Phuket is simply stunning.  Beautiful beaches, clear, blue water and bright sunshine make this a beach lovers dream vacation spot.  It was the last stop on our Thailand vacation (read about Bangkok and Chiang Mai here).  You can find amazing deals on hotels and have the time of you life, even on a budget.  We stayed for only 3 days, but could have easily spent a full week or more just relaxing at the resort. Here are my favorite things from perfect Phuket.

Phuket Top 5

1 – Koh Phi Phi tour

We did a day tour to Koh Phi Phi with Rak Talay tours. It was some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. The tour was around $40 and included pick up and drop off from the hotel, use of snorkeling equipment and lunch.  The tour included stops at Monkey Beach, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, and Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh islands.

The most notable stop on the tour was Maya Bay. The locals love to tell you it’s the place where the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DeCaprio was filmed. It’s gorgeous, with brilliant, turquoise blue water, giant rocks plummeting from the ocean and the most pristine beaches you’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen the movie myself, but I can see why they would have wanted to film a movie there, it’s absolutely beautiful.

 

The tour offered bottled water throughout the day and provided a traditional Thai lunch to fuel us for the afternoon of snorkeling and exploring the islands. It was perfect weather, for a perfect day, surrounded by the most picturesque scenery.

2 – Zorbing

I had read about zorbing when researching travel in New Zealand (a trip I hope to take in the near future). While researching Phuket, I found that they have the longest zorbing track in the world at Rollerball Phuket and decided we had to try it. The zorb is a giant inflatable ball that you ride inside, while rolling down a track. There little bit of water inside to ensure that you slide inside the ball while it’s rolling down the hill, so it kind of feels like a waterslide. The place we went had 2 tracks, a straight track and a zig zag track. We purchased the package that gave us 6 runs on the tracks (and also included a t-shirt and ice cream when we finished), which was around $50.

Our first run we decided to go together in the zorb, along the zig zag track. Probably not the greatest idea, as we had no idea what to expect. We ended up falling all over each other inside the zorb, and were incredibly nauseous after the run. We were nervous about our next 5 rolls, however decided to try going solo along the straight track. Once we figured out how to maintain an upright position inside the zorb, the next 5 rides were much smoother (even the zig zag track) and so much more enjoyable. The last run we even felt comfortable enough to ride together again. It was such a weird, random activity, but it was a blast!  If you don’t get motion sickness, I would highly suggest trying zorbing because it is soo much fun.

3 – Bamboo tattoos

I got a bamboo tattoo in Thailand! I had known I wanted to get one while I was there, but was unsure of what I would get. I had read a good review for a tattoo shop, Andaman Tattoo, on Trip Advisor before we left for the trip, and it just so happened that the shop was right across the street from our resort. I figured it must be meant to be, so I decided to go for it! The tattoo artist was so nice and helped me to get the text, size and placement exactly right.

I decided to go with something I found on Pinterest, a phrase written Thai, which said “travel often, travel far.” I felt that it was perfect for me, because I wanted something Thai related and something that was meaningful to me. I love traveling and the phrase was written in Thai, so it hit the nail on the head. The tattoo was done in the traditional bamboo style, which meant that it was hand drawn with a needle attached to the end of a piece of bamboo, not done using a tattoo gun. Apparently bamboo style is the way Thai tattoo artists are trained and after many years of perfecting the traditional bamboo style, they then learn to use the tattoo gun.

I’ve had many tattoos done with the gun, but was excited to see and feel the bamboo style. It’s a bit more expensive than a regular tattoo ($40 vs $80), but I didn’t mind. Turns out the bamboo style is much less painful and was much more artistic in my opinion. I love the tattoo and am so happy I decided to get one. If you are a tattoo person, a bamboo tattoo is definitely something to consider in Thailand.

4 – Relaxing Resort Day

We didn’t arrive at our hotel in Phuket until 3am so we were exhausted. Our first day we had already planned on spending the day laying out and enjoying our luxurious resort. It was glorious and exactly what we needed after such a late arrival the night before. We had blue skies, sunshine, comfortable lounge chairs, warm, clear ocean and pool water and delish food and drinks. I was so looking forward to a day doing nothing but enjoying the sunshine, and it was perfection.

The sunset that capped off the day was gorgeous. If you spend any time in Thailand, be sure you give yourself at least one full day of doing nothing but relaxing and enjoying the sun, sand and water.

Side note:  Pack tons of SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, you’ll need it. BUT….make sure you rub in the spray sunscreen after spraying it on your body. I did not know this was a requirement, thus ending up with a ridiculous, streaky sunburn. Those who know me well won’t be at all surprised by this, but I really did try to not get burned this time, I swear!

5 – Patong Beach

Patong Beach is the party beach of Phuket. Karon Beach was much more my speed during the day, however Patong Beach has all the nightlife you can imagine. There are tons of restaurants, bars and clubs to explore. We stopped for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (I know, I know, please don’t judge me!), because we were just wanting some American nachos and if you didn’t know already, HRC has the best nachos. After dinner, we decided to wander and explore the streets of Patong, have a couple of drinks and watch the sunset, which was beautiful.

Along the way we were approached by many men inviting us to ping pong shows. We decided to go, after some serious negotiation on drink prices, to see what it was all about. I’m not going to go into detail, but I will say that it was insane. Our show featured much more than just ping pong balls. It also included needles, razor blades, darts, goldfish, 2 mini sea turtles and a hamster. After the hamster, we decided that we had seen enough and knew it was time to go. I’m gonna let you do your own research on the ping pong show. Just beware, it is not, I repeat NOT, for the conservative or faint of heart. But we figured…when in Thailand.

Phuket is fabulous and a must visit spot on any trip to Thailand.  Take in the views, drink some cocktails and relax. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful location anywhere else in the world.