Thailand's biggest island, with an airport, a hospital, and beaches that range from a full-blown party strip to coves where almost nothing happens. Getting the beach right is the whole decision.
It's about three kilometres of it, and it accounts for nearly all of Phuket's reputation.
Patong is loud, cheap, packed and open until four in the morning. Some people love it. Most families and couples who book it by accident do not. Twenty minutes north or south you get Kata, Karon, Kamala, Surin and Nai Harn — all on the same west coast with the same sunsets, all considerably quieter. And Phuket's real advantage over Krabi or Samui is infrastructure: an international airport, proper hospitals, and boats to the Phi Phi islands, Phang Nga Bay and the Similans.
The island itself is only half of it — the boat trips are the other half.
Sea kayaking under limestone karsts and into hongs — collapsed caves open to the sky. The best day out from Phuket.
Ninety minutes by speedboat. Go on an early tour or stay a night — by eleven the day boats arrive in force.
Forty-five metres of white marble on a hilltop, with the whole island below. Free, and best at sunset.
Sino-Portuguese shophouses in pastel colours, and the Sunday walking street. Nothing like the beaches.
The best diving in Thailand, a day trip north. Closed mid-May to mid-October for the monsoon.
Market visit, then four dishes. Cheaper than a good dinner and the most useful souvenir you'll bring home.
All the main beaches are on the west coast. What changes is how loud they are.
Nightlife, cheap shopping and Bangla Road. Book it deliberately or avoid it deliberately.
Ten minutes south. Good sand, restaurants, and a fraction of the noise. Our usual recommendation.
North of Patong. Boutique hotels, calm beaches, and where couples do best.
Quietest of all, with a lake behind the beach and a Thai-feeling village.
November to April is the Andaman dry season, and the only window we'd book Phuket in without a caveat.
December to March is the peak: dry, calm sea, and the highest prices. May to October is the south-west monsoon — heavy afternoon rain rather than all-day drizzle, prices drop sharply, and the sea gets rough enough that many boat trips stop and the Similans close entirely. If your dates are fixed to summer we'd move you to Koh Samui on the Gulf coast instead.
Phuket (HKT), 45–60 minutes to most beaches. Direct and one-stop flights from the UK.
Taxis are expensive and metered ones are rare. Grab works. Scooters are cheap and Phuket's roads are dangerous — we'd say no.
Thai baht. Cards in hotels and malls; markets, boats and street food are cash.
No visa needed for UK passports on stays under 60 days. We'll confirm current rules.
We'll match the beach to what you actually want, book the boat trips, and write the payment plan out in full.
Phuket for infrastructure, choice and easy flights. Krabi for scenery and a quieter feel. Many people do both — they're two hours apart by boat.
If you want nightlife, yes, and it's cheap. If you want to sleep, no. It's the most-regretted booking on the island.
May to October, unless the price is the priority. The rain is manageable; the rough sea and cancelled boat trips are the real issue.
Yes — a 90-minute flight, and two or three nights in Bangkok first is the shape we book most.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
