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Budget Travel

Wanlamun Sweet Shop in Phuket Town

Wanlamun Phuket – Sweet Shop in Phuket Town

    Wanlamun is the most popular Thai sweets and Thai desserts restaurant in Phuket Town. The restaurant has been open for decades and serves an astonishingly large choice of local sweets you probably didn’t even know existed.

    Krua Ohm Restaurant in Kathu, Phuket

    Khrua Ohm Restaurant Phuket

      Krua Ohm is a small and modest local Thai restaurant in Kathu with a mention on the famous Michelin Guide for two consecutive years.

      Phuket Blue Bus at Ranong Market

      Phuket Local Blue Bus and Pink Bus

        The Phuket Blue Bus (known as Song Taew) is the oldest and best-known local bus to get from Phuket Town to destinations around Phuket. It often looks more like a wooden truck than a bus as you know it. Those will only take you from Phuket town to a beach or a small set of beaches, but not between beaches.

        Ta Tuay Michelin Thai Restaurant in Phuket

        Ta Tuay Restaurant in Phuket

          Ta Tuay is a little-known local restaurant, hidden not far from the Sarasin Bridge in the very north of Phuket, near Sai Kaew Beach. Ta Tuay serves excellent local food and dishes from Phuket.

          Jadjan Restaurant in Phuket Town

          Jadjan by Ko Daeng

            Jadjan is an excellent local Thai restaurant hidden on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Not many travellers know that a former chef from a 5-star hotel in Bangkok runs it.

            Krua Jongjit Restaurant in Phuket, Kathu

            Jongjit Kitchen Kathu in Phuket

              Jongjit Kitchen in Kathu is proof that a restaurant doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to be excellent, and even receive a Michelin Plate for fresh ingredients, carefully prepared. The restaurant is local and modest, the prices are low and the food served is excellent and truly local, making it a good culinary experience while in Phuket.

              Hong Khao Tom Pla Restaurant in Phuket Town

              Hong Khao Tom Pla Restaurant

                Hong Khao Tom Pla is a discreet and long-established restaurant in Phuket Town, named after its famous fish rice porridge speciality. Behind this modest appearance is a little gem, so good that the Michelin Guide awarded them a ‘Bib Gourmand’, which is a sign of good quality and good value cooking.

                Ketho Dim Sum Restaurant in Kathu, Phuket

                Ketho Coffee & Kitchen Dim Sum Restaurant

                  Ketho Coffee & Kitchen is a dim sum restaurant very popular with locals for their breakfast, mostly for their dim sums but also for their soups and rice porridge.

                  Dibuk Road in Old Phuket Town

                  Dibuk Road in Phuket Town – a Walking Guide

                    Dibuk Road is one of the famous old streets of Phuket town you should add to your list while exploring. It’s very colourful and easy to find, with plenty of casual cafes, shops and restaurants to enjoy.

                    Phang Nga Road in Old Phuket Town

                    Phang Nga Road in Old Phuket Town – A Walking Guide

                      Phang Nga Road is another historical street that runs parallel to the famous Thalang Road, in Old Phuket Town. Phang Nga Road maybe is less known, but it has a lot of charms, a few local restaurants, and several important historical landmarks and museum

                      Phuket Selfie Spots

                      11 Best Selfies Spots in Phuket for your Instagram!

                        Photography has become fully part of holidays, and the young generation of travellers is always searching for the best selfie spots in Phuket. Local restaurants, businesses and beaches are taking full advantage of this trend by adding many special features to the island’s natural beauty.

                        Wat Kathu in Phuket

                        Wat Kathu (Wat Nai Tu) – วัดกะทู้

                          Wat Kathu, or Kathu temple, is a not very well-known landmark among tourists, but local photographers know how beautiful it is. This Buddhist temple is on the way to Phuket Town and not far from Patong, but because it stands away from the main road, most people don’t even consider visiting it.

                          Jui Tui Shrine

                          Jui Tui Shrine (Kew Ong) ⛩️

                            Jui Tui Shrine (Kew Ong) is one of the oldest and most important on Phuket Island. It plays a significant role during the famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival, usually held in October and November. The festival dates use the Lunar Calendar, and the festival’s exact dates change every year.

                            Baan Mae Taan Restaurant in Phuket Town

                            Mae Tan’s House

                              Mae Tan’s House is an excellent local Thai restaurant in Phuket Town. It is slightly away from the old streets of historical Phuket, where the tourist crowd always go for their selfies and therefore addresses more to a local clientele, and that is a good sign!

                              Boon's Local Thai Restaurant in Phuket Town

                              Krua Maikhao Restaurant

                                Krua Maikhao is one of the most underrated local Thai restaurants in Phuket. It’s not fancy, the menu is not long, and lunch at Boon only costs a few baht, but the taste is unique.

                                Mookata Buffet in Phuket

                                Moo Kata Restaurants in Phuket

                                  Mook Kata is an extremely popular and cheap buffet found in Phuket and all around Thailand. Here, you pick and cook yourself some raw ingredients displayed on a buffet-style at a low fixed price.

                                  Best Hostels in Phuket

                                  9 Best Hostels in Phuket for Budget Travellers

                                    What are the best hostels in Phuket for budget travellers? Phuket is known for its luxury hotels, but there’s also a great range of hostels around the island, ideal for backpackers travelling with a small budget. Many Phuket hostels are also stylish and thoughtfully designed, usually with WiFi and air conditioning included.

                                    Ko Ang Seafood Phuket

                                    Ko Ang Seafood in Phuket Town

                                      Ko Ang Seafood is a local restaurant serving excellent seafood on the east side of Phuket Town. Ko Ang has been around for a long time and started as a modest shop with no decoration and a zinc roof. But seafood lovers always find the right places (and maybe we recommended it a lot too), and Ko Ang Seafood is now a bright restaurant and even added Chinese decoration.

                                      Phuket Airport Transfers

                                      Phuket Airport Transfers

                                        Phuket airport transfers are pretty much hassle-free, and there are many ways to get from the Airport to your hotel, wherever your hotel is. The most popular seems to be the shared mini-bus, which is cheaper, and the meter taxi. The airport limousine is the most comfortable and not as expensive as you might think. The local bus is the most economical way, but expect to spend a long time on the road.

                                        Chicken Rice Kota Khao Mun Kai Phuket

                                        Kota Khao Mun Kai – Chicken Rice Restaurant in Phuket Town

                                          Kota Khao Mun Kai is an excellent and famous Chicken Rice restaurant in Phuket Town. Everyone in Phuket knows this place, expats of locals. It has been open for more than two decades and is still running strong without having changed a thing. That might be why it is still so popular; once you have a simple winning formula, don’t touch it. If you ask a friend if he feels like having chicken rice for lunch, he will probably picture this place.

                                          Laem Sai Seafood in Phuket

                                          Laem Sai Seafood

                                            Laem Sai Seafood is a local restaurant hidden far away on the east coast of Phuket. The restaurant mostly consists of a vast wooden terrace over the sea or the mud, depending on the tide.

                                            Best Thai Restaurants in Phuket

                                            Rimpan Seafood Restaurant Phuket

                                              Rimpan Seafood is a small but great Phuket local restaurant hidden in plain sight in the north of Phuket Island, near the bridge that connects the island to the mainland. Thousand people drive past Rimpan each day without realising such a great place sits right here.

                                              Phuket Smart Bus

                                              Phuket Smart Bus

                                                The Phuket Smart Bus is a comfortable way to go from beach to beach for a very reasonable price, from Phuket airport all the way to Rawai.

                                                Currency Exchange in Phuket - Changing Money in Phuket

                                                Where to Exchange Money in Phuket?

                                                  Where to exchange money in Phuket and where to get the best exchange rates? If you are on budget, exchange rates can make a difference.

                                                  Wat Doi Thepnimit Patong Phuket

                                                  Wat Doi Thepnimit Phuket near Patong Beach

                                                    Wat Doi Thepnimit is a monastic residence with a fantastic panoramic view over Patong beach. You can see its iconic white pagoda from the beach, if you know in which direction to look, of course, it’s pretty tiny.

                                                    Go Benz Phuket restaurant

                                                    Go Benz Phuket

                                                      Go Benz Phuket has been one of Phuket’s most popular local restaurants for over 15 years. Go Benz served a relatively small choice of noodle soups and rice porridge, and by keeping it focused, they became very good at preparing them.

                                                      OTOP Market Patong, Phuket

                                                      OTOP Market Phuket

                                                        Initially designed as a local market, OTOP Market Phuket was created to promote the handicrafts and original products of each province of Thailand. Long ago, it became a night spot with those round bamboo bars that used to be so famous on Bangla Road twenty years ago.

                                                        khun jeed radna phuket 1

                                                        Khun Jeed Yod Pak Restaurant in Phuket Town

                                                          Khun Jeed Yod Pak Restaurant is an institution in Phuket Town and one of the best local restaurants on the island. It is open as far as I can remember, which is more than 20 years now. It became famous for a dish Thai people love called radna.

                                                          Ko Yoon Hokkien Noodles

                                                          Ko Yoon Restaurant

                                                            Ko Yoon Restaurant is a very small and discreet place serving amazing Hokkien Noodles. If you happen to visit Phuket Town, chances are you walked passed it without noticing it, it looks like any other anonymous local hole-in-the-wall restaurant. But Ko Yoon has prepared those delicious big yellow noodles for decades and locals know how good they are.

                                                            Kalim Rimlay restaurant Phuket

                                                            Kalim Rim Lay Restaurant in Kalim Beach

                                                              Kalim Rim Lay Restaurant is a little-known restaurant serving good honest Thai food and seafood at a good price. Best of all for some of you, it is located not far from Patong Beach, just past Kalim Beach. Rim Lay is a very relaxing spot to enjoy lunch or dinner with spectacular sunsets if you are lucky to get one as we did.

                                                              Fun Friday Avenue Market

                                                              Fun Friday Avenue Market

                                                                Fun Friday Avenue Market is a small weekend market popping up every Friday evening at Boat Avenue on the way to Phuket Laguna. It’s modest in size but fun to visit if you stay in the Bangtao Beach area.

                                                                Expo Phuket Bazaar

                                                                Expo Phuket Bazaar

                                                                  Expo Phuket is a very little-known covered bazaar found in Phuket Town, next to the newly renovated Novotel Phokeethra hotel. Expo Phuket is surprisingly vast and modern as it was also renovated recently.

                                                                  Piang Prai Restaurant

                                                                  Peang Prai Restaurant

                                                                    Peang Prai Restaurant (Krua Piang Prai) is an excellent local venue in a green nest next to Bang Pae waterfall. Mostly unknown to tourists because of its remote location, Peang Prai is one of the two great places to have lunch if you happen to be in the area.

                                                                    Wat Phra Nang Sang

                                                                    Wat Phra Nang Sang – วัดพระนางสร้าง

                                                                      Wat Phra Nang Sang, originally known as Wat Takian, was built more than 200 years ago and is one of the oldest Thai temples in Phuket. This unusual temple was built when Thalang was the main city of Phuket Island and even was the scene of a battlefield during the Burma War in 1785.

                                                                      Karon Temple

                                                                      Karon Temple Market

                                                                        The Karon Temple Market has grown steadily in popularity in the past years. Because it only occurs twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays), people start to plan their evenings around that event.

                                                                        Black Rock Viewpoint Phuket

                                                                        Black Rock Viewpoint in South Phuket

                                                                          The Black Rock viewpoint, in the south of Phuket, has been known for a while, but it’s among the most challenging ones to reach if you are not familiar with the area. It also requires a car or, even better, a motorbike to get there. You will need to be in a decent physical condition as it involves some steep walking.

                                                                          The Pad Thai Shop in Karon Beach

                                                                          The Pad Thai Shop in Karon

                                                                            The Pad Thai Shop is a tiny restaurant on the side of the back road of Karon Beach. It’s so small and modest; you would drive past it without paying much attention if it wasn’t for its growing reputation and a large yellow signboard that says ‘The Pad Thai Shop’.

                                                                            Kanom Jeen in Phuket

                                                                            Kanom Jeen in Phuket

                                                                              Kanom Jeen is a traditional Thai breakfast dish that’s particularly popular in Phuket and southern Thailand. It consists of fresh, thin white rice noodles served cold or at room temperature with a curry of your choice. Common options include fish curry (Nam Ya Pa), beef curry (Kang Nua), chicken curry (Kang Kai), or sweet prawn curry (Kang Nam Prik).

                                                                              Phuket Street Food

                                                                              10 Best Phuket Street Food

                                                                                Phuket street food is fun, cheap, and a great way to experience simple real Thai food. It definitely is more authentic than in tourist restaurants you find in Patong Beach. It’s fast and a lot cleaner than you might think.

                                                                                Chillva Market Phuket

                                                                                Chillva Market Phuket

                                                                                  Chillva Market is one of the most popular night markets in Phuket, easy to spot with its colourful shipping containers and lively, youthful crowd. The market is full of local food stalls, small bars, handmade crafts, and trendy fashion shops.

                                                                                  Thai fruits in Phuket

                                                                                  25 Thai Fruits to Discover in Phuket

                                                                                    Exotic Thai fruits in Phuket range from the well-known pineapple or even watermelon to the most surprising ones like the weird-looking Dragon Fruit, the huge pungent Durian or the enormous Jackfruit.

                                                                                    Shrine of Serene Light in Phuket Town

                                                                                    Shrine of the Serene Light – Saengtham Shrine ⛩️

                                                                                      The Shrine of the Serene Light is a beautifully decorated Chinese Temple on Phang Nga Road, one of the most famous streets of Phuket Town. It used to be ‘the little hidden Chinese temple’ tucked away at the end of a small path, right under your nose.

                                                                                      Nai Dam Restaurant Phuket

                                                                                      Nai Dam Restaurant in Kathu

                                                                                        Nai Dam Restaurant in Kathu looks just like any restaurant by the roadside of Phuket. It’s not fancy, there are no exterior signs of luxury and even the restaurant signboard is hardly visible.