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How I spent my 6D5N in Phuket (Thailand)

Honestly don't even know where to begin... It's been too long since I last write about any of my travel adventures but here goes nothing. 

Our 6D5N trip to Phuket, first holiday as husband and wife. 


If you're lazy to read and rather just skip to the itinerary, just scroll all the way down for TLDR version. 

Day 1 - Phuket town

We rented a car before arriving through a friend who knows his way around Phuket. So upon arrival, our car was already waiting for us near the arrival hall. We did some basic checks to make sure the car is in good condition before Ying passed us the car keys. 

Rental rate was at 800 baht per day (equivalent to approx AUD35 or MYR100) with 3000 baht deposit. Not cheap, I heard you. But bear in mind, Grab is relatively expensive - 20 mins ride will easily cost 190baht. Plus, we were planning to do quite a bit of travelling around the island (reference - 5 nights in 3 different hotels), so I guess it'll be worth it. 
 
It was quite easy to drive in Phuket. Roads were wide enough, unlike Bali; and rules were simple enough, unlike Melbourne with its' hook turns. But till date, I'm still not entirely sure if I was actually allowed to make that left turn when the light was red. Well... the car in front of me did it, so I assumed it's okay? 

From the airport, it's about 45-60 mins drive to Phuket town. By the time we made it to town centre, it was around 3.30pm, way passed lunch time. Initially planned to have lunch at Mee Ao Geo. The place is famous for their Hokkien noodles but they were closed by the time we got there. 

So we had to detour to Cham Cha Local Food Court. At the local hawker centre, we ordered a bunch of random things - fried bee hoon, popiah, pork ribs soup, pad thai and fried porks. 



Food was alright but I think it was more of the experience. Like... not knowing how to order, how to ask for the price, how to pay, etc. But with a little bit of observation, we managed to figure it out. I mean how hard can it be to point?! Language barrier makes thing a whole lot more interesting. 

After lunch, we visited Khao Rang. A mountain peak known for its scenic view. Having said that, maybe don't go at 4pm because it was hot af. Spent only about 10-15 mins before we called it quits.

Drove to our hotel, Novotel Phuket Phokeethra - AUD390 for 2 nights. Nice accommodation except it's a 10-15 mins walk to Old Phuket Town. Usually, that sort of distance is alright but not if you're tired at night. 

Freshen up and we made our way to Old Phuket Town. Nearly died crossing the roundabouts. Yes, plural (multiple roundabouts)! Surprisingly, it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be since most of the stores were closed already. I was expecting more of a Jonker Street vibe (Melaka in Malaysia). 

Strolled around for a bit before making our way to the dinner spot at Hong Fish Congee. Simple yet comforting. Might be a bias opinion since I like fish and congee. So the combination was spot on. We also ordered their Hokkien noodles and petai prawn which was a little bit too salty to my liking. 



Day 2 - Island hopping

Booked a day trip with Love Andaman to visit the infamous Phi Phi Island. The process was really easy! Since I was having trouble understanding their website, all I did was left them a message on their instagram account. Someone attended to me very shortly after and gave me all the information I needed. 

We paid 3073 baht per pax (equivalent to approx AUD130 or MYR400) for a full day itinerary visiting a couple of the islands/bays It also includes transfer to and from Phuket, long tail boat ride, snorkelling equipment, lunch and insurance. 

They picked us up from our hotel at around 8am and dropped us off at the jetty. After registering at their jetty office, we waited for a bit as the other customers made their way in. And if you haven't had breakfast already, they were serving complimentary coffee/juice/sandwich. I was most impressed that they were even serving a bowl of motion sickness tablet. 

Shortly after, our assigned guide greeted us and explained what the day entailed. First stop was to Pileh Lagoon. You can either hang around and go for a swim OR pay extra to go for a ride in the long-tailed boat. If you want a photo like the one below, then I'd suggest pay for the long-tailed boat. 


We were on the long tailed boat for a bit as everyone tried to get the perfect IG shot, except for this mother-daughter duo who was too cool for it. Then, they dropped us off at this tiny bay for just a short while before sending us back to the speedboat. I guess it's their way to make us feel like we didn't just pay for photo opportunities. 

Back on the speedboat, we cruised by Viking Cave and Monkey Bay. We even managed to spot a pair of monkey doing the deeds. 

After that, they dropped us off at Maya Bay for 30 minutes or so. Maya Bay was gorgeous! Like you cannot believe how clear the water was. But I guess that's what you'd expect when no one is allowed to swim here. In fact, they have started banning people from swimming here about 2 years pre-covid to persevere the environment. So all in, it's been 4+ years since tourists were allowed to swim here! 


But it was also extremely crowded. LIKE REALLY REALLY REALLY CROWDED. I cannot stop emphasising how crowded it was. 


So me and Jen was just hiding away under some shade, waiting for time to pass.


Around 2pm, they dropped us off on Phi Phi Don for buffet lunch at a beach side restaurant on Ton Sai Bay. Food was good! Mainly because we were famished by then. Roamed around the island and according to Jen, it was giving out the Gili Trawangan vibes.


Next stop, Bamboo Island. Your final chance to take a dip! I'm not even going to bother with uploading any pic because the ones I took was crap. So just go Google it. 

For the ride back, we sat at the front deck of our speedboat and watched as the sky turned a darker shade. 


For dinner, we met up with a friend who coincidentally was in town for his solo trip. We stumbled upon Yoy Pochana that looked so underwhelming but the food was delightful! Classic Thai Chinese dishes. 



You never stop at just one dinner spot. So we continued walking from Yoy Pochana and made our way to Go Benz Rice Porridge. Didn't realise it was part of the Michelin Guide since 2019. 



Called it a night after getting a foot massage. 

Day 3 - En route to Patong

But before we make our to Patong, we've got a few stops to make. 

Stop 1 - Breakfast at Roti Chaofa for some roti canai, curry and ayam goreng. To be honest, as a Malaysian, I wouldn't say the roti was insanely yummy. Maybe Mark Wein hyped it up too much for me. 

But it was definitely a funny experience - when they passed us a piece of pen and paper, expecting us to write our own order. Erm... I guess we looked like we can write Thai *points at Jen* HAHA! 





Stop 2 - Khanom Jeen for some curry with rice vermicelli which happened to be another one of Mark Wein's recommendation. Refreshing is the only way I can describe the meal because it was served with plenty of fresh vegetables. 



Stop 3 - Stopped by Chalong Bay Rum Distillery for a quick sippy. If it's up your alley, you can opt to visit their distillery or even book for a cocktail class. 

Being cheap, We had a cocktail and was just chilling by their extremely comfortable day-bed, watching other people have their cocktail class. 


Stop 4 - It's about time we walk off the food/drinks and visit some of the other tourist traps i.e The Big Buddha. Read about it here because I am not going to give you a history lesson. 


Oklaaaaa the scenery was not too bad but the heat was bad. I was glad I brought an umbrella along - turning into one of them typical Asian aunty, afraid of the sun. 


Just be reminded that there's dress code. No shorts/sleeveless allowed and funnily enough, it only applies to female. Thankfully we had our luggages with us (in the car), so I could change easily. 

Otherwise, be prepared to buy some sarong (that you'll probably only wear once). 


Stop 5 - Finally made it to our resort at Burasari Patong. We stayed at one of the rooms next to the pool - AUD715 for 2 nights. Absolutely loved the location of the resort - will recommend. 

The beach was just a few minutes walk away!


Stop 6 - McD. Don't judge me for this but McD had always been one of my must go whenever I visit Thailand. And it's always for their pork burger! Maybe because we can't get them in Malaysia so it became my "exotic" guilty pleasure but seriously though, you have to try them! 


Step 7 - Last but not least, we made it to Bangla walking street at Patong Beach. 
  

Weed was readily available and it really felt quite... weird, seeing it being legal and what not. 

Mum if you're reading this, no I did not take any. 你相信吗？😜


As touristy as this place can be, we turned into one of the smaller alley and found the BEST Pad See Ew we've ever had in our entire life. Thankful we did not get any food poisoning tho. 


Day 4 - Free and Easy but first...

Let's go for a hike. 

Made our way to Kathu Waterfall. Not because it was famous but because it was right next to where we were supposed to have lunch at Krua Pailin Phuket Food. Again, another Mark Wein's recommendation.  





Knowing we at least did something for the day, now we can return to being a bum and just chilled at the beach for a bit. 


For dinner, we made it to not one, not two, but THREE different locations. 

1. A random night market.


2. MOJO Patong for steak because we were a tiny bit sick of Asian food. 


3. Food court at Central Patong.



Day 5 - Hat Nai Thon Beach

The night before at Central Patong's food court, Jen realise one of the stall was on Michelin Guide 2022. They were closed when we were there so it only made sense to come back here again. 

So here we are, after checking out, for lunch. 




Can I just say, I have no faith in Michelin Guide anymore?!?! How did that roast duck dish made it to Michelin Guide baffled me. 

After lunch, we made our way to Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach. AUD560 for 1 night. Of all the hotels we stayed, this was the peak. Gorgeous view at the common area; the room was so spacious and comfortable; but if you're at Phuket for the party vibes, I'd say not here. 


In our matching pineapple outfit (cute or cringe?), we made our way to the beach through Pullman's private backdoor access. 



Walked by the beach and stumbled upon Tony Restaurant. Quite shiok eating by the beach while watching sunset.... except for the insane amount of mosquitoes. 


Lesson to impart - always ask for the price before you order AND always check your bill before you pay. 

Jen was about to pay until I stopped him when I realised the number of dishes that were served did not match the number of line items on the bill (note: the bill was written in Thai). I asked a few questions before the waitress went in to fix it. She came back with the rectified bill but this time I noticed something else. One of the dishes were 750baht which she clarified, was the fish. In which I responded "the other lady we order from, told us it was 380baht". Along she went, to fix the bill, again. 

Scam or not, just stay alert! 

Day 6 - Time to go home

Since our flight was at 7.10pm, it meant we had another lunch opportunity. After checking out, we drove to Laem Sai Seafood to enjoy some seafood by the pier. Glad we had a car so it made it super convenient. 

Sea grapes were definitely interesting and worth a try. 


Andddddd, that's all folks. Thanks for reading! 

Summary (TLDR Version)

Day 1 (Accommodation - Novotel Phuket Phokeethra - AUD390 for 2 nights)
Day 2 
Day 3 (Accommodation - Burasari Patong- AUD715 for 2 nights)
Day 4
Day 5 (Accommodation - Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach - AUD560 for 1 night) 
Day 6 

Map as reference, we kind of did a loop around Phuket! 



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