Trip Report - Phuket, Thailand
Welcome to our first trip report of the year! We’re kicking off this year-long trip with a stop in Phuket, Thailand to celebrate the marriage of two very dear friends. While we won’t be going through a summary of everything we did as a part of that (short version - it was amazing and spectacular!) we do want to share some of our highlights for the time we spent there after the wedding was finished. This is our guide to 48 hours in Phuket!
Our Trip & Itinerary
With our short time in Phuket we wanted to make the most of what the island has to offer both on land and in the ocean, so we spent one day in each element. We stayed near Surin Beach at a beautiful villa, with amenities we never would be accustomed to in America - like a 24-hour driver and a chef to cook any meals we requested. These types of villas are very common in Phuket and if you’re traveling with a large group of friends, as we were, they are a great option for accommodation when you’re on the island!
On Land
We spent our first day exploring the island itself, starting off with a half-day experience at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket. Elephant sanctuaries can be found all over the island but we chose to go here because of their strong ethical reputation and abundance of different experiences based on timing and budget. We chose to do a half day experience which included several activities, the first of which was feeding the elephants an assortment of snacks and a nutritional food ball which some people prepared with their own hands. The mahouts (elephant handlers), explained that the concoction of fibers, carbs, vitamins, and probiotics was especially vital for their older elephants. This activity was followed by a mud bath, where we all got into a big mud puddle to lather the gentle giants in squidgy, cool clay, protecting them from the sun and providing some relief from any recent bug bites. The final activity was to get into a big natural pool with them to scrub off any of the mud with large brushes, helping prevent skin and foot diseases, infections, and ultimately keeping these elephants in top health! The final part of our experience was a lunch and cooking class, where we had the chance to make our own traditional Phad Thai and enjoy a traditional buffet of fruit, curries, and rice. Delicious!
To complete our island day, we hopped over to Old Phuket Town to explore some of the local shops and cafes. After our long day with the elephants, our first stop was at RUSH Coffee to grab an iced Thai Tea Latte, giving us the energy we needed to keep exploring (don’t underestimate the strength of this coffee!). Have I mentioned we were doing all of this on New Year’s Day? You’ll understand then that we didn’t possess our typical high energy reserve and needed some caffeine reinforcement! Over the next couple of hours we meandered through Old Phuket Town, popping into many of the local shops, as well as one of the local open air markets. This was a great place to discover local delicacies and to simply admire bright red chillies, massive mangoes, and fresh herbs. Before we finished our time in town, we stumbled upon the B Cat Cafe to pet some of the cutest cats on the island, including a beautiful one with little leopard prints named Pharaoh, and yet another caffeine top up. Don’t be fooled by their cuddly attitudes – they have a very targeted treat agenda!
In Water
On our second day in Phuket we were keen to experience what the ocean had to offer, so we chartered a long-tail boat from Bang Tao Beach, based on a recommendation from a friend. Our captain’s name was Mr. Wit – a man who lives and breathes salty, ocean air, loves to dive for underwater treasures, and has a cheeky twinkle in his eyes. He was the PERFECT guide for our 6-hour charter! He met us right on the beach and made sure our whole day went perfectly, keeping us well fed with fresh fruit and hydrated with unlimited water and local beverages. He took us to three separate snorkeling spots throughout our charter of his boat, starting off with an unnamed rocky outcropping (he called it Waew island), surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and even larger schools of fish than we had seen snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef a few years earlier (hot take). A group favorite was the different parrot fish species, which are adorned with brilliant pink, blue, and green scales. Once we had exhausted ourselves, he took us over to Banana Beach, a spot only accessible by boat, where we grabbed some fried rice made in the wooden beach shack. According to multiple accounts, this was the best fried rice of the trip! Still hungry for underwater discoveries, we went snorkeling again above some rocky outcroppings just past the sand line. Here, we found fluorescent crabs among the rocks and sleek long toms. Mr. Wit always kept the boat at a distance, but made an effort to round us up when we wanted to climb back into the boat. After Banana Beach, he slowly captained us over to the only private bay in Thailand by the Amanpuri resort, anchoring right next to the buoy line. While he couldn’t take us any further, we were allowed to wander into the bay with our snorkels after some time relaxing on the boat. Here, we saw some terrific sea life including a blacktip reef shark, huge puffer fish, and cuttlefish. On his own diving adventure, Mr. Wit dove into the depths to show us shiny, spotted puka shells. At the end of our long day out, Mr. Wit dropped us off where he had found us that morning and invited us back out on his boat the next time in Thailand. We will definitely be taking him up on that offer whenever we’re back in Phuket!
To finish our ocean-oriented day, we went to dinner in Bang Tao at the Carpe Diem Beach Club, where an elegant performer moved through the space during dinner, adorned in twinkling headpieces and shimmering fabrics. Carpe Diem offers the taste of home that many Europeans might be looking for in Thailand, alongside some terrific local seafood which tastes fresh like it was caught out of the bay that morning.
Recommendations
Favorite Sights & Things To Do:
A traditional Thai Long Tail Boat Adventure To Nearby Reefs
Old Phuket Town
Traditional Thai Massages
Favorite Eateries & Cafes:
Cafe Del Mar, Kamala Beach
Carpe Diem Beach Club, Bang Tao Beach
Suay Cherngtalay, Ban Ma Nik
B Cat Cafe, Old Phuket Town
RUSH Coffee Rommani, Old Phuket Town
Torry’s Ice Cream, Old Phuket Town
Mad Hog Tavern, Old Phuket Town (Harry Potter-themed!)