Phuket 101 Blog - A Phuket Blog with Hundreds of Photos

Phuket Blog - 19 years of Phuket exploration in a photo blog for lazy readers and Phuket lovers, no ads, just real experience! Get a shortcut to all 35 beaches of Phuket, places you shouldn't miss, tons of travel tips and secrets, Thai food recommendation, naughty nightlife and all our Top 10 Everything Phuket!
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Things to Do in Phuket - 10 Best Attractions

Things to do in Phuket - If you are as lazy as I am, you don't want to read twenty pages to start your holidays somewhere. I don't enjoy reading endless prose to extract the 10 facts I really need to know. That's why you'll find so many Top 10s on my blog. So these are 10 of Phuket all time favorites, if you can fit some of them in your holidays, you will have great memories.. You might only memorize some, and once on the island you will change your plan according to your own mood. I never plan much in advance. Reading about a place you never saw is like trying to imagine the taste of a dish you never even saw before. Other Top 10 you might want to look at are: 10 Girly Things to do in Phuket, and 10 Things to Do in Phuket when it rains, and 10 Ways to Party Wild in Phuket (this one is not as bad as you think.... )

Phang Nga Bay This most incredible scenery should certainly be on top of your list of places to see absolutely. You can take a lazy cruise on a Chinese Junk or closer to nature, Explore Phang Nga by Canoe through the caves of Phang Nga and see some fantastic lagoons. Similar to the famous Halong Bay in Vietnam, these landscapes will leave you with unforgettable memories. Read more...

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Soi Bangla Everyone should see it at least once. And unlike what most people believe, Soi Bangla is not 'Sin City for Single Men'. It's more of a colorful street full of life, restaurants, shops and bars and of course girls. Now if you want to know more, enter these famous Go Go bars and see for yourself what is this all about. You will often see couples tourists having a drink... Patong is a lot more easy going than Bangkok or Pattaya. Read more...

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Old Phuket Town Hard to resist those old Sino Portuguese streets with their beautiful shop houses and magnificent mansions. With many small cafes, bakeries and eateries along the way... it is perfect for a half day. Visit also the local markets near the bus station and explore the tiny streets here and there to discover some incredible abandoned mansions. Read more...

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Phuket Fantasea It took me a long time before stepping onto the huge grounds of this 'entertainment park' in Kamala Beach. It's bright and colorful, full of shops and fun fair games, but the main attraction is the stage performance given by Thai actors, dancers and acrobats accompanied by their dozen massive elephants. Read more...

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Simon Cabaret Another Las Vegas kind of show, but of a totally different nature. Here too, the stage in Patong beach is magnificent, the sets and costumes are glittering and colorful, but what people really came to see are the amazingly pretty ladyboys! Perfect bodies with pretty faces, most of them would fool you! Read more...

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Prompthep Viewpoint Prompthep Cape is not as grand as you might expect but it still draws a crowd of tourists every single evening at sunset time. The location is high and at the very south of the island. It boasts nice views on the bays and the few islands around. If you decide to go there, stop at the other nearby 'windmill viewpoint' and consider a Thai dinner at the local 'Prompthep Restaurant'. Read more...

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Big Buddha and Wat Chalong Located quite near to each other, these two religious icons are worth a visit. Wat Chalong is a highly revered temple in Phuket and you should definitely visit and maybe even pay respect. The Big Buddha is more of a tourist attraction, but the views from up there are beautiful and both attractions are easy to reach. Read more...

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Visit Similan Island or at least one island The most impressive set of Island is without a doubt the Similan Island, but these are open at certain time of the year and a bit far. If you get a chance, you must absolutely go. If you are not confident, go to Phi Phi Island, but it's kind of crowded. Easier and closer are Racha Island or really nearby Coral Island. Read more...

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Rang Hill A beautiful viewpoint set above Phuket town. Great by day and by night with the city lights. If you happen to go there, by car and bike, stay for lunch or dinner at the beautiful and excellent Tungka Cafe or Phuket View Restaurant on the other side of the hill. Read more...

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Koh Panyee A small fishermen village built entirely on stilts in the middle of Phang Nga Bay. Take a longtail boat early to reach there before tourists arrive and you get a complete different feel for the place. Continue to the James Bond Island if you feel like seeing the shooting set of this antique movie 'The man with the golden gun'. Read more...

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See also '10 Things to Do Off the Beaten Track'

Songkran 2013 in Phuket - April 13th – 15th

What is this Songkran Festival everyone is talking about lately? If you choose to come to Phuket or Thailand in April, you'd better know what Songkran is about. Songkran is the Thai New Year, and it occurs when the sun moves position from Pisces to Aries. According to Thai calendar, we are already in year 2556! People living in Thailand will be divided in three groups: 'Wild Wet Fun' fans, 'Sulking Hermits' who will lock themselves indoors for three days having wisely stocked food, and 'Smart Dudes', well organized, who will make use of the very long week end to fly somewhere abroad and dry.

Phuket Airport: Good Things to Know

Phuket Airport - Everyone knows that the most stressful  time for any traveler resides between the leaving home and arriving in a (satisfactory) hotel room. Everything in between is just a long list of things to worry about: taxi, luggage, lost passport, how far is the gate, why is the queue so long, etc. We can't predict everything, but at least we can give you few hints about Phuket International Airport.

Phuket Big Buddha

Phuket Big Buddha, a 45 meter tall white marble statue, is visible from anywhere in the southern part of Phuket. It might not be my favourite attraction on island, but the views from up there are definitely breathtaking. When reaching the top of the hill you will find a large parking and a road leading to a large construction where people can donate, buy amulets and where occasional ceremonies are held. This place also serves as a museum narrating the history of the Big Buddha. You'll have to walk through this building to access the stairs climbing to the Big Buddha. Once there you'll find out that a wide angle lens would have been a good idea, but since you are reading this, you'll have yours. The top of the hill is not that wide and the Buddha is really massive, so it is not easy to capture it in its entirety. Mostly built on people's donation in 2004, Phuket Big Buddha is 45 meter high and made of white marble. Next to it is a smaller golden Buddha actually made of brass.

18 Amazing Sino Portuguese Mansions in Phuket

Thalang Road is where everyone goes on a Phuket exploration, it's a nice walk and a must do. But if you too have a passion for old houses, you might want to explore a bit deeper to uncover some amazing mansions still standing right before our eyes, but everyone still drive too fast to even notice them. It is so easy to imagine Phuket hundred years ago when standing in front of one of these beautiful mansions. So I enjoy as much as I can because we all know the value of such houses, sooner than later, someone will buy them and refurbish with more or less respect for their 'spirit'. Few were renovated with skills, such as 'China Inn', some with less success. The best are still scattered around town... and some beauties are still hidden or hard to find... So let me show them to you while they still have a soul. (These are Mansions, not shop houses).

10 Great Romantic Restaurants in Phuket - Where to go on Valentine's day in Phuket

Valentine's day is almost here! So here is the longest and most expensive page we ever wrote is now ready, we give you the '10 Great Romantic Restaurants in Phuket.' We tried them all, paid our bill like you would, never informed in advance, and never got any special treatment. The ten restaurants listed were among the best dining experiences we had in Phuket. To get ten, we had to try a lot more than ten. Some renown ones were a disappointment (we won't mention their names), some others almost made, it but a little something was just missing.

10 Phuket Viewpoints

Phuket has a nice little collection of viewpoints and as it seems in the human nature to be unable to resist the urge of climbing on top of the highest points, here is a list of ten beautiful places to take amazing photos from, enjoy a drink with a sunset, or even have a romantic dinner.

Karon Beach Viewpoint Once known as 'Kata Viewpoint', here is one of the most famous birdview shot of Phuket. You really can see three magnificent bays from up there. The closest and smallest one is Kata Noi Beach, then a bit further is the beautiful bay of Kata with its island 'Koh Poo' which means Crab Island, and in the far, the very long Karon Beach. Read more...