Phuket, Thailand Travel Guide
Phuket is one of those destinations I thought I already knew before I visited.
Beautiful beaches, turquoise water, luxury hotels and a very famous nightlife scene.
But there is so much more to Thailand’s largest island than that.
We spent a week exploring a completely different side of Phuket, from colourful Old Town and some seriously good local food to hidden beaches, floating restaurants, elephants, temples, tiny islands and some of the most beautiful hotels in Thailand.
I’ve put together my complete Phuket guide below, including where we stayed, my favourite restaurants, the experiences worth booking and all the little things I wish I’d known before visiting.
Save this guide for your Phuket trip ♡
MY 7 DAY PHUKET ITINERARY 🇹🇭
DAY 1
ARRIVAL, MASSAMAN & PATONG SUNSET
Base: Avista Hideaway
Arrive in Phuket
Land in Phuket and make your way to the hotel.
Check into Avista Hideaway
Settle in, unpack and get your first taste of tropical Phuket.
Free time at the resort
You’ll probably be tired after the flight, so leave a few hours completely free. Relax by the beautiful pools, book a treatment at the spa or simply enjoy the resort.
Massaman curry with Chef Mama Duu
Try one of southern Thailand’s most famous dishes and learn a little about the flavours behind it.
Sunset overlooking Patong
Head to the rooftop bar at Avista Hideaway for sunset drinks and incredible views over Patong.
DAY 2
OLD TOWN, TEMPLES & WALKING STREET
Base: Avista Hideaway
Breakfast at Khao Tom Dibuk
Start the morning with a local Phuket breakfast in the heart of Old Town.
Explore Phuket Old Town
Spend a few hours wandering through the colourful Sino Portuguese streets, cafés and little shops.
Wander the colourful streets
Take your time exploring the quieter lanes and stopping at some of Old Town’s prettiest corners.
Visit local temples
Discover another side of Phuket through its Buddhist and Chinese temples and learn more about the island’s cultural influences.
Sunday Walking Street Market
Return in the evening when Old Town fills with street food, local snacks, music and market stalls.
DAY 3
ELEPHANTS & SPA DAY
Base: Avista Hideaway
Make food for the elephants
Start by preparing banana and rice treats for some very special guests.
Feed them by hand
Spend time with the elephants and help feed them yourself.
Help wash and care for them
Get into the water and help scrub and clean the elephants.
Head down to the beach
Follow them towards the coast for one of the most surreal experiences of the trip.
Thai massage at Oasis Spa
Slow the afternoon right down with a long spa treatment and traditional Thai massage.
DAY 4
BOAT DAY & FLOATING SEAFOOD
Base: Avista Hideaway
Head out by boat
Leave the busy side of Phuket behind and spend the day exploring the coastline from the water.
Find a quiet sandbar
Stop somewhere peaceful for soft sand, clear water and a swim.
Swim in turquoise lagoons
Spend the afternoon hopping between calm bays and beautiful stretches of water.
Explore hidden coves
Discover quieter corners of the coastline surrounded by limestone cliffs.
Dinner at Kruvit Seafood Raft
Finish the day at a floating seafood restaurant with fresh crab, sea grapes, curries and plenty of local seafood.
DAY 5
RURAL PHUKET & CREATIVE EXPERIENCES
Base: Cher House Farm
Slow morning at Cher House Farm
Swap the coast for a quieter side of Phuket and enjoy a relaxed morning surrounded by greenery.
Farm art experience
Try a creative experience inspired by the farm and surrounding landscape.
Traditional batik experience
Learn about Thai batik and create your own piece using traditional techniques.
See a greener side of Phuket
Spend the rest of the day exploring a more rural, peaceful side of the island away from the resorts and beaches.
DAY 6
SRI PANWA, CAPE PANWA & SUNSET
Base: Sri Panwa
Check into Sri Panwa
Arrive at one of Phuket’s most iconic luxury hotels and settle into your villa.
Pool and sea views
Spend the afternoon enjoying the private pool, tropical surroundings and incredible Andaman Sea views.
Explore Cape Panwa
Take some time to discover this quieter corner of southern Phuket.
Sunset drinks at Baba Nest
Head to the rooftop for one of the best sunset views on the island.
Dinner at Baba Soul Food
Finish the evening with Thai food overlooking the coast.
DAY 7
SLOW MORNING & FAREWELL PHUKET
Base: Sri Panwa
Slow morning at Sri Panwa
Enjoy breakfast, your villa and one final morning with nowhere to rush to.
Final swim
Make the most of the pool and sea views before checking out.
One last Thai feast
Order all the dishes you’re going to miss most before leaving.
Head home
Make your way back to Phuket Airport and say goodbye to the island.
BOOK MY PHUKET TRIP!
These are some of the exact hotels and experiences from my Phuket trip ⬇️
HOTELS
Avista Hideaway Phuket Patong
Our first base in Phuket.
Avista Hideaway is tucked into the hills just outside Patong and surrounded by greenery, so you get easy access to the west coast without feeling like you are right in the middle of the chaos.
The hotel has multiple pools, beautiful views and makes a great first base if you want to explore this side of the island.
Sri Panwa Phuket
One of the most beautiful hotels we stayed at during the trip and definitely the place I would choose if you want the more luxurious side of Phuket.
The property is huge and built into the hillside above Cape Panwa, with gorgeous sea views, private pools, restaurants and one of the best sunset spots on the island.
If you are coming to Phuket for a special occasion, this would be very high on my list.
Cher House Farm
If you want to experience a much quieter and greener side of Phuket, Cher House Farm is a completely different option from the big beach resorts.
It is perfect if you want to slow the trip down for a night or two and see a more rural side of the island.
EXPERIENCES WORTH BOOKING
Take a Boat Trip
Probably one of my favourite days of the entire trip.
Phuket is surrounded by incredible islands, hidden coves and ridiculously blue water, so I would absolutely leave at least one full day in your itinerary for getting out on the water.
We spent the day exploring by boat, swimming, stopping at quieter spots and finding those classic Thailand views you come here for.
Try the Farm Art Experience
One of the things I loved most about this trip was seeing a side of Phuket that had absolutely nothing to do with beach clubs or resorts.
The Farm Art Experience is a lovely way to get out into the countryside, slow everything down and do something a little different.
BOOK THE FARM ART EXPERIENCE →
Make Your Own Batik
If you want something creative and cultural to break up all the beaches and boat trips, try making traditional Batik.
You get to learn about the process, create your own design and actually leave with something you have made yourself.
Visit an Elephant Care Camp
We spent a morning preparing food for the elephants, feeding them by hand, helping wash them and eventually heading down towards the sea with them.
It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of our trip.
Elephant tourism is something I would always recommend researching carefully before booking. Look into the individual programme, how the elephants are treated and what level of interaction you personally feel comfortable with.
BOOK THE ELEPHANT EXPERIENCE →
Get a Thai Massage
You cannot come all the way to Thailand and skip a proper Thai spa experience.
We did a two hour treatment at Oasis Spa and after several very full days of filming and exploring, it was exactly what we needed.
I would actually build this into the middle of your itinerary rather than leaving it until the end.
WHERE TO EAT IN PHUKET
Food was a huge part of this trip and honestly one of the biggest reasons Phuket surprised me so much.
Do not come here and eat every meal inside your resort.
Khao Tom Dibuk
One of my favourite local food stops of the trip.
Come here for a proper Phuket breakfast before exploring Old Town.
Simple, local and exactly the kind of place I always hope to find when I travel.
Kruvit Seafood Raft
This is as much about the experience as the food.
You take a little boat out to a floating seafood restaurant and eat surrounded by water.
We ordered fresh seafood, crab curry, sea grapes and a ridiculous amount of food.
Definitely one of the more unusual meals of the trip.
Baba Soul Food
If you are staying at Sri Panwa, make time for dinner here.
Southern Thai food, beautiful surroundings and a really good option when you want something traditional without leaving the hotel.
Baba Nest
One of Phuket’s most famous sunset spots and, yes, the views really are that good.
It sits right at the top of Sri Panwa with almost uninterrupted views across the surrounding islands.
Come for sunset drinks and book ahead.
Tambu
A complete change from all the Thai food.
Tambu serves Indian food in a gorgeous rooftop setting at Avista Hideaway.
Definitely worth adding if you are staying at the hotel.
Eat at 7 Eleven at Least Once
I know this sounds ridiculous in a travel guide, but Thailand’s 7 Eleven culture deserves the hype.
Toasties, snacks, drinks, strange things you have never seen before.
Go in hungry.
MORE PHUKET INFO
BEFORE YOU GO… Everything else I think is worth knowing before your trip.
Phuket Is Bigger Than You Think
This was probably the biggest thing I underestimated.
Phuket might be an island, but getting from one side to the other can take a surprisingly long time.
Try to group your activities by area rather than spending half the day driving backwards and forwards across the island.
This is also why I really like the idea of splitting your stay between two different parts of Phuket.
Do Not Skip Phuket Old Town
Old Town ended up being one of my favourite parts of the trip.
It is colourful, busy, full of little restaurants, temples, cafes and beautiful Sino Portuguese buildings.
It also gives you a completely different perspective on Phuket from the resort areas.
If you are there on a Sunday, try to time your visit for the Walking Street Market.
Come hungry.
Explore Beyond Patong
Patong is probably the version of Phuket most people have heard about.
But please do not spend your entire holiday there.
Some of my favourite parts of the trip were around Old Town, Cape Panwa, the countryside and out on the water.
If nightlife is not the main reason you are visiting, I would personally stay elsewhere and visit Patong rather than making it your entire base.
Eat Local
Some of our most memorable meals were nowhere near the big resorts.
Phuket has its own incredibly rich food culture and seeking out local breakfast spots, markets and little family run restaurants was such a big part of the trip.
Try things you have never heard of.
Order what the table next to you is eating.
And leave room for a lot of seafood.
Carry Some Cash
Cards are easy to use at larger hotels and restaurants, but I would still keep Thai baht with you.
Markets, small restaurants, local vendors and little experiences are much easier when you have cash.
Getting Around Phuket
Grab is incredibly useful in Phuket and probably the easiest option for most visitors.
If you are planning a packed itinerary, private transport can also make life much easier, especially when you are moving between different parts of the island.
I would only rent a scooter if you are already an experienced rider.
Getting to Phuket
Fly into Phuket International Airport.
We flew directly from Abu Dhabi and the flight was around six and a half hours, 6 times a day, making Phuket a surprisingly easy trip from the UAE.
There are also plenty of connections through major hubs if you are travelling from Europe or elsewhere.
Do Not Panic About Rainy Season
We visited during the greener, wetter part of the year and still had some gorgeous weather.
Tropical rain can arrive incredibly quickly and disappear just as fast.
I would not plan your entire holiday around what the weather app says.
One of the benefits of travelling at this time of year is that everything is incredibly lush and green.
Research Elephant Experiences Properly
You will see the word sanctuary used everywhere in Thailand.
That does not automatically mean every experience operates in the same way.
Before you book, look at what the programme actually involves, how much contact guests have with the elephants and how the animals are kept.
Make your own decision based on what you feel comfortable supporting.
Book Baba Nest Early
If Baba Nest is on your list, book it.
Do not assume you can just turn up at sunset.
It is one of the most popular spots at Sri Panwa and understandably so.
Split Your Stay
If you have enough time, I would genuinely consider staying in two different parts of Phuket.
We experienced completely different sides of the island by moving around.
It also saves you from spending hours in traffic every day trying to reach activities on the opposite side of the island.
Visit a Night Market
Even if you are not a big shopper, go for the food.
Phuket’s markets are such an easy way to try lots of different local dishes in one evening.
Bring cash and arrive hungry.
Leave Time for the Water
Whatever else you do, give yourself at least one proper day out on the water.
Some of the most beautiful scenery around Phuket is not actually on Phuket itself.
MY BIGGEST PHUKET TIP ♡
Do not come to Phuket expecting it to be purely a beach holiday.
The beaches and resorts are obviously beautiful, but they were not actually the parts of the trip that surprised me most.
My favourite memories came from everything around them.
Eating breakfast with locals. Wandering through Old Town. Heading out on boats. Trying food I had never heard of. Spending time in rural Phuket. Watching the sunset from Cape Panwa.
There is so much more here than the version of Phuket you normally see online.
QUICK LINKS
HOTELS
Avista Hideaway Phuket Patong →
EXPERIENCES
WATCH THE FULL PHUKET DOCUMENTARY
Want to see the trip come to life?
Watch my full Phuket documentary on YouTube, where I take you beyond the guide and into the food, people, traditions, hotels and experiences that completely changed how I saw Phuket.