Top Five Tips on Traveling to Phuket, Thailand

I really do not know what brought me in this gorgeous tropical paradise when in fact I am not a beach bum nor a sun worshiper, perhaps that blockbuster movie "The Beach" (in which some scenes were taken at the gorgeous Phi Phi Island) just amazed me. Added to that, most activities in this island involved water which is really my weakness.

I visited this tropical paradise for 5 days and I loved every minute of it. "It's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something. And if you find that moment... It lasts forever." - from the movie The Beach. Now I know why so many tourists from all over the world choose to spend their holidays in Phuket rather than spending them somewhere else. There are some other interesting options as well, such as these affordable beach resorts, but clearly Phuket has become a very popular travel destination. For those considering going, here are my Top Five tips on traveling to Phuket.

1. Reserve your plane ticket ahead of time
It would be smart to book your plane tickets ahead of time because there are times especially during high or peak seasons where flights bound for Phuket are full. Also most low-cost airlines announced seat sales few months before the travel date. During my travel in Phuket, I got my ticket through AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur to Phuket) and it only cost less than 2,000THB. Just be alert for the announcement of their promo fares or you may subscribe to their Facebook pages. This way you can cut off your expenses.

2. Arrival at Phuket airport and transportation from airport to your hotel
Since Phuket Domestic Airport is one of the busiest airport in Thailand, expect a long queue to get your passport stamped. Also try to lengthen your patience as you will get to encounter tourist who tries to insert in the line just to have his/her passport stamped and could exit immediately. See my previous post for a detailed guide for transportation from airport to your hotel.

3. Where to stay in Phuket
If you want to avoid the hassle of searching for possible accommodation on the day that you arrived in Phuket, I suggest try do your homework by searching for accommodation online through agoda, tripadvisor or roomorama. Also I suggest to stay at Patong where most of the hotels are at the beach front and it is where you can find the best beaches in Phuket.

4. Best deal for Phuket tour
I am pretty sure that your taxi driver will hand you some brochures about Phuket tour and worst they will bring you to the office of the travel agency where they are affiliated. If this happens, you may check on their offered price, but never commit as there are cheaper deals you can find in Patong or in old Phuket town. Also try to haggle or ask for discounts. We got our tour equivalent to the price offered for children.

5. Things to do in Phuket
There are several activities you can enjoy in Phuket, but the major activities include Phi Phi Island tour and Phang-Nga Bay/James Bond Island tour. For other interesting activities you can do in Phuket you may visit my previous post entitled "Top 5 things to do in Phuket."