Road are located in Phuket. In addition to these, you can also find amusement parks, water parks like Andamanda, tiger parks, aquariums, bee farms, museums, and large shopping malls.

_{Jungceylon Shopping Mall Patong}

Phuket is also home to many famous and Instagram-worthy restaurants such as Korrakang, Ma Doo Bua (the one where you can take the famous lotus leaf photo), Three Monkeys Restaurant, and the Black Rock Viewpoint Café.

_{Karon View Point}

Karon Viewpoint, Black Rock Viewpoint, and Promthep Viewpoint are among the well-known scenic viewpoints in the area.

Activities such as elephant feeding, ATV rides, cruise ferries, and zip-lining are also available in Phuket.

Wellness spas are common in the more crowded areas.

Apart from the attractions mentioned, there are plenty of other things to see and do in Phuket to make your holiday memorable.

We reached Phuket via a domestic flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang (DMK) Airport. It’s about a 1 to 1.5-hour flight, and tickets are available at reasonable prices. We flew with Thai AirAsia. There is also a connecting flight from Sri Lanka to Phuket via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

There are overland transportation options as well, but we found that flying was the fastest.

During our stay in Phuket, we explored Old Phuket Town, spent relaxed evenings at Patong Beach, walked along Bangla Street, enjoyed street food, went on a speedboat ride to Phi Phi Island and Maya Bay, took a long-tail boat to Phi Ley Bay, explored the largest aquarium in Thailand, visited an AR museum, and explored Central Phuket – the largest shopping mall in the area.

_{Patong Beach}

If I had to choose between Phuket and Bangkok, I would definitely choose Phuket for its natural beauty, calm atmosphere, and delicious food. The island is mostly mountainous, and its flora is quite similar to that of Sri Lanka.

_{Malin Plaza Food Stalls}

We stayed at the Ashlee Plaza Hotel, which is in a great location just a few steps away from Malin Plaza – a market filled with food, drinks, clothes, and more. It's also within walking distance of Patong Beach and Bangla Road.

_{Our room at Ashlee Plaza}

Breakfast was served at the Thailand Mountain Phuket restaurant, offering a large buffet with Western, Thai, and Indian dishes. The hotel's location was very convenient and saved us a lot of travel time.