I have so much more to write about my Japan trip but I’ll skip to my short weekend in Phuket last month first. It was my third time in Phuket. I had great fun the first couple of times I was there, although in very different ways. The first time I was there, years ago, I did the full day island tour, rode to Old Phuket on a motorbike, cruised around Patong and enjoyed the beach and surf at Patong beach. The second, I stayed close to Bangla Road with a buddy of mine and lived like a teenager on a school trip for a few days, mostly surviving on beer. But, after this third trip, either I’m finally growing up or I just found the best way to spend a weekend in Phuket….and it will not involve bike rides or drinking on Bangla Road in Patong.
Renting a car in Phuket
My ride in Phuket
By the time I passed immigration, it was already well into the evening and I didn’t want to grab a taxi. Instead, I settled for a rental car. I could have booked one in advance (here) but I was worried my Mauritian car license would now allow me to drive there, which I realise did not matter. Any valid car license will get you a car. Car rental agencies can be found right after the baggage collection area. I approached Avis and Hertz first and both referred me to their ‘friend’ who could give me a better deal.
Still, I wanted to get a car from an international brand for peace of mind with regards to insurance. I went to Sixt and they were willing to give me a Honda Jazz for 1,200Baht a day. However, the deposit was 20,000Baht. Again, the lady at the counter referred me to her friend, who suddenly appeared while I was there. I decided to let him do his sales pitch. Well, it was good enough for me to rent from him.
For 1,200Baht a day (which I believe was above what he would normally charge but I let that slide because of time), I got a 1500cc Honda Jazz hatchback. The safety deposit was 5,000Baht. In the event of an accident, you would bear the cost of damage up to 10,000Baht while they cover the rest. For an additional 200Baht a day, the 10,000Baht limit is waived so that they bear the full cost of any damage and there isn’t a need for a safety deposit. I decided to part with the 200Baht a day. So for a couple of days, billed by 24-hour slots, I paid 2 days x (1,200Baht rental + 200Baht insurance) = 2,800Baht.
After printing a copy of my passport and my car license (courtesy of Sixt), I was delivered the car, which was in very good condition after inspecting inside and out. Now, rental companies in Phuket are supposed to rent you a car with a full gas tank and on return, you are supposed to give it back with a full gas tank. My car rental guy said he had just received the car from another customer and the tank was empty. He said he’d pay for whatever gas I had in the tank when I’d return the car. I was too impatient to argue and took off.
Driving in Phuket and Things to do
You will receive a map once you rent a car but I recommend that you get familiar with the place beforehand. This is a great place to start: http://phukhao.com/download/maps/Phuket-map-5.gif. It takes about 45 minutes from the airport to Patong beach. That’s if you get your bearings right. I missed an exit and did that trip in slightly over an hour. Driving in Phuket, in spite of what I read online, is relatively fuss-free. Roads are well-maintained and wide, signs are in English and drivers are not all that bad. I’m mindful that I was there during low peak season so during high peak that may be different with tourists on the road. In the two days I was there, I drove across pretty much the whole of Phuket. From Patong, I went to Big Buddha and did the South coast drive, starting from Rawai all the way up to Patong through Nai Harn, Kata Noi, Kata and Karon. I also did the North coast drive from Patong up to Mai Khao through Surin and Kamala beach. Worth mentioning are the drive to Big Buddha which was a nice cruise up a hill with great views of Phuket, Surin beach which was much less crowded than Patong, and Rawai for the seafood.
Bigger than I expected at 45m high, this statue stands tall atop a hill not far from the southern-most roundabout. The latter will become an important landmark if you’re driving. You can reach the Big Buddha after a nice 15-minute drive up the hill which has great views of Phuket.
Promthep Cape
I read online that the cape provides a great sunset viewpoint. That may be true but I didn’t linger on long enough to experience that. The place was too crowded with the weather much too foggy for a nice sunset. Nonetheless, it’s always humbling to stand on a hill and have the endlessness of the ocean stare back at you.
Surin beach and Bimi bar
Surin beach was much less crowded than Patong and offered waves big enough for surfing. The next time I’m in Phuket, i will definitely spend more time on Surin beach. I got lost while driving to Surin beach from Patong. The sign faces the other direction and when driving it’s too easily missed. I realised I was lost when I hit Bang Tao and turned back. In that direction, the sign cannot be missed. We headed for Bimi bar which was recommended by a friend for its laid-back feel, similar to the old KM8 in Singapore for those who are familiar. Grilled seafood, beer, bean bags on the beach, all the ingredients for a nice afternoon at the beach.
Stay: Amari Phuket
Our stay at Amari was great. From the moment you arrive, you get that soothing feeling you can only get in a proper resort. The place was not very hard to find. It’s at the southern end of Patong beach. The only trouble is that roads in Patong are mostly all one-way. I came up from Karon when I first arrived and it only takes a left turn once you reach Patong and another left once you hit the T-junction (you can’t turn right anyway). Amari is a short drive from there after a small roundabout and crossing a small bridge.
Amari is a relatively expansive resort. I parked at the lobby to fill in our particulars and the hotel had a car to direct us to our room which was further away from the lobby. It took a drive up a small hill and down again to reach our rooms. We were upgraded to the deluxe room and apparently all of these are further away from the main lobby. I had a parking spot reserved for me, thankfully.
Our room was on the ground floor which was great. It was a fairly spacious room with a nice cosy balcony facing the sea. The room comes will all you can expect from a resort. They had all the main English channels you can expect as well as free WiFi. The only oddity was the bathroom. They did not have a bathtub. I believe it’s the first time I visit a resort without a bathtub. Also regrettable was the fact that you are not able to access the beach directly from your balcony. It may be for security reasons or because they do not want people to damage their well-maintained grass leading to the beach, but it was disappointing nonetheless.
Amari has five restaurants and a 24-hour room service. I ordered their burger, pizza and pasta through room service. They were all decent. Breakfast is at Rim Talay restaurant, which faces the pool and the sea. The breakfast buffet was great with a wide selection of food. Everything you can expect of a five-star hotel. The swimming pool is rather small but why would you soak in the pool when you have the sea, right?
Amari has its own little private beach. Well, not really private since beaches are open to the public in Phuket, but highly inaccessible if you are not staying at Amari. During low tide, you can walk on the beach but high tide sees almost everything covered.
The next time I’m in Phuket, and if I decided to stay on Patong, I will most certainly stay there again.
Eat: Rawai Beach
While exploring their wide variety of dishes during breakfast at Amari Phuket, I walked into one of the chefs. He’d been in Phuket for years and knew the place pretty well. I received great tips on the nice drives around the place and the great food we could try. One of these was seafood at Rawai. From what he said, most people recommend Kan Eang seafood but it’s apparently a tourist trap with ridiculously priced seafood. On the other hand, Rawai provides seafood for a reasonable price. The concept is fantastic. On one side of the street, you have fresh seafood being sold. You buy whatever you want and head to one of the restaurants on the other side of the street. These guys will cook your seafood for a few hundred Bahts. They have a menu listing the different styles you can have your seafood done. I went to Chay Lay which is the last restaurant along the stretch. The staff was nice, their recommendation well received and the food absolutely great!
Phuket is only an hour and 40 minutes from Singapore. In the past two years, prices have really gone down and a return flight usually costs less than S$200 trumping the old favourite get-away destination Bangkok. Other islands like Koh Samui and Koh Pangan are still exorbitant. I very highly recommend a weekend in Phuket, whether you’re single, a couple or a family.
kstallworthy
Beautiful shots of some great places to visit in Phuket!
johahnb
Thanks! 🙂
Nazrul
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