5 Days in Phuket

Onto the last stretch of our adventures in Thailand.. Phuket! This place was infinitely more tourist-y than Chiang Mai and Bangkok – But for good reason! White sands and blue seas make this destination a dream come true!

We left Chiang Mai early in the morning for a two hour domestic flight straight to Phuket. We managed to get a shared transfer on arrival for only 200 baht each, and eventually arrived at our hotel Surf Sugar Marina in Kata in the early afternoon. This hotel, by the way, was equally as exquisite at the last! It was much bigger in size but you could certainly tell it was the off-peak season as the place was significantly bare! Which meant one thing: Pool to ourselves! Oh yes.

After a quick un-pack we headed straight out to the nearest beach where we had been DYING to see the gorgeous blue seas that had been pictured in every article we had read. Whilst it was quite late by the time we got there, (although only a few minutes from our hotel) it still didn’t disappoint. The water was SO WARM and the waves were pretty moderate too.. You could definitely do some beginner surfing for sure.

After a bit more exploring through the evening, we discovered Palm Square – not only does it have the most awesome umbrella decor, but it also has THE most amazing live music at night! Not to mention the delicious cocktails too! We ended up spending many nights here as nothing else really compared!

We booked a transfer and ferry via viator.com to Koh Phi Phi, one of the more deluxe islands near Phuket. It took quite a long time to get there and sadly we could only visit one beach due to sea-levels (I think? I may have been snoozing during this part!) but it was beyond beautiful! Before arriving on shore we transferred onto one of Thailand’s iconic long tail boats – if only all transport was this cool! On the island there was food, bars, snorkelling and sun-worshipping! It was bliss, peaceful and free of all the hustle and bustle. The only negative was that we could only stay two hours.. I could seriously have stayed all day. Although you would need a fair bit of cash just to buy a few drinks here.. Definitely one of the pricier areas in Thailand!

We booked this tour here.

This was one of the top rated tours on trip advisor, so we decided to see what all the fuss was about.. We opted for the half-day countryside tour on account of the fact that I’m not a very experienced biker! It was another join-in tour and I have say that when the bus began picking up the rest of the group in their biking t-shirts and seriously athletic physique’s, I was slightly mortified that I had got myself into something horrendous that I wasn’t skilled enough for! But I was totally wrong.. It wasn’t exactly an easy bike ride, but it wasn’t difficult either! It took a bit of getting used to the terrain.. And yes, I was the idiot of the group who kept using her feet to brake rather than the actual brake.. *HIGHLIGHT – IDIOT* but the experience was incredible! It was beyond picturesque and so worth it! We biked through crazy woodland tracks, pineapple plantations, rubber farms, stopped at a waterfall and visited the gibbon rehabilitation centre before beginning a more relaxed road-journey down to the sea! Who knew you could pack so much into half-a-day via bike?! I cannot recommend this tour enough – it was a personal fave of mine! Maybe I’ll get more bike-skilled and return for the full day adventure!

In the evening we took a walk to Kata Noi Beach which was about a 30minute walk from Kata. I had read this beach was much quieter and slightly nicer.. and it really was! We sat and watched the sun set with an alcoholic beverage… A must when you’re on vacation, right?

THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF THAILAND, HANDS DOWN. This was the priciest tour we booked at 3,300 baht per person, (!!) so I was anxious to see if it lived up to its price – and oh my, IT DID. It really really did! Each canoe had its own tour guide who located us through the caves pointing out the different shapes they looked like. My personal fave was the Piranha. The caves were incredibly tight and slightly scary, we had to lay down just to fit through some of them! It was hard to get photos inside the caves (my camera just isn’t up to night-mode!) so sadly I didn’t get many photos inside.. But once through the caves, you enter a beautiful lagoon where you can see wildlife, jelly-fish, walking-fish, and even monkeys! It was beyond beautiful. We also went through a bat cave where we got peed on lots! It was the most breath-taking trip we took throughout our time in Thailand… I hope these pictures do it some justice!

We booked this tour here.

Our very last day (boo!) was a chilled out one. We spent the morning chilling on the beach (again!) before heading off to play a bit of Mini Golf at the Dino Park in Kata. Which I am very pleased to say, I WON AT. Oh yes! We then took a Songthaew to the After Beach Bar which was only a few minutes drive from Kata, but it was up a very steep hill that we simply didn’t fancy walking up in the 40 degree heat. However, we did walk back down 😉 This place had incredible views over Kata Noi and was the perfect place to spend a final evening watching the sun set. Whilst the food was vastly more pricey, it wasn’t anything special – But I still recommend a visit just for the views!

The next morning we headed back to Bangkok for one night before heading back home to the UK! I’m thoroughly missing the awesomeness of Thailand.. The incredible street food, the beaches, the people, the weather.. Seriously, Thailand is a MUST visit. It really is one of my favourite places, ever! We shall definitely be back Thailand, just not soon enough!