Blog

Phuket… Say it with me Poo-Ket!

Don’t let me fool you. I am NOT a good surfer, but I am pretty flexible and agile. I am a former competition cheerleader. After Bangkok, we headed to Phuket. Initially we were suppose to go to Phuket from Koh Phagan but I axed those plans when I first got to Bangkok. Thankfully, AirAsia offers cheap last-minute flights to Phuket from Bangkok. A one-way flight ran me $61.  If I hadn’t changed the itinerary last-minute, I could have gotten a cheaper ticket. Because we were headed back to Bangkok after going to Chiang Mai from Phuket, we struck a deal with our guest house in Bangkok to keep our big suitcases under the condition we would continue to stay with them upon our return to Bangkok. (We ended up getting back and staying somewhere cheaper. They didn’t hassle us either. Score!) I couldn’t travel with all that luggage and pay close to $200 in baggage fees. Absolutely too much stuff! We fit everything into one duffle bag and our book bags. What a difference less luggage makes to your traveling experience.

When we arrived to Phuket we had two options to get to our guest house. Either take a $20 cab or an $8 shuttle. We decided to go with the $8 shuttle, but there was a catch. We had to wait until at least 10 passengers paid in order to leave. After waiting 45 minutes for another flight to land, we finally left the airport. Of course we stopped at a tourist center on the way. smh. Don’t fall for the supposed “deals” they offer for tours and other activities. It’s best to do your research and solidify plans through your hotel. Our hotel was definitely modest but clean. We stayed at the Regent Guest House, which was $15 a night so $45 for the three nights we were there. We had free wi-fi too. All I ask for is free wi-fi and clean sheets!

My absolute favorite place to be is the beach. I woke up the next day bright and early ready to go! Patong Beach was within walking distance which was very convenient. Although I was hype to be at the beach, it wasn’t as nice as I expected. I was grateful nonetheless but I was anxious to find a better beach. After grabbing a map and asking a few people, we made our way to Surin beach. Absolutely gorgeous beach. We ended up renting a scooter to get there. It only cost $5! and 100 cents to fill it up! That’s like a gallon of gas in California.

I fell in love with Surin Beach! We only had two full days in Phuket and as you can imagine I spent both days at Surin Beach. There are many beaches on the island . If we would have stayed longer, I would have taken a boat to Pipi Island or the Island where James Bond was filmed. There are many small islands close by that offer a different experience. But like most islands, they are tourist destinations so I found that the prices for things were more expensive in Phuket than Bangkok. Although my mission was to experience the island on a budget, you can definitely experience Phuket in a very luxurious way. Plenty of five-star resorts and hotels with beautiful views.

Another great experience was having a home cooked Thai meal. Thank GOD for family friends. A family friend opened their home to us and boy did we appreciate the R&R! While enjoying the luxury of staying in a villa with killer views, I couldn’t help but to think about how I want my network to stretch across the globe! I mean what’s the point of traveling the world if you don’t make meaningful relationships!

All in all Phuket is definitely one of my top 5 favorite islands! Enjoy the pics. 

Nothing like a Thai tan!

They were promoting a fight by driving around and having two people box. Good marketing I guess.

Here’s the Phuket video just in case you missed it.