Girls Trip to Phuket, Thailand Travel Guide
After planning (and postponing) for a couple of years, our girls trip with my college besties finally happened.
We opt for Phuket because we all love going to the beach and I think it is a perfect vacation getaway for all of us. We also found out from our old messages that we wanted to go to Thailand together and indeed, it finally happened.
Phuket has a lot to offer such as tons of island hopping, temple visiting, elephant sanctuary, crazy nightlife and so on. And since this trip was an all-girls trip, it was too fun not to share.
So here’s a quick guide to Phuket, Thailand.
Pre-travel Guide and Tips:
How to get the Phuket:
We took a plane from Bangkok to Phuket. You can check other options below:
Stay connected:
Buy a 4G SIM Card.
Transfer from Airport:
We had a very difficult time from the airport to our accommodation in Patong. We booked through grab and the car can’t get inside the airport.
Book an Airport Transfer Online:
I suggest getting Airport Transfer ahead of time to get an easy transfer. BOOK HERE
Minibus:
Minibusses are also available at the airport. We took a minibus going to our accommodation but it took us a long time to ride one. They need to get enough (if not full) passengers to fill the minibus.
Prices:
- To Patong: 180 Baht
- To Kata: 200 Baht
- To Karon: 200 Baht
Other option is to take a taxi, but it is more expensive.
Island Hopping Tours:
- Maya Bay & Koh Phi Phi Speedboat Tour – 1,500 Baht
- James Bond Island & Phang Nga Bay Tour from Phuket: Lawa Island, Panak Island, Hong Island & More by Big Boat
- Phi Phi & Maya Area Snorkeling Day Trip from Phuket with Premium Lunch Buffet
- Racha and Coral Island Sunset Day Tour with Snorkeling by Catamaran and Free Breakfast
Where did we stay?
We stayed
in Patong Studio Apartment. The location was great! We can go to Patong Beach
and Bangla Road on foot.
There are also a lot of restaurants in the corner. Money exchange outlets were
also scattering in the area which was really good.
You can book via Booking.com.
Booking.comWhere to stay?
Here are some options you can choose:
IN PATONG BEACH:
IN KARON BEACH:
There are also rent cute apartments in Airbnb, use my AIRBNB COUPON for $40 credit!
Things to do in Phuket, Thailand
Thalang Road in Phuket Old Town
A colorful road located in Phuket Old Town. It has cute stores with full of colors, and you can come across these street wall arts.
It would be better if we visited on a day light, but it was less touristy during the night.
Chaofa Variety Weekend Market
This night market offers different varieties of food. We were overwhelmed by all the crowds in the area and we were a bit confused about what to eat from all the selections we can choose from.
Food is always a great way to experience a new culture and we surely did enjoy our food adventure in Chaofa Variety Weekend Market.
The Great Buddha of Phuket
It is great to visit Big Buddha during the morning because there are not many tourists around. You can have the entire place all by yourself as we did. We were the first one during our visit.
Visitors are asked to dress politely especially when entering the temple. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees. They have sarong or cover-ups available for free.
There is no entrance fee but you can give any donation amount for the maintenance of the temple.
P.S. We covered our shoulders with a sarong when we entered the temple.
Wat Chalong
Wat Chalong, or Chalong Temple, is the largest of Phuket’s temples, and the most visited.
Dress Code & Behaviour:
As with all Buddhist temples, there is a strict dress code that must always be followed.
1. Shoes are never allowed inside a temple, so be sure to leave yours outside with all the others.
2. Women are required to cover their shoulders and wear pants or skirts that extend down to their knees.
3. A certain level of respect is expected, Speak in a quiet tone within the temple and don’t touch the statues or other Buddhist relics.
Visit www.wat-chalong-phuket.com for more details.
Bangla Road
Bangla Road is where the party life is located in Phuket. The area is composed of bars, clubs, and restaurants.
You can try also found a lot of ping pong show, macho show, and strip clubs here. Always be careful with their schemes in this area. Be aware and do your research.
We do had a great time here, chilling and drinking (a little bit).
Patong Beach
The main beach in the area. Many restaurants are located in near the beach.
We actually didn’t spend a lot of time here. But if you will visit the area, I think mornings are the perfect time to avoid the crowd.
Island Hopping
We choose the Maya Bay & Koh Phi Phi Speedboat Tour for 1,500 Baht.
What is included?
- Full day island hopping tour
- An English speaking guide
- Free hotel pick up and drop off service is only available for hotels within Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Phuket, Kamala, Surin Beach, Ao Makham and Panwa Beach
- Lunch
What To Bring:
- Swimwear
- Light shirt
- Beach towel
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Camera
- Sun hat
- Cash
During our tour: Local government prevents tourists from visiting Maya Bay directly. The itinerary instead included sightseeing around areas near Maya Bay.
It was also raining really hard at the beginning of our island hopping. We thought they are going to cancel but luckily the tour continued. In the middle of our tour, it stopped raining and we enjoyed the rest of our tour.
Please note that the itinerary is approximate and subject to change according to weather and sea conditions of the day
Here are the places and activities during our island hopping:
Koh Khai Nok Island
Lunch at Koh Yao Yai Restaurant, Phi Phi Don Island
Sightsee around Maya Bay and Loh Samah Bay
Maya Bay is the most famous turquoise cove with white sandy beach enclosed by limestone cliffs. It is currently close during our visit so we just stopped by and look the locations.
Loh Samah Bay is a scenic bay with a small green island known for its snorkeling. We did snorkel during this trip but I am not quite sure where exactly. Maybe we went back and did some snorkel here. 🙂
Pileh Lagoon
This picturesque inlet is known for its clear waters & popular with snorkelers.
We were very excited to take photos here, and we spent our entire time doing that. Hahaha. Some went for a quick dip. It was really fast and our time was not enough!
Viking Cave
This limestone cave with wall paintings is a site for harvesting bird nests for a traditional Chinese soup. I personally never tried this kind of soup.
We were just stopping by in this area.
Phi Phi Beach
Phi Phi beach is quite beautiful! We spent some time here just swimming.
Monkey Beach
The name of the beach is very obvious, it has a lot of monkeys around.
To be honest, I am quite afraid of monkeys, but I did still enjoy our brief time on this beach watching the monkeys.
I just want to share that upon our arrival, it was raining very hard and we thought we would not enjoy this trip but luckily the weather changed and we had a great time!
Also, I always believe that with the right company, vacation will always end up amazing. So I encourage you to take a trip with your girl friends and start planning your all-girls trip.
If you are planning to visit more of Thailand, check this post: The Perfect 3-Week Thailand Itinerary
If you have any questions or suggestions on what to do in Phuket, kindly comment below and I would love to know more.
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Alison
It looks amazing especially the old town and all that delicious food!