Phuket specific questions

[Dash]

Hi all, I'd like to ask for your opinions on accomodations in Phuket relative to my vacation plans. The trip is planned for late February of 08

I will have from 5-7 days and would like to see some cultural/historical sites in Phuket as well as diving. I do not like heavy tourist areas.

I guess liveaboards are out, so I would like to know what beach area is best for:

Proximity to day trip dive operators
Availability and proximity of self-guided or guided tours of Phuket.

Proximity of hotel/guesthouse to beaches/good food/some nightlife (not raging nightclubs)

The beach areas I am aware of are Patong, Karon, Kata, Chalong, Kamala.

Bottomline; what area provides the best balance of dive availability, fun/interesting stuff to do, and closeness to beach while being as non-touristy as possible..

Thanks for your help.

 

[limbo]

Dash Riprock,

Sounds like Kata and Karon may be good options for you. I'll leave it to the Phuket folks like Ringo to help you out. There's plenty of Phuket operators and DC's active in this forum, so you'll get good advise within a few hours.

 

[Quero]

Hey Dash/Rip,

My take....

Proximity to day trip dive operators

As long as you stay in one of the areas you list, you don't have to worry too much about proximity to daytrip diving. For daytrips, most of the boats depart from Chalong pier, and they offer complementary transfers from most of the areas you list, though Kamala is outside the zone for some. Travel time from Chalong to the boat pier is, of course, very short; from Kata and Karon, 10 to 15 minutes (unless you are the first one picked up and the bus has many stops to make to pick up other divers); from Patong 25 to 30 minutes (with the same caveat); from Kamala, I'd guess maybe 40 minutes. There are also options for daytrip dives from Kamala and Kata beaches on small boats if you don't want to do the long trek to the "regular" daytrip sites on a big boat. Limited shore diving is also possible.

Availability and proximity of self-guided or guided tours of Phuket.

There are tour agencies all over the place offering guided tours. If you want self-guided, just rent a vehicle and pick up a map. You can drive to the lookout places like Prom Thep Cape and the Big Buddha, up to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Center, over to the aquarium, to Phuket town or wherever. Or you can hire a car/driver by the day and make your own itinerary without worrying about driving a right-hand-drive car in traffic patterns that are the opposite of your country, if you are not accustomed to that.

Proximity of hotel/guesthouse to beaches/good food/some nightlife (not raging nightclubs)
The beach areas I am aware of are Patong, Karon, Kata, Chalong, Kamala.

Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata (north to south) all have pretty, sandy, swimming beaches. Chalong does not. Chalong is also pretty quiet at night, with limited nightlife and not so many restaurant options as the beach towns which attract more tourists. Lots of guesthouses in all areas. The raging nightclubs are found primarily in Patong, so it sounds like you will want to avoid staying there!

 

[stevenl]

I would recommend Kata, because it is close to the pier from where the daytrip boats depart, has a very nice beach, good choice of restaurants and bars (Easy Riders, the best livemusic!) and hotels in all price classes as well. It is also not too busy, and if you want a night out, Patong is not too far away.

If you want somewhere quieter: consider Nai Harn, nice beach as well, but out of the way for dive operators. However, some will pick you up from Nai Harn, so things can be sorted.

Tours are no problem at all, you can sort them all out here.

 

[Dash]

Thanks everyone, that helps!

 

[Batfish]

Cultural / Historical sites in Phuket... I politely suggest you take a look at my blog - there is a section on temples there. The biggest is Chalong Temple, but if you want a temple with some history, I'd visit Wat Phra Tong and Wat Phra Nang Sang, both in the Thalang area in central Phuket. This was the original "capital" of Phuket and where the Burmese invaders were fought off in a famous battle in 1785. Wat Phra Nang Sang was built on the battle ground.

Temples in Phuket

You might also want to see the section on Festivals and local life:

Festivals and Local Life

I keep adding new things to the blog as time goes by.

Where to stay - well, Patong is the most touristy beach. Kata and Karon are quieter, still have plenty of choice of hotels and restaurants, still somewhat touristy. Kamala is a but more out of the way, nice beach and pretty quiet.

I have a beaches section on the blog, though aside from a page about Karon it tends to steer off the main beaches.

Beaches in Phuket

I guess you'll want a couple of days diving and a couple of days touring. I'd also not miss Phang Nga Bay - lots of tours up that way:

Phang Nga Bay

Maybe the big Buddha will be complete by February (yeh, right):

Big Buddha

OK, I'll stop there... Enjoy Phuket!

Jamie

 

[Dash]

Jamie, I found your blog some time ago, and have referred to it many times. Thanks, I appreciate the work you have done.