Eight Reasons Why Phuket Should Be on Your Bucket List
It blew my mind!
I visited Thailand for the second time in December, but it was my first time in Phuket.
It blew my mind because I had experiences I could never imagine.
Phuket is in the southern part of Thailand. The province also has plenty of islands like Krabi and Phi Phi, to name the famous ones.
I’ve only been to Bangkok earlier in Thailand. And while Bangkok is a big city with a lot to offer and such good shopping, Phuket’s vibe is entirely different. It's walkable, and the vibe in the air is uplifting, but the shopping could obviously be better.
Here’s why you should visit Phuket.
From Posh Cafe’s To Roadside Tiny Bars
Picture this.
You’re walking on the road by the beach that’s full of wonderful restaurants and bars. This is the main road, okay? Take one step into the narrow lanes, and you’ll find many tiny bars.
These bars are just long tables with a few women bartenders behind them and about 10–12 chairs.
I love trying out these smaller bars because almost everyone goes to the big restaurants anyway, and these bars help you meet locals and speak to other travellers. Also, because restaurants exist well in my home country, but these bars don’t.
So it’s a unique experience.
One such bar in Kyoto, Japan, was right opposite our hotel, and we met travellers from across the world there. It’s so much fun to have conversations about exploring the world as well as discussing how your world is strikingly different from theirs.
The Food, Though.
I started enjoying Thai food fairly recently, about 5 years ago.
Earlier, each time my family ordered Thai food, I’d order something else because I couldn’t stand the taste of peanuts and those curries. I don’t know what changed, but I started enjoying it.
Maybe it was less about the food and more about Sundays with my family, and how once in a few months we’d order in Thai, all sit at one table and enjoy our food.
I think it was that warm and fuzzy feeling of having them around, which is what made me enjoy the food, too.
And Thai food in Thailand in traditional Thai restaurants, not the multi-cuisine ones, is delicious.
I tried pineapple fried rice for the first time, paired with massaman curry and green curry, and it was so… light and soulful.
There was no heaviness that I felt, which I usually feel when I eat Thai at home and in other countries. I guess they overdo it with coconut cream or something.
Here’s what our food in this restaurant looked like:
My favourite meal was at a small makeshift place with three odd tables outside run by two ladies. I ate two mains there; that’s how amazing it was! And then I never saw the same dishes of vermicelli chicken and yellow noodles ever again.
Here’s what they looked like:
Also, the chilli oil tastes superb! It’s not spicy, just hot.
The Street Food Scene
Is another level, all together.
I’m big on street food and love Indian street food.
In Thailand, we ate pad thai frequently from roadside stalls.
This was mainly after having a long night of drinks. I had street Pad Thai about four times in 10 days because all these different stalls added distinct flavours. They also had so many unusual spices, and we were open to experimenting with most of them.
The roadside pancakes are also decent and taste rather healthy. I’m not sure why their food tastes so light, maybe because they don’t overdose Nutella and dressings like places usually do.
If your gut can take it, I highly recommend trying out local street food.
Dancing on The Streets
Bangla Road is a hub in the Patong Beach. It’s nested with lots of bars, but this particular one called New York Bar has live music and a very fun vibe.
Because of all these bars, it’s normal to see people just enjoying the music on the street. Lots of people just have a good time and dance with other people they don’t know.
It just all looks so… happy!
A Melting Pot of Culture
Similar to what I felt in London, it feels like the entire world is in Thailand. You can find people from almost anywhere. There’s no one nationality because there are so many of them!
And When You’re Tired of All This, Go to An Island!
There are plenty of islands a short ferry ride away.
We went to Krabi — to do nothing at all. Picked up a resort so we could be there all day and chill. Of course, being the foodies that my husband and I are, we went and explored a few places for dinner in the evening.
One of them was right at the beach, decorated with bohemian interiors and fairy lights. You could see stars so clearly that evening and there was some live music.
It was magical — by the sea, under the stars, with wonderful music, and fresh food. A sensory delight indeed!
We also hired a boat and went on a tour across a few islands. While we’re not crazy about the sun because we’re from a tropical country, we saw plenty of foreigners just sunbathing on these nearly empty islands.
You can go to one and just be and soak in, soak the sun, or absorb the energy.
The Best Part — Massages
Well, Thailand is known for its great massages.
We got one nearly every day.
I recommend Thai Massage at a better spa instead of the normal small shops and foot massages at those shops. Mainly because the good spas are cleaner and quieter and give a better atmosphere.
The parlours are open till midnight, and this one time, we got a foot massage in the morning and evening.
It was our favourite activity post lunch to get foot reflexology because it’s too hot to be outside and it’s relaxing to get a massage after some yummy food.
Finally, Fruits
As an Indian, I think our mangoes taste the best! I wait for summers every year to eat a variety of mangoes we produce here.
Thailand has a fruit culture where they give you fruit in a plastic cup or polythene bag with big toothpicks. There are so many of them, but I got excited seeing mangoes.
I wasn’t disappointed one bit when I tasted them. So delicious!
I also tasted passionfruit for the first time. I’ve only had it in cocktails earlier… Here’s a platter I ordered when I spent the entire day by the pool:
I’ve been to 25 countries and plenty of cities, but Phuket struck a different chord in me. It made me feel so alive and free. I didn’t have to worry about anything in the world because I felt like a free soul.
It’s not that there are restrictions or an effort in other places.
It’s about the energy, the vibe, the entire feeling this place offers.
