I’ve been reading every post here for the last 6 months as we planned our trip to Phuket. Here now and still for several more days…
Background: We’re a couple in their early 30s, 24+ hours of travel to Phuket from the US.
Take aways that may help others:
Patong is fun, but not the “must stay” area I expected… We’re staying at the Holiday Inn resort IHG. It’s a good central location, walking to Bangla is convienent. Beach is OK, but we’ve not been drawn to spending more than an hour or so there so far. Bangla road is fun, but not somewhere we’ve wanted to go nightly. We really like the live band at the New York bar and Ilusion plays great music and has a great vibe.
We hired a mini bus driver for 8 hours for 2500 baht to take us to temples and shopping markets. Absolutely amazing experience. We also hired him for airport transfers and hotel transfers, and while we could have spent less, it’s worth every penny to have a consistent and trusted driver.
Phi Phi Island tour: We went with 5 star marine. They have a max of 15 people per tour. While we were out, we saw many of the same size boat with 40+ people squeezed in. Not ideal in my opinion. This trip was beyond what I expected, with unforgettable views!
Currency exchange:
As a test, I did 1 small transaction on my chase card. The conversion rate was 28 baht per usd plus a 7% fee. This is awful compared to the 35-35.80 baht per usd the exchanges offer here. Even the airport had 30 baht to usd. We exchanged a few $100 usd to have pocket funds at the airport and then the rest at an exchange close to our hotel for 35.50 baht to usd. Superrich was offering 35.80, but conveince also has value.
Food:
If you see locals eating there, it’s gonna be good. On the main strip you light pay 100-150 baht per plate. Off strip good food is 50-70 baht per plate.
Leaving a tip is extremely appreciated. American culture is to tip for good service, I’ve been very happy to leave tips, they seem genuinely happy to receive them.
Weather:
It shows rain every day, but outside of the massive downpour the first night, we’ve only experienced a few sprinkles here and there. The weather has been beautiful!
Shopping:
At our drivers recommendation, we’ve been saving the bulk of our shopping for the Naka night market, but have bought a few trinkets for the kids. I will haggle on the knock off stuff, but the hand made trinkets I’m happy to pay the small asking prices!
We’re transferring hotels today and are here for another 4 days, so feel free to ask anything from an American tourist point of view.
