Sawadee ka, my darlings!
That’s hello in Thai! I hope! Thailand was the first tropical destination we visited since c***d started. I was super excited because as much as I love my country and Europe, I missed those exotic / tropical / palm tree filled trips we used to go on! Thailand has been on my list since forever especially Chiang Mai and Phuket. Well, we didn’t manage to visit Chiang Mai on this trip but we did get to visit Phuket and Bangkok. So, in this post you’ll read our Phuket list that’s consisted by 4 + 1 places to visit when in Phuket! The “plus one” is because the last one it’s not really on the island. You’ll have to get a boat to get there but let’s start from the beginning.
Before I share my top 5 places to visit, let me tell you about what we thought about our whole experience there. Phuket has a reputation of being overcrowded and extra touristy. To be honest because we went there right when it opened to international tourism, we didn’t get that impression so that was a huge plus for us, we got to enjoy it! Also, we went as a couple so you’ll see the calmer, more romantic side of Phuket than the party life! We did visit Bangla Road and I believe anyone should, but for us that was a 20 minute walk and then we found a cute restaurant for dinner!
Phuket Town
When in Phuket, you definitely must visit Phuket town and if it’s possible, prefer to do that on a Sunday for the Sunday Night Market. Our taxi driver insisted on taking us there (it was a looong and tiring day) and I’m glad he did! It was such a unique experience and a definite MUST when you’re in Phuket! It had all kinds of street food souvenirs and clothes. There was also live music which made the whole atmosphere even more amazing.
P.S. They serve soup in a bag! So cool! Not eco friendly but never seen that anywhere else in the world before so it seemed cool!
Elephant Sanctuary
Thailand is filled with elephant sanctuaries so it won’t be hard to find one to visit. Just do your research before visiting to make sure it’s an ethical place! We chose to visit the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary and we would totally recommend! Many places named “sanctuaries” are not really ethical. You end up seeing people riding those poor beautiful creatures or you see them dragging them around in chains. I even heard of a case (this was in Bali) where a man working at a “sanctuary” pinched an elephant with a needle to make it look like a smile for a photo with a tourist. That really made me sick. Sadly once you land in Phuket you will realise the amount of animal abuse there is. They have dolphin shows, tiger shows, elephant shows. But there are also beautiful sanctuaries where kind people manage to save some of these beautiful creatures and there you can have beautiful unforgettable experience ❤️
Laem Singh Beach
Laem Singh was one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever been to. Secluded, filled with palm trees and the water was incredible. It had that emerald colour instead of blue and had that not white but also not golden sand it looked absolutely amazing! We were the only ones there and I really want to tell you that we had a wonderful time there but here’s the true story behind it: A man took us there with his little boat. I told him to wait for us because we wouldn’t take long. We got off the boat and started preparing to fly our drone when I turned back and the man was not there!!!! I am not an easy going girl. I panic over everything! Obviously he didn’t understand what we said. So me being the most stressed, anxious person that I am, I panicked and wanted to leave! We also had an argument because Louis was trying to explain to me that there was also a trail to go back!! See I forgot about that! 🙈
Instagrammable cafe
This cafe was an experience of its own! I’s called Ma Doo Bua and it is really an Instagrammer’s playground! There is this big lake in the centre of the cafe that is filled with giant lily pads! You can even step on them and take a photo if you’d like (the have specific hours for that). We didn’t do that though because knowing how clumsy I am I would probably fall in the lake!! There is also a boat in the lake so you can take photos. We took our drone with us but there is a drone guy there to take some pictures of you if you want!
The +1
Now it’s time for the “plus one” of our Phuket list, and that is an island called Koh Yao Yai! We didn’t get to visit the Phi Phi islands but we got on a long tail boat and went to a lesser known place. And boy we did not regret it! There was barely anyone else there. The water was lovely and it had so many palm trees! But the most incredible thing about this place were the beautiful formations the sand made with the water. I can show you better than I can tell you though!
So all in all Phuket has a lot to offer. It has lovely food, beautiful culture, amazing beaches and great cafes! But I have to be honest with you, I made a slight mistake of keep comparing Phuket to Bali which kind of ruined it for me. Don’t get me wrong I loved it, it had so many amazing places and we had lovely experiences but found that Bali was more eco friendly and with less animal abuse. But all the places we recommend in our Phuket list above, make this exotic destination worth the visit!
Love, Lucy xx