Top 5 Places to Visit in Phuket

I’ve wanted to visit Thailand for quite some time and chose Phuket due to flight availability and lesser flight time from Cebu, Philippines. My experience in Phuket was unbelievable—the place is super gorgeous! Here are the Top 5 Places to Visit in Phuket, Thailand.

BIG BUDDHA

I asked a local about the must-see places in Phuket and the first thing he suggested was the Big Buddha. It’s a huge statue of a Buddha sitting on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata. This was completed in 2007 so it’s not archaic but still quite an attraction.

The top of Big Buddha provided one of the best 360 views of the island. This reminded me of the Sacre Couer overlooking Paris. The good thing about this tourist spot was that it was FREE. However, be sure to dress appropriately as sleeveless shirt, short skirt/shorts, (you get it!) were not allowed. If you happen to wear one of these outfits, a stand by the entrance will give a cover-up to borrow while inside for a donation. Yes, I had to do it.

Once inside, you can see the white Big Buddha. This statue can be seen practically anywhere in Phuket as it is so high up. At the top, there were also a few small buddhas (gold!) to check out and various viewing spots where you can see Phuket. As such, I highly suggest visiting this place while in Phuket.

As you go down and reach the bottom of the Big Buddha, there were souvenir shops, statues for wishes (it’s like a wish fountain) and a monk who will bless you for a donation. It was quite interesting.

OLD TOWN PHUKET

Since I love boutique shops or local shops, I was told that Old Town Phuket is the place to visit. I was in Phuket for 5 days so I only had a limited time to go there. I picked Thursday night. Apparently, it was not their busy night so most of the stores were closed. If you’re there on the weekends, pick the weekend instead. Nonetheless, there were still quite a few stores that were open and were selling clothes, jewelry especially jade, bags, etc. I love local shopping and this place didn’t disappoint. I just wished there were more stores open.

Nearby, there was an area where there were souvenir carts and street food with tables/chairs for people to relax and live music. The little shops were not my type but the food were definitely interesting. If you like to try Thai street food, this is the place to be.

EXCURSION

If you are in Phuket, I highly recommend going on one of the all-day excursions to the nearby islands. I love catamarans (makes me feel safe since I can’t swim). I opted to see what Viator has to offer. Viator has been my go to website for any excursions I want to do around the world. I’ve had the best experience thus far.

I reserved the “7 Hour Phi Phi and Maiton Islands by Power Catamaran with Lunch” excursion on Viator. It’s about $150 per person. Since I was in Phuket during the low season (May/June), there were less tourists visiting Thailand. The number of people with me on the excursion was minimal compared to the size of the catamaran. To put in perspective, for most of the day, I was the only one in the top section of the catamaran along with a few crew members. It was amazing!

Maiton Island was my first stop and dolphins were supposed to be in the area but they didn’t show up. haha! There was a swim stop and you can snorkel as there were quite a few fish in the area. The lunch was good but I mainly ate the Thai fried chicken and rice. Delicious!

The next stop was Phi Phi Island. Unfortunately, we could only cruise around and not stop in the island due to government restrictions. If you’ve seen the movie by Leonardo Di Caprio, the Beach, this is a very popular island. Similar to Boracay in the Philippines, the government had imposed restrictions to prevent the destruction of the island. Without a doubt, it was one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen.

The third stop was the monkey beach. Yes, you guessed it…there were plenty of monkeys on the beach. I was told to stay away from them since they could bite. Hmmm, they were quite a fun/angry bunch. Some tourists provoked them and they definitely went after them. The beach itself was warm and gorgeous. I had over an hour swim stop to enjoy the view which was so awesome. I definitely recommend this excursion.

CALONG TEMPLE

Wat Calong Temple is located in the Chalong Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District. What’s interesting about this place is that it is made up of large and small temples all over the property so there are so many things to see. For house rules, there’s no shoes allowed when entering the temple and like the Big Buddha, you will be given a skirt to wear if your outfit is too short. Again, I got one of the skirts. haha!

The various temples were so intricate and colorful. The architecture was unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was absolutely stunning and best of all, FREE!

ELEPHANTS

Although I didn’t go to an elephant sanctuary due to time constraints, I was still able to get a glimpse of a few elephants on my way to the Big Buddha. They were near the road and such a delight to see. If I had time, I would definitely check them out.

Overall, Thailand is a paradise with welcoming people. It’s cheap and beautiful. I highly recommend Phuket or Thailand in general. Its beauty is much more than what’s captured in these pictures. Go see it for yourself. If you’ve been to Phuket or the other islands in Thailand, comment below to let me know your top places to visit.

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