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.
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival runs during the ninth lunar month, marking one of Thailand’s most spectacular cultural celebrations. This nine-day Taoist festival transforms Phuket into a spiritual sanctuary where thousands of devotees in white clothing honour the Nine Emperor Gods through dramatic processions, firewalking ceremonies, and extreme body piercing rituals
Kopi de Phuket, a very small restaurant, has made its name in Phuket Town for a while. It looks strangely familiar and serves some really typical Phuket dishes in an eclectic decor, but what Kopi de Phuket does best is coffee in Phuket style.
Romsai is a little restaurant well hidden from view, with a beautiful view of the sea and a nearby beach. Serving local Thai food for lunch, definitely has a fun mood, feeling like being far from Phuket.
Rayee beach is one of those beaches people drive by without ever knowing its name. When I ask someone if they have been to Rayee Beach in Phuket, I always get that puzzled look or a negative answer.
Loy Krathong is a significant festival occurring every year in Thailand; it is even popular in surrounding countries. Everyone celebrates it on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, November 5th, 2025.
In case you are coming to Phuket in October, here is a Phuket Vegetarian Festival Schedule and Calendar of each day’s event, in which temple each event will occur, and when and where the famous processions will happen. Remember to bring a mask for the smoke and ear protection as the firecrackers sound will leave you deaf for a day.
Dino Park in Kata Beach has been open for many years and is still a favourite spot for families and friends for some casual fun and competition after dinner.
It might be strange to recommend a steakhouse to travellers coming a long way to Thailand, but there comes a time when we crave a good old fashioned steak.
Post Views: 25,375 Hua Beach near Kamala Hua Beach – After spending 23 years in Phuket, I would probably smile if someone would tell me… Read More »Hua Beach ⛱️
Talung Thai at Paresa Resort stands out for its immense open clifftop terrace and sunset views over the Andaman Sea, not far from Kamala Beach. We’ve been back a few times, most recently after it earned a spot in the Michelin Guide for Phuket.
Raya Restaurant is a unique restaurant combining all the right ingredients to make it a perfect local experience. They serve great food in a superb setting in an old Thai house kept just the way it has always been, with no excessive renovation but well maintained.
Phuket floating restaurant ‘Kruvit Raft’ is one of the most original ways to enjoy dinner when you get tired of your ‘Same Same but Different’ Thai food restaurant. Try this unusual but popular place floating between Phuket Island’s east coast and Maphrao Island.
Panwa House is a white Sino Portuguese restaurant surrounded by palm trees, right on the secluded beach of the Cape Panwa Hotel on the east coast of Phuket.
Mor Mu Dong is quite an unusual restaurant in Phuket. If you enjoy eating off the beaten tracks where many locals go for a great lunch or dinner, Mor Mu Dong is your place.
If you stay in Phuket for a while or if, like us, you happen to live here, there comes a time when you feel like something different for dinner, something good and fun. This is usually the day we choose to go to a ‘Mookata’ or a ‘Yakiniku’ in Phuket Town.
Chaiyo Seafood is a simple little restaurant close to Phuket town if you feel like a nice seafood lunch by the mangrove, without getting far from the city. Nicely built in a comfortable setting, Chaiyo Seafood keeps its livestock directly in the mangrove stream.
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.
Pan Yaah Seaview Restaurant on Patong Beach is a little gem you should reward yourself with if you choose to spend your holidays in Patong Beach, in a romantic place with a sea view, good food, not overly touristic.
La Gritta Phuket is an Italian restaurant at Amari Phuket Resort, ranking high on our Most Romantic Restaurants in Phuket. It has a unique view of the entire Patong bay and is a perfect place for a romantic evening with a view.
Thanoon Seafood Restaurant is perfect for spending a half-day in a unique location, a breezy place right on the beach of a stunning bay in the very north of Phuket Island. Thanoon Seafood has found itself a little golden spot no one had thought about before: next to the Sarasin Bridge connecting Phuket to the mainland. This small bay benefits from a gentle breeze with amazing views of both the open sea and the new bridge on the other side.
Super Surf Kata is an artificial wave sport in Kata Beach, the perfect way to learn the basics of surfing, wakeboarding or even kiteboarding without all the usual effort and often pain associated with extreme sports.
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.
Wat Khao Rang (Kao Rang Temple) is a modest temple in Phuket town that would be somewhat anonymous if it was not for its large and majestic golden sitting Buddha. But is the giant Buddha not supposed to be much bigger and made of white marble?
Tunk Ka Cafe is one of our favourite restaurants in Phuket Town, a long-established hillside place beautifully built on top of Khao Rang Hill, with striking panoramic views of Phuket city. Tunk Ka Cafe is a romantic place, with three separate terraces framed with large trees, and a nice breeze flowing through always keeps the place cool.
Tri Trang Beach is just a few kilometres south of Patong Beach and is a superb and unsuspected haven of peace. There used to be a lot of confusion about the names of the four beaches around this peninsula.
Natural Restaurant Phuket looks at first a bit confusing. Locally known as ‘Tamachart Restaurant’ it has been a long-time favourite for many Thai and expats.
Savoey Seafood Restaurant might not be the best seafood restaurant in Phuket, but if you don’t want to or can’t drive outside Patong beach and don’t feel like dining in a food court, it’s a good place for a seafood dinner.
Big Chicken Restaurant (Thung Thong Restaurant) is one of our three favourite venues in Kathu. If you drove past the Phuket Country Club in the past twenty years, you certainly saw that massive chicken statue on the side of the road.
Phuket Uptown Restaurant is not exactly what we would call a ‘local restaurant’, it’s just a little too clean and too westernized to be considered so and a good third of the customers are usually farangs (foreigners). But the food is good, the prices are right and the staff is always friendly.
Tom Yum Goong is one of the pillars of Thai Food, probably the best-known Thai dish in the world around, and there are, of course, countless variations possible.
Soi Freedom is a neat and relatively large alley lined with a dozen colourful bars and a good live band at the end of it. Located in the middle of Bangla Road in Patong Beach, Soi Freedom was long ago better known as the iconic Soi Eric.
Phuket Wake Park, located near Kathu Waterfall, is a popular spot for wakeboarding in Phuket. It features an O-shaped lake with a 700-metre cable running counterclockwise at 30 km/h, offering a thrilling cable ski experience for both beginners and advanced riders.
Paradise Beach Phuket is just 4 kilometres from Patong Beach and consists of two small sandy bays with blue water, soft sand and coconut trees. You will find plenty of beach chairs, bars, restaurants, shops and massive parties on some nights.
Phuket Monkey Hill is the best-known monkey playground on the island, a hill covered with immense red and white antennas in the back of Phuket Town. That hill may be easy to see but not as easy to reach: the road climbing to it is opposite the provincial hall
Kopitiam by Wilai is a recently renovated restaurant serves classic Thai food in an old-style Chinese shop on the most popular street in Phuket Town. Thalang Road changed from just an old busy street to a full-scale tourist attraction, bars and restaurants have started to appear like flies on honey.
Kan Eang at Pier is a trendy seafood restaurant in Chalong Bay on the way to Rawai Beach, in the south of Phuket. Popular since decades, Kan Eang is a relaxing place in the shade of huge trees with a beautiful sea breeze.
Kan Eang 2 is not the most accessible place to find, but it’s one of Phuket’s best local seafood restaurants. Everyone here knows that there are 2 Kan Eang Seafood restaurants on the island.
Kaab Gluay is one of the few authentic local Thai restaurants in Patong Beach. The food is delicious and well priced, and the staff is always amiable.
The Boathouse restaurant on Kata Beach serves Southern Thai and Western cuisine, both for lunch and dinner, while enjoying the stunning backdrop of the Andaman Sea.
Super Cheap is quite amazing: you could organize a giant treasure hunt in it. We were writing a ‘Phuket Price Check’ story, trying to find 10 simple items we had written down on my list, but gave up halfway when we suddenly realized there was no way we could spot half of them.
Saphan Hin in Phuket Town doesn’t look like much during the day: a dull-looking rectangular lake, a waterfront with not much to enjoy except for a sunken boat, a vast empty parking lot, a massive abandoned shopping mall once called ‘Lucky Plaza’ and a Chinese shrine.
Phuket Amulet Market might not be the most exciting attraction in Phuket, but if you happen to be exploring the town, it might be worth a look.
One Chun Restaurant is one of the best Thai restaurants in Phuket Town. Serving southern Thai and uniquely Phuket cuisine without compromise: great food, reasonable price and good location.
Kampong Kata Hill is a bit touristy with mixed reviews, but if you travelled that far to discover Asia and you are looking for more than ‘just food’ while remaining within an acceptable budget.
Bang Pae Seafood is a great local restaurant, very hidden on the east coast of Phuket. It’s not so easy to find, and yet, it’s busy on weekends with a mix of Thai, expats and some tourists brought by local friends.
Phuket restaurants can keep a food writer busy forever. In our many years here, we tried countless of them. Thailand is blessed with great cuisine and endless food choices from around the country. In recent years, international cuisine has also flourished around the island as a great addition to Thai food.
Go Go Bars always feature a central elevated stage or two, surrounded by seats and accessorised with a few stainless poles. You will find sofas with small tables and flashing colour lights all around the room,
The Westin Siray Bay Resort is a 5-star hotel built on the hillside of Koh Sirey, a tiny island on the east coast of Phuket island, not far from Phuket Town. From your balcony, at night, you will be surprised how close the city lights of Phuket Town are!
Wat Mongkol Nimit or Wat Putta Mongkon might not be the most impressive temple in Phuket but this one means a lot to people living around Phuket Town. All temples are of course worth visiting but since Wat Mongkol Nimit is close to Thalang Road, the historical streets of Phuket Town it would complete your visit perfectly.
Twinpalms Phuket Resort near Surin Beach is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and one of the best hotels in Phuket and the hotel is only 350 metres from one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket.
Trisara Phuket is the ultimate romantic resort in Phuket, one of the best ways to enjoy this tropical paradise island. In any of the 39 Trisara villas near Naithon Beach, you will be surrounded by comfort and luxury to ensure you want to stay and enjoy every minute of your holiday
