It’s Phuket Time! From the North of Thailand we flew all the way down to the South were we had our first stop in Phuket. There we stayed for 5 nights in the Fulfill Phuket Hostel. This was a really nice hostel and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The rooms were beautiful and cosy but the only negative thing about the room was that the walls were so thin that you could hear everything the neighbours were doing so that was not really pleasant.
When we were in Phuket it was very hot. The temperature almost reached a 40 degrees. So the first days we explored the beaches of Phuket. We went to Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Kata Beach.
As we stayed in the City of Phuket we had to take a local bus to get to the beaches. Which was pretty easy. There were a few local buses which went to different beaches every 30 minutes and it’s about 50 minutes on the bus. It’s not the most comfortable bus ride but it’s definitely the cheapest. It’s only 30 baht per person to get to the beach. One day when we came back from Karon Beach and the bus was overloaded. There were seats for about 30 people and I reckon there were at least 45 people on the bus. It was so unsafe, Bram even had to hang onto a ladder at the back of the bus, but the more people the more money that’s the only thing they think about. All the local people and other tourists were even looking like what the hell are they doing!
Let’s tell you more about the different beaches we went to.
Patong Beach is the most famous beach in Phuket and therefore the most touristy. The beach is actually not that special we thought it wasn’t that beautiful. Overcrowded, the water was a bit dirty and not clear at all. But you have heaps of shops and restaurants there as it’s so touristy.
Karon Beach was much nicer. We really loved the beach, it was quieter, the water was clearer and bluer. We really had a lovely day at Karon Beach. From there we walked to Kata Beach it’s about a 15-20 minute walk. We just went there to have a look. It was nice but not as nice as Karon Beach. The beaches in Phuket were not that special we liked Karon Beach the most but it was definitely not our favourite beach of all times.
A must do when you are in Phuket is the Phi Phi Islands. We didn’t book a tour through a tourist agency but we did some research ourselves. These tourist agencies have all these cheap deals but you definitely won’t have the same experience as when you do a more expensive tour. You will see the same things but maybe with twice as many people. So when we did some research we found out that Simba Sea Trips and Phuket Sail Tours are the best to go with. We chose for Simba Sea Trips and we really had the best experience. With them you experience the Phi Phi Islands in small groups by speedboat. You go early in the morning which makes you the first one on the islands and give you the opportunities to enjoy it even more and make the best shots. These two features convinced us to choose for Simba Sea Trips.
The Simba’s Phi Phi sunrise tour involves an early start. You’ll get picked up around 5am and the boat leaves from the Royal Marina at 6am and dropped off again at 2.30pm to avoid the crowds. This is at least 2 hours before most other companies start their boat tours to the Phi Phi islands. There is some breakfast provided upon your arrival. Before you leave the Marina you’ll get a short brief of how your day will look like. You’ll be on the speedboat with max. 12 people which makes it really enjoyable and you’ll have enough space. When you leave the Marina it’s about an hour to the first stop “Bamboo Beach”. During the boat ride you can enjoy the stunning sunrise. You’ll be the first group on the island which is amazing. You can enjoy a nice breakfast on beach with local food and fruits. The second stop is at Pileh Lagoon. It is a spectacular emerald green lagoon surrounded by high limestone cliffs on 3 sides, one of the world’s most gorgeous natural swimming pools. Normally you would stop at Maya Bay but it’s closed for tourists because it has been damaged to much. So after the swim you will have your first snorkeling stop, snorkeling equipment is provided. There are two snorkeling stops in total. You have another stop at Monkey Beach. You stop there to watch the monkey troops but you stay on the boat just for your own safety. These are wild monkeys and can get a little aggressive.
For lunch you stop at Koh Rang Yai. The food was delicious and after lunch you get some free time to relax and have a swim and then it’s time to go back.
We really had an amazing time on this trip and definitely want to recommend Simba Sea Trips for other travellers . The day after we had to leave Phuket. We took the bus to Krabi which was easy and cheap. It was time to explore something new.