After our quick stop in Bangkok, we took a SUPER CHEAP Air Asia flight over to Phuket. We arrived late at night and had booked a car service from the airport to the hotel. When traveling around new countries, I always recommend booking a car through the hotel you’re staying at. It saves a ton of time and stress of trying to navigate a new place and haggle with drivers or figure out public transit in a different language.
Our first stop was Patong, the party center of the island of Phuket. We had checked in around midnight so we didn’t really know how amazing our hotel was until we woke up in the morning and took a look outside. We stayed at the Baan Lamai hotel which was right on the beach and only about 2 blocks from the heart of the nightlife.
Our first surprise in the morning was how beautiful the lobby was. Everything was open air, and the palm trees were HUGE. We crossed the bridge over the koi pond and headed over to the incredible breakfast buffet that was included with our room. They had American, English, Chinese, Japanese and Thai options, so there was definitely something for everyone.
After breakfast we grabbed a few spots at the pool close to the swim up bar. I’m a HUGE sucker for swim up bars – there is nothing better than an ice cold drink while in the pool in the sun. I will say, this particular bar was located in a weird spot – it was super close to the edge of the pool and was in the shade for the majority of the day, so we tended to swim up, get drinks, and head back towards our chairs to be in the sun.
After a few drinks we decided to head out and explore the area a bit. Directly outside our hotel was the beach. We walked along the beach a few blocks to Bangla Road, which is the main drag for bars and clubs. We walked down and took a look at all of the crazy signs and themed bars.
Flash rainstorms are super common and as we were walking we suddenly got caught in a downpour. Luckily there was a restaurant right next to us so we popped into The Kitchen for some Thai food and beer. At every restaurant there was this sauce in a heinz bottle – I’m still not sure exactly what it is, but it seemed like a slightly spicier sweet and sour sauce and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend finding a way to incorporate it into every meal you have.
After lunch we found a foot massage spot and settled in for a $12 hour long massage. The foot massages in Patong are incredible. We ended up getting 3 of them in a 2 day period. After our massage we bar hopped back to our hotel, checking out a bunch of hole-in-the-wall bars.
After a quick shower and change, we headed out for dinner at Patong Seafood. This was hands down the best Thai food we had during the trip. The restaurant is right on the beach, and they even allow you to choose the seafood from their live tank or their ice bank and then they’ll cook it for you. We opted for spring rolls, shrimp, and an incredible peanut chicken dish.
The next day we woke up, got another foot massage, and then tried out another incredible Thai restaurant (you really can’t go wrong with anything off the beaten path). That evening we left Baan Lamai and drove 45 minutes across the island via their car service to Siray Bay for the more relaxing portion of our island experience.
We felt like the combination of a few days in Patong, and then a few days at Siray Bay was the perfect combination of sightseeing and relaxation. Planning a trip to Phuket and want some advice? Spent some time there and have more tips for us? Leave us some comments below – we’d love to hear from you!
