AIRPORT TO RESORTS
Laguna Resorts: 20 minutes; Patong Beach: 45 minutes; Phuket Town: 30 minutes.
BEST HOTELS
1. Trisara Phuket
www.trisara.com, Tel: +66 76 310 100
Luxurious resort with 24 private pool suites and villas, all facing the sea.
2. Banyan Tree Resort Phuket
www.banyantree.com, Tel: +66 76 324 374
Its villas are perfect for exotic hideaways offering some amazing spa treatments.
BEST RESTAURANTS
3. Baan Rim Pa Piano Bar and Restaurant
223 Kalim Beach Road, Tel: +66 76 340 789
An open air two-storey Thai-style teak house nestled on a cliff with spectacular sea views.
4. Krajok-See
Takua Pa Road, Tel: +66 76 217 913
The name means coloured-glass window in Thai. It offers home-style Thai cooking in a Chinese shophouse.
BEST BARS & CAFES
5. Timber Hut
118/1 Yaowarat Road, Tel: +66 76 211 839
The place in Phuket to party hard. Home to the island’s most admired rock and roller.
6. Catch Beach Club
Surin Beach Road, Talang, Tel: +66 76 316 567
Phuket’s most fashionable beach club with seafood, drinks and international live music.
A FEW HOURS TO KILL
7. Talang Road
Set in Phuket Town, spectacular antique buildings and narrow shops that stretch back a long way. A walking tour and shopping in the area are easy and delightful.
8. Junkceylon Shopping Complex
This is the ‘old’ name for Phuket. A modern shopping mall set on Patong Beach.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Similar to the West, but precede people’s first names with khun (pronounced “khoon”),
politely meaning sir and madam.
TIPPING
Not mandatory but is fine for good service.
SECRETS OF THE JETSET
9. Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Held in late September to October. Many religious devotees slash themselves with swords and other self-destructive acts in the belief that Chinese gods will protect them.
10. Old Phuket Town Festival
Held in February, it features historical culture and traditions, including food, games and dress,
mostly in the Talang Road area, which becomes a walkway during the festival’s nights.
