After I skipped Bali when I was in Indonesia, I felt that I had to catch up on the partying experience in Southeast Asia. Because of that and also because of the great location of Phuket, I decided to start my travels in Thailand here. I normally don't really like parties and am more interested in the areas, where tourists don't go as often. In the following, I will tell you a bit about my experience in Phuket and what you can do the island besides partying.

About Phuket

First, I have to mention, that Phuket is in fact pronounced "Puket" not "Fuket". That is something that I was unsure about when I arrived there and since then have seen many people get wrong.

Phuket is Thailand's biggest island. However Phuket also refers to the province containing Phuket island (and 32 others), as well as the city Phuket (often referred to as Phuket Town), which is also the Province's capital and biggest city. The province has an area of about 600km², which is slightly less than Singapore's.

Being located on the main travel route between India and China, the island has always been important for trading. It was also a destination of interest for Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. Surprisingly though, it has never been colonized by any european power. The province has been a very wealthy one in the past because of its access to tin and rubber. Nowadays, the province is still one of Thailand's wealthiest per population, only that nowadays the wealth comes from tourism.

Phuket island is connected to Thailand's mainland with the "Sarasin Bridge". Therefore getting to and from the Island is pretty easy and there are many daily buses to all kinds of destinations around mainland Thailand. Phuket International Airport is also one of the busiest in Thailand. Lastly, there are also dozens of destinations reachable by ferry.

My experience in Phuket

Arriving in Phuket

I took a flight to Phuket and landed at the Phuket International Airport. My first Hostel on the island was in Phuket town, which is about 40km away from the Airport. Getting there is really easy but not very cheap. Phuket is not one of the main touristic places on the island. Therefore most buses and minivans don't go there. I ordered a taxi, but I now know, that there are also some minivans if you just look for long enough.

The taxi ride took about an hour and the driver immediately tried to rip me off. He told me about all the islands near Phuket and how I should book a ferry to them, then parked outside a tourist office and insisted, that I should go in with him. In there I had to convince the lady, that I did not want to book any tours for like half an hour. After that though, I got dropped of at the front door of my Hostel and payed about 20€, which is not too bad for a 1h drive.

Arriving in Phuket town was pretty pleasant. My Hostel was the "Neighbor's Hostel" in the old town. The area is really beautiful with some nice houses, architecture, walking streets and markets really close by. I could not help but notice, that most people walking around where tourists.

Phuket Town

I spent most of my time on Phuket in Phuket town. It is the biggest city on the island, but far from the most touristic, even though it does have some really nice spots. The city has some of nicest looking buildings, I have seen on my whole trip so far. It is also located directly at the shore and therefore has some really nice walking ways near the shore.

There are also some nice hills and temples on near the city. I planned 2 walking tours around the city. The first one is more about looking around the city and exploring what it has to offer. It also covers the monkey hill at the end, which is nice because it gives you some really nice views, but you do need to be a bit careful, because there are actually a lot of monkeys and they can be very aggressive. The second one goes to a peninsula west of the town. It gets pretty quiet there and there are some gorgeous beaches. You will also get to see a nice viewpoint on a hill at the edge of the city.

Some of the best things about Phuket town are no doubt the night markets. They sell everything there. Be it clothing, souvenirs or food, you will find it there.

Phuket town is where the big bus terminals and also some important piers are, so chances are, that you will pass through this city when you are staying on Phuket. My suggestion is to keep some time in your schedule reserved for exploring the place. In my opinion the things most worth seeing here are Monkey Hill, Rang Hill and the night markets.

Patong

Patong is by far the most popular destination on Phuket for tourists. It's mostly known for its beach, massages and of course the nightlife. Patong is quiet a bit smaller than Phuket town, but it seems like the whole town lives from tourism. Most people you will find walking around will also be tourists. As far as I know the only thing to do besides partying in Patong is swimming in the ocean. That's why I only spent one night here. The whole town is just about partying.

People who are into partying can stay here for many nights, since there is so much to do here and the nightlife here is by far the best I have seen on my travels. And I even recommend people who are not as much into partying to go here at least for one night just to experience it.

Patong is mostly known for its Bangla Road, since that is the place where most of the nightlife goes down. Walking through there, you will find heaps of table dancing bars, ping pong shows, weed shops, lady boys and of course alcohol. For me walking through Bangla Road was a unique experience, because I have never seen anything before and even if all of these things are not really what I'm into, I still had a blast taking all of that in and just looking around.

After one night I had seen enough of Patong though and got back to Phuket town to catch my town to the calmer Khao Sok national park.

What to do on Phuket

Phuket has some interesting things to do, no matter if you like partying or not. As someone who is not really into partying, the things I enjoyed the most where

• Exploring Phuket town and its surroundings
• Walking along the shore in Phuket town
• Climbing monkey hill and Rang Hill
• Exploring the night markets in Phuket town
• Walking through Bangla Road
• Experiencing the night life in Patong

Conclusion

Phuket is a very popular place in Thailand, and while it might be great for some travelers (especially those looking for great night life), it's in my opinion not a must see in Thailand, especially considering what other stunning places Thailand has to offer.

For me personally, I enjoyed my time on Phuket and I'm glad that I had a look around. If it had not been for my flight, I probably would not have looked at it and I would not have missed out on much. So in conclusion I would say, that Phuket is nice, but it's not something for everyone.