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Phuket Thai Hua Museum
2008-11-20 16:07:00
I have said it before and will say it again - I like Phuket Town, especially the old part of town which comprises a few blocks around Phang Nga Road, Thalang Road, Krabi Road and Dibuk Road. The narrow roads and turn of the century architecture combined with the old Chinese shops make a welcome break from the busier parts of town, and if you come from the tourist beaches it's like another world. Yes, you are in the real Phuket, which is what this blog tries to show!The Phuket Thai Hua Museum is found on Krabi road, a block North and half a block west of the traffic circle near the market. Krabi road is pretty quiet, most of the buildings are of the "Sino-Portugese" style and life itself seems slightly old fashioned in this part of town.The museum has been open a couple of years, and still has a museum-in-progress feeling. It has been used for art exhibitions too. The building dates back to 1934 when it was established as the Phuket Thai Hua School, a Thai-Chinese language school mo...

Loy Krathong 2008 - 12th November
2008-11-13 16:32:00
Yesterday was Loy Krathong, a very old festival which takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (so the date is different every year). Loy Krathong is largely about giving thanks to the goddess of water, though may be based on an old Hindu festival. There are many links between Buddhism and Hinduism, being that the Buddha was born in India. The festival is not huge in Phuket compared to Chiang Mai for example, but nevertheless it seems that everyone does it.Does what? Well, aside from a bit of a party, you have to "Loy" (float) your Krathong - last year I wrote about Making a Krathong. There are also beauty contests and who-can-make-the-best-krathong contests.Despite the weather, we headed out in the evening to Bang Wad Reservoir which is only a few kilometers from our home. The reservoir is Phuket's largest fresh water supply, so a good place to give thanks. The evening has been wet. Yes, we had been "blessed" with plenty of water. Of course, everyone waited until the r...
More About: November , 2008

Street Food - Fruit Stalls
2008-11-07 15:52:00
I seem to recall growing up in England that a pineapple was regarded as a valuable item... wow, tropical fruit! And things like mangos and papayas were just words. Even the humble banana was a special treat. Maybe my memories are hazy, but fruit in England meant apples and pears, plums and maybe peaches. Oranges were not uncommon, and there were always satsumas at Christmas time! There were raspberries in season, and we often went blackberry picking.The words "tropical fruit" brought to mind jungles, far away places, unreachable lands. This was 30 years ago. Holidays to a place like Thailand were all but unheard of. A few brave backpackers maybe, when backpacking was still an adventure!What is "Street food"? Well, I mean anything that is not a restaurant really - simple roadside stalls, sometimes with wheels or built onto the side of motorbikes. Temporary noodle joints that open in the evening outside shops that have closed for the day. Hawkers carrying baskets of snacks, grilled c...
More About: Food , Fruit

Some Videos at Phuket Aquarium
2008-11-02 15:22:00
We do like Phuket Aquarium . I have totally lost count of how many times we have been. I love taking the kids there and watching their reactions to the fish. As a baby they are amazed, then they start to look more closely, then they start to learn names, then they get older and ask questions about the fish. As a diver, most of the species in the aquarium are familiar to me so I am very happy to pass on some knowledge... and you know you can't fool a kid.After our last visit, my 3 year old boy was looking at one of the aquarium brochures I had picked up. There was a picture of a small orange and white fish. He asked me "what's this fish, daddy?". I relied "It's Nemo". He came right back with "No! It's an anemone fish!". Proud dad.So here's a few little video clips of the aquarium. It's well worth a visit I reckon.Bannerfish and Moorish Idols Moray Eels Leopard Shark in the big tank (you can walk through a little tunnel). Big Groupers have their own tank, or they'd eat the...
More About: Videos

Hotel Recommendation: Sawasdee Village (Kata Beach)
2008-10-28 14:23:00
Sawasdee Village is one of the hotels I have meant to add here for a long time, and today was reminded by some customers in our dive center who raved about how beautiful it is and how well looked after they felt there. It seems to me that Sawasdee Village is no ordinary hotel. It's not a big hotel really, only about 40 rooms, built in and around an oasis of tropical gardens, orchids and pools, with a 5 star spa thrown in for good measure.It seems to me that Sawasdee Village has been around for ever... I came to Phuket in 1999 and it was there.. from what I can gather by "web research" Sawasdee Village opened in 1991. There have been a lot of improvements and additions since and now it really does seem to be well worth recommending and it's a very reasonable price for such quality. The new Baray Villa rooms look amazing (more expensive too but looks like you get a lot of extras with these rooms). I like the sound of the 8 foot beds - truly King size!Sawasdee Village gets lots of ve...
More About: Beach , Hotel , Recommendation

Seaplane Flight to Phi Phi
2008-10-19 15:05:00
Yesterday was a very good day! We did something that we had not planned on doing.. in fact we had planned a day up to Khao Lak, but we got something a bit special instead. I had been contacted by Destination Air the week before about maybe taking a ride on one of their seaplanes and writing about it here on Jamie's Phuket. Yes, sure! This week I decided to be very cheeky and asked if there were 4 seats available so I could go with my wife and kids. On Friday afternoon we got confirmation that a flight was heading to Phi Phi at 3pm on Saturday.. and they managed to find a seat for my sister in law too :)I have been recommending Destination Air to people for some time now. Yeh, I know you can get to Phi Phi quite cheaply by ferry, but damn! A flight to Phi Phi? There are still many people who don't know the option even exists, and yes, it's not exactly super cheap - current price is 4,999 Baht per person. But this is more than just transport, this is an experience too, and if you h...
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival Videos
2008-10-14 16:10:00
Here goes - my final throw of the dice for this years vegetarian festival. My camera has a basic video function. Not National Geographic quality, but I hope the little videos below will give some idea of the experience.Face PiercingA few clips of the piercing taking place at Kathu Shrine on 6th October, around 6 - 6:30am. It was going on all over the place, it was hard to know where to look! A look around Kathu Shrine before starting the procession... The Procession Leaving Kathu Shrine...various entranced people Carrying the Gods through Kathu Village... LOTS of firecrackers Ma Song Blessing a House And a couple of vids of Ma Song doing things in Phuket Town.
More About: Videos , Vegetarian , Festival

Vegetarian Festival 2008 Photos in Phuket Town
2008-10-09 15:31:00
So, on Monday after getting up early and seeing the piercing at Kathu Shrine, and heading out of Kathu Village with the procession (see Vegetarian Festival Photos Part 1), I headed into Phuket Town to pick up the procession again in the old town. The narrow streets mean you get very close to the Ma Song, and very close to the firecrackers! I was taking photos on Thalang Road close to my favourite little street in town, Soi Rommani. Allow me to introduce my favourite guy! I had a photo of him last year looking rather ghoulish with 2 big black rods through his cheeks. This year looks like he used even bigger rods! Some aspects of the festival are not for everyone. If you don't like scary things or blood or the idea of ramming 2 large rods through your face, look away now!This next guy is one of the entranced Ma Song who leap around the procession offering blessings to locals who have offering tables outside their houses. Some of these guys really are a bit spooky. The narrow str...

Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2008 Pictures
2008-10-06 15:51:00
Well this year I wanted to see something different during the festival. I admit to being a lazy boy sometimes, but today I was awake before dawn and headed to Kathu Shrine before 6am to watch the start of the procession to Phuket Town, and hopefully see some face piercing close up. Actually, the word "piercing" does not describe what happens. Something like "skewering" or "mutilation" might be better! I am not squeamish, but... hint, if you are squeamish, I suggest heading to a different page on this blog!It was hard to see inside the shrine, but the "Ma Song" were coming out in various stages of trance, and faces were duly threaded with knives, swords, guns, all manner of odd shaped metal pieces. You'd need 20 pairs of eyes to see all that was going on there. I was with a friend, Phil, who is director of the Helicam company in Phuket, so he's a "pro" photographer, but this was new to him too! Thanks for Phil for lending me a Canon G7 camera. Some photos were taken with the G7, so...
More About: Pictures , Vegetarian , Festival , 2008

Jui Tui Shrine (Phuket Town)
2008-10-05 15:40:00
Yesterday afternoon I took a walk around the streets near Jui Tui Shrine , one of the largest Chinese shrines in Phuket Town . It's just along Ranong Road road from the old market (which has now been demolished and a new building looks like it will be complete sometime soon - great! No more smelly old market!) - easy to find, and certainly worth a look if you are in Phuket Town. Ranong road near the market is busy enough at the best of times. The local buses leave from and arrive at Ranong road. From here you can get a bus to most parts of Phuket island.During the vegetarian festival, much of the road is packed with food stalls and little restaurants selling Jae (vegetarian) food. I parked a couple of blocks away and wandered along Ranong road. Half close your eyes and ignore the mopeds squeezing through the people, and the road has a very old feel...And if you look the other way ... a traffic jam. I mean, these people must know what's going on down here. There are plenty of other r...

Kathu Shrine
2008-10-04 16:31:00
Well Friday night was a bit disappointing! I guess I should have checked local sources (like the schedule posted on the wall of the shrine), but instead believed the festival schedule on the "official" vegetarian website that I copied on this blog.. but there was no bladed ladder climbing or oil bathing at Kathu shrine on Friday night. And there were lots of other similarly confused people there too! I met a big group of tourists who'd come over the hill from Patong. Well, hope you at least enjoyed the local atmosphere. I like Kathu village. I just posted about a walk in Kathu village, now a few more pictures of the shrine.Compared to the big shrines in Phuket Town like Jui Tui and Bang Neow, Kathu is much quieter, yet it's an impressive building for such a small local community. You have to remember that Kathu was where the festival originated, and it seems the whole village takes part. Hardly anyone around not wearing white, young and old. Kathu village and shrine is worth a vis...
More About: Shrine

The Vegetarian Festival: An evening walk in Kathu village
2008-10-02 17:17:00
Kathu village is one of those quiet backwaters of Phuket that barely seems touched by tourism and development. Yes, there are some new houses and appartments around, yes you can see Mercedes and new pick up trucks outside some of the houses, but this is old Phuket. The Kathu area was the center of the tin mining industry which started in the 18th century. Many of the miners were Chinese, and they settled in this part of Phuket. And it was in Kathu that the vegetarian festival started many many years ago.At this time of year, walking in the village in the area around the Chinese shrine, you can get a real time warp feeling. The firecrackers, the white clothes, the old shophouses, the shrine... I do recommend a visit. I took a walk around this evening with my wife to buy some vegetarian food and take some photos too! Tomorrow will be interesting as there will be "bladed ladder climbing" and bathing in hot oil at the shrine. See you there! Tonight I did not see any other foreigners. Ha...
More About: Vegetarian , Festival , Village , Walk , Evening

Vegetarian Festival - The Food
2008-09-30 15:12:00
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is not just about skewered cheeks, Chinese gods and firecrackers, although that's the fun part (and the first of the street processions is tomorrow morning). The food is also very important. Local people (not all, I might add) follow a strict diet which is vegan rather than just vegetarian - no meat, no eggs, no dairy, and for some reason (if someone can tell me, please do!) no garlic or onions. The diet is to cleanse the body and spirit.It all started way back in 1825 when a Chinese traveling opera troupe (or circus depending what you read) came to the Kathu area of Phuket to perform. At that time, Kathu was the main town in Phuket as it was the center of the tin mining industry that helped make Phuket quite wealthy. Many Chinese settled here during the tin mining boom years, and thus you have a huge Thai-Chinese population in Phuket, mostly around Kathu and Phuket Town. Anyway, the travelers got sick, and then followed a vegetarian diet and bingo! T...
More About: Food

Eating Out: The Lunch Room
2008-09-27 15:46:00
I don't think there's any mention of this place anywhere on the web yet... well, it only opened a few weeks ago. The Lunch Room is in the Kathu area of Phuket, close to Kathu Waterfall (coming from Patong you'd go just past the waterfall road - Soi Namtok Kathu - and The Lunch Room is on the right side). This area of Kathu is being built up rapidly - lots of new houses around here, and it's just a couple of minutes from the Loch Palm Golf Club. We live in Kathu and we know the owner of The Lunch Room pretty well - she used to work with my wife years ago in the dive shop - and her husband was a dive instructor too!The Lunch Room is open every day except Sunday and does Thai food, all day breakfasts, some excellent baguette sandwiches, burgers, salads, spaghetti, coffee, cakes... Yes, it's not on the tourist trail, but if you are exploring in the Kathu area, it's a good option for a late breakfast, lunch or early dinner. In fact not too many options around there except noodles a...
More About: Eating Out , Eating

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is Coming!
2008-09-23 16:47:00
(Update 8th October) - photos are online:• Phuket Vegetarian Festival Photos 2008One of my favourite times of year is nearly here! The Phuket Vegetarian Festival starts on September 28th this year. The date is based on the Chinese lunar calendar and varies year to year (last year the festival started on October 11th) - this year is a bit early and I hope the weather holds, as late September/early October has a habit of being rather grotty.This is a spectacular, gruesome, fascinating festival. There is so much to see, some interesting food to sample, a real sense of history and tradition that many people do not realise exists in Phuket (hey, it's not all beaches, you know!). Over the last couple of years I have tried to see as much as possible, and this year plan to take a week off work in order to better experience the full range of festival happenings. Last year I was in Phuket Town twice for the famous processions which take place this year every morning from the 1st to 7th ...

The Similan Islands
2008-09-17 14:16:00
In 1999, I came to Thailand as a PADI Dive Instructor looking for work and thinking of spending a year here, maybe 2 if the diving was good. Certainly no thoughts of staying for ever or getting married or raising a family. No, first and foremost, I wanted to dive the Similan Islands . I'd already been teaching scuba diving for a year and had this romantic notion of working on a liveaboard dive boat, cruising the islands, diving every day and getting paid for it too!It took a couple of months before I got to the Similans, first doing some local diving and teaching courses and even joining a dive boat in Burma for a couple of weeks. There was not that much freelance work and I did think of leaving for greener pastures when finally that first Similan Islands trip was offered. 4 days on a liveaboard, 14 dives. Yes! Now, the local dive sites around Phuket and Phi Phi are good, there's lots of variety, masses of marine life, but... these sites do lack crystal clear waters. I had come fro...

Hotel Recommendation: Katathani (Kata Noi Beach)
2008-09-09 14:57:00
Well, I was just over at Kata Noi Beach a couple of weeks ago. Kata Noi always was quiet, and still is quiet because there is no through road, so somehow the beach seems like a sleepy backwater even though the rather large Katathani occupies most of the area!The resort has nearly 500 rooms and is divided into different wings spread along the beach and the very quiet road along the beachfront. The resort does not own the beach exactly, but I saw plenty of signs on the land fronting the beach saying "Katathani Hotel Guests Only". I guess the beach gets some day visitors, but if you are staying there it's almost a private beach. Kata Noi is pretty. You can see Koh Pu, the little island off Kata beach and you have rocky/jungly headlands at either end.Katathani gets lots of rave reviews on Tripadvisor, which is a good sign (that's reviews by people who have stayed there). Location is great, and you're not so isolated, even if you have that feeling of seclusion. Aside from the resort r...
More About: Recommendation

Hotel Recommendation: Burasari (Patong Beach)
2008-09-04 16:03:00
Now I admit Patong Beach is not my favourite place in Phuket... I hardly ever go there unless I have to, BUT although this blog is called "Jamie's Phuket", one must concede that many people stay in Patong and many people like to stay in a "lively" location with plenty of bars, shopping, restaurants, Starbucks, banana boats and tailors. Not everyone likes the quiet places, so ... if you DO like Patong, there are some good hotels, indeed some excellent hotels.The Burasari is quite a fancy boutique resort with about 180 rooms of different styles and sizes. High season rates from 4,000 - 10,000 Baht/night. Low season you can stay for a little over 2,000 Baht! There are many different room types from Classic to Premier and Elite. Then you have the individually designed "Mood" rooms which are huge and have names such as Mocha Spice, Sweet Dream, Serene Sand and Blue Breeze. Patong is outside, but when you are in the resort with several pools, mini waterfalls and gardens, it's very peace...
More About: Hotel , Recommendation

Phuket Airport Closed by Anti-Government Protesters
2008-08-29 14:49:00
I would not normally post breaking news, but things are happening here in Phuket and in Bangkok that need to be mentioned. There will be no dicussion of who is right or wrong. It's not my place to comment. I heard shouts on the TV this evening of "Ock Bai" which basically means "Get Out". Similar shouts were heard nearly 2 years ago.Update Sunday Morning 31st AugustPhuket Wan erports a late night meeting reached no conclusion. No flights today? These people are starting to hurt Phuket... Samak still refuses to step down, but I just heard on the BBC news that the army chief has "suggested" that Samak should step down. Reports in the Thai papers say that a large pro-government group is gathering in Bangkok. One hopes the pro's and the anti's don't start any argy bargy.Saturday evening 30th AugustWell, a lovely sunny day here. I have "caught the sun". Nice. But not nice if you are supposed to be flying in or out of Phuket today. This is going to make a few people rather annoyed. Kr...
More About: Government , Airport , Protesters , Anti

Phuket Butterfly Garden
2008-08-27 15:14:00
We had been once before to the Phuket Butterfly Garden , years ago when our daughter was little and before our son was born. Somehow never made it back until a couple of weeks ago. Our daughter said she wanted to go again. She'd just been on a school "field trip" and they'd been studying the life cycle of the butterfly, so I think butterflies were one of her current favourite things.The full name is Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insect World - yes, they have more than just butterflies! It's just north of Phuket town in the Sam Kong area not far from Tesco Lotus. It's reasonably well signposted, not too hard to find.. they also have a pick up service which can be quite a good deal (see the website link below). Entrance is 300 Baht for adults, 150 Baht for kids. Adult in this case means over 10 years old. Locals like us pay a bit less, but I think that's only fair for "regular" local visitors... twice already! And we'll go again soon, as after we'd left our daughter told us we'd ...

New Lonely Planet Guide to Phuket
2008-08-23 02:40:00
It was a few months ago that a guy called Adam visited our office and said he was doing some research for a new Lonely Planet guidebook all about Phuket . He explained this was a new kind of guide. Rather than try to pack the entire SE Asia region or the whole of Thailand into a guidebook that ends up weighing 2 kilos and is out of date by the time it's published, the new idea is to make small pocket sized guides to single destinations, ideal for holidaymakers. Sounded good - a small, detailed guidebook with way more information about Phuket than you can find squeezed into any Thailand guide."Looking for information about Phuket? You've come to the right place!", said the author of Jamie's Phuket! I and Khun Wan, our all-knowing secretary/accountant then supplied Adam with an information overload. Wan also helped him out with translations and interviews. I think Adam stayed about a month in Phuket travelling all over the island. Very nice guy - you can see his website here: Adam S...
More About: Guide , Lonely Planet

New Lonely Planet Guide to Phuket
2008-08-23 02:40:00
It was a few months ago that a guy called Adam visited our office and said he was doing some research for a new Lonely Planet guidebook all about Phuket . He explained this was a new kind of guide. Rather than try to pack the entire SE Asia region or the whole of Thailand into a guidebook that ends up weighing 2 kilos and is out of date by the time it's published, the new idea is to make small pocket sized guides to single destinations, ideal for holidaymakers. Sounded good - a small, detailed guidebook with way more information about Phuket than you can find squeezed into any Thailand guide."Looking for information about Phuket? You've come to the right place!", said the author of Jamie's Phuket! I and Khun Wan, our all-knowing secretary/accountant then supplied Adam with an information overload. Wan also helped him out with translations and interviews. I think Adam stayed about a month in Phuket travelling all over the island. Very nice guy - you can see his website here: Adam S...
More About: Guide , Lonely Planet

Kata Noi Beach
2008-08-18 17:01:00
Kata Noi beach hardly seems to have changed in years. I took a ride over to Kata Noi last week to take some photos in the sunshine and have to say... Nice! Actually it has probably been a few years since I was last there. Kata Noi is not the kind of beach you pass through. The road is a dead end after crossing over from Kata beach (only takes a few minutes), so I suppose you really only go to Kata Noi if you stay there or out of curiosity.The beach is clean and is framed by headlands at either end. I know that in the high season you can get some decent snorkeling off the beach. When I was there (a hot low season day) the sand was almost too hot to walk on. Small massage shacks were doing a good business and there were a fair number of people on the beach and a few surfers trying to catch a wave. I don't think Kata Noi ever gets crowded, though. The one road behind the beach is quiet, there are a few restaurants, a few small hotels such as Kata Noi Bay Inn and Kata Noi Club Bungalow...
More About: Beach

Kata Noi Beach
2008-08-18 17:01:00
Kata Noi beach hardly seems to have changed in years. I took a ride over to Kata Noi last week to take some photos in the sunshine and have to say... Nice! Actually it has probably been a few years since I was last there. Kata Noi is not the kind of beach you pass through. The road is a dead end after crossing over from Kata beach (only takes a few minutes), so I suppose you really only go to Kata Noi if you stay there or out of curiosity.The beach is clean and is framed by headlands at either end. I know that in the high season you can get some decent snorkeling off the beach. When I was there (a hot low season day) the sand was almost too hot to walk on. Small massage shacks were doing a good business and there were a fair number of people on the beach and a few surfers trying to catch a wave. I don't think Kata Noi ever gets crowded, though. The one road behind the beach is quiet, there are a few restaurants, a few small hotels such as Kata Noi Bay Inn and Kata Noi Club Bungalow...
More About: Beach

The Big Chicken Restaurant
2008-08-11 14:52:00
If you drive on the normal bus route between Patong and Phuket Town, after passing through the area called Tungtong, and passing the Phuket Country Club you'll see a restaurant that is also a local landmark. Everyone knows where the Big Chicken is! You can't miss it... (see location on Google Earth)Now, we must have driven past a thousand times, on the way to nearby Bang Wad reservoir for example. We have been living in the Kathu area for 5 years. Our house is about 5 minutes drive from the big chicken, but we only ate there for the first time quite recently. We figured it was just another local place, and as the decor is quite decent (I mean wooden chairs instead of plastic!) and there always seem to be nice cars parked outside, we thought it might be a bit more expensive than some other local places.Actually, although many of the customers do seem to be well-off locals, the restaurant is quite cheap. Basic Thai dishes go for 40 - 80 Baht. We can get things like fried rice or chi...
More About: Restaurant

The Big Chicken Restaurant
2008-08-11 14:52:00
If you drive on the normal bus route between Patong and Phuket Town, after passing through the area called Tungtong, and passing the Phuket Country Club you'll see a restaurant that is also a local landmark. Everyone knows where the Big Chicken is! You can't miss it... (see location on Google Earth)Now, we must have driven past a thousand times, on the way to nearby Bang Wad reservoir for example. We have been living in the Kathu area for 5 years. Our house is about 5 minutes drive from the big chicken, but we only ate there for the first time quite recently. We figured it was just another local place, and as the decor is quite decent (I mean wooden chairs instead of plastic!) and there always seem to be nice cars parked outside, we thought it might be a bit more expensive than some other local places.Actually, although many of the customers do seem to be well-off locals, the restaurant is quite cheap. Basic Thai dishes go for 40 - 80 Baht. We can get things like fried rice or chi...
More About: Restaurant

Exploring Phuket Town
2008-08-05 15:58:00
I have always liked Phuket Town . Big enough to be interesting, small enough to be easily explored, busy but without crazy traffic (most of the traffic bypasses the town), lots of interesting areas, hills and views, parks, temples, local people who seem rather detached from the tourism that grips the main beaches. Phuket Town is where you can find local life a plenty, local festivals and a different nightlife scene to the tourist zones.I realised today there is a lot of information relating to Phuket Town on this blog, so this post is a way to tie it all together. I still want to blog more about the town - the big fresh market for example and the Chinese shrines, and one day I must "blog" a ride on the local buses that run from town all over the island. There are also loads of little specialist shops that you just can't find anywhere else. As I say, I like Phuket Town, always something new to find. Old Phuket TownA few square blocks in the center is where to find the best of th...
More About: Exploring

Exploring Phuket Town
2008-08-05 15:58:00
I have always liked Phuket Town . Big enough to be interesting, small enough to be easily explored, busy but without crazy traffic (most of the traffic bypasses the town), lots of interesting areas, hills and views, parks, temples, local people who seem rather detached from the tourism that grips the main beaches. Phuket Town is where you can find local life a plenty, local festivals and a different nightlife scene to the tourist zones.I realised today there is a lot of information relating to Phuket Town on this blog, so this post is a way to tie it all together. I still want to blog more about the town - the big fresh market for example and the Chinese shrines, and one day I must "blog" a ride on the local buses that run from town all over the island. There are also loads of little specialist shops that you just can't find anywhere else. As I say, I like Phuket Town, always something new to find. Old Phuket TownA few square blocks in the center is where to find the best of th...
More About: Exploring

The Top 10 Hotels in Phuket
2008-07-25 10:02:00
If you're planning a trip to Phuket , you are almost certainly going to need a place to stay unless you already bought a house or have friends living here. Phuket has a huge variety of accommodation available from backpackers dorms to 5 star (6 star?) luxury resorts. You'll find a page of recommended Phuket hotels on the blog already, and I try to add another hotel every month or so. The hotels on the recommendation page are ones I like because of their location, or because they've been recommended to me by others, or because they offer something different. But what are the BEST hotels in Phuket?Well, don't ask me. I have a house, so don't stay in hotels. The following Top 10 list is based on the Phuket hotel reviews on TripAdvisor.com, which is one of the biggest travel sites online, with reviews, forums, advice (and advertising, which is how they make their money). The reviews are by real tourists who have stayed in the hotels, and if you take a look, you'll see honest review...
More About: Hotels

The Top 10 Hotels in Phuket
2008-07-25 10:02:00
If you're planning a trip to Phuket , you are almost certainly going to need a place to stay unless you already bought a house or have friends living here. Phuket has a huge variety of accommodation available from backpackers dorms to 5 stat (6 star?) luxury resorts. You'll find a page of recommended Phuket hotels on the blog already, and I try to add another hotel every month or so. The hotels on the recommendation page are ones I like because of their location, or because they've been recommended to me by others, or because they offer something different. But what are the BEST hotels in Phuket?Well, don't ask me. I have a house, so don't stay in hotels. The following Top 10 list is based on the Phuket hotel reviews on TripAdvisor.com, which is one of the biggest travel sites online, with reviews, forums, advice (and advertising, which is how they make their money). The reviews are by real tourists who have stayed in the hotels, and if you take a look, you'll see honest review...
More About: Hotels