1. A day of island hopping at Phi Phi Islands: I know I know, it's funny that a listicle that talks about recommendations in Phuket begins with island hopping at Phi Phi but I am not even joking when I say that is definitely the highlight of our trip. Important to note that this was our first time in Phuket and also Phi Phi. We took an early morning ( we are talking leave at 5 am to escape the hoardes of crowds) speed boat from the Marina in Phuket to the islands which included Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking cave, Monkey beach, Phi Phi Don and Bamboo Island. The waters are crystal clear emerald and shades of azure, the marine life is spectacular and often missed but equally magical are the nature walks and the creatures you see there in. Maya Bay (of The Beach fame) can be accessed only through a beautiful nature park. We did not enter the viking cave or get off at the monkey beach (in order to not disturb the Macaques in their natural habitat) and just observed these from the boat. The Pileh Lagoon was where we got off for a spot of swimming in the Andaman sea! The snorkelling was reserved for two spots: the more elusive Phi Phi Don and one public part cordoned off on the Bamboo island. When I tell you I refused to bat my eyes even for a second at Phi Phi Don when we snorkelled, believe me! I absolutely did not want to miss a second of it. Schools of irridescent fish, big, blue, shiny, all over the place. Stunning corals as we went further. I could have sworn I was tripping, the marine life at Phi Phi Don was everything I imagined it would be like and more. Pro tip: Whatver tour you decide to go with, try and get one that does an early morning start. Not only do you miss crowds then but also you are done and back at your hotel by 3/4 pm. Also important to note that right now that is June, is not peak season so it was anyway favourable for activities of this kind. Our meals (breakfast and lunch) were included in our tour package and were both wholesome and hearty. 
2. Night markets of Phuket: A simple google search will tell you that Phuket has a LOT of night markets. It's a culture in Thailand also because a lot of people come shopping for their local daily produce at their night markets. But as visitors the night markets are a fun way of dipping your toes in the local cuisine, nicknack shopping, the works. We visited two of them, one was the Naka market which is the biggest one. A large part of the market is a lot of souvenir stalls and counterfeit goods. But I personally loved the food selection. Great variety of not just easy to eat Thai food, but also fresh sea food stalls and a whole variety of other Asian cuisines. A fair few vegetarian options but definitely more for the non vegetarians. Amongst the things that we tried were these potato rings on the stick, satay, mango sticky rice, pork dumplings, spicy fried chicken and some local beer.
There was also live entertainment with little cocktail bars lining the sides and let's just say with the beautiful sunset putting on a show, it was a whole vibe. The Old town night market which takes place only on Sundays is the other one we hopped to. A lot smaller but full of great food options anyway. This one had live entertainment too and honestly it was bustling with activity simply because it was old town and there really never is a lack of footfall there.
3. Which directly brings me to my third top recommendation i.e., a day musing around the old town of Phuket. Do I mean do it for the colourful shop house facades of these old Sino-Portugese houses? Yes. But also do I mean the vibe is relaxed, fun, exciting, not too overwhelming at the same time? Also yes. It has something for everyone. There are tonnes of cute cafes. In fact, my research leads me to believe all the good specialty coffee shops are around the old town area. It has bars for everyone's taste. A corner shop with local fare to grab a drink? They have it. A nice little swanky cocktail bar? Also yes. Craft beer brewery? Also got it. And because it is so walkable, you end up walking in and out of Old town into the adjacent areas also with lots of interesting architecture to see. Pro tip: Get a massage at one of the lovely masssage shops in Old town like Kim's and you could also possibly get your hair styled into fun, colourful braids and a whole myriad of other options if you wish. There are also a lot of cute stores doing little ceramics, thai silks, cotton and linen tropical outfits, hats, hair accessories, fun beachy jewellery, the works. Most open to negotiating the price respectfully but also highly recommend not haggling to the point of disrespect and insensitivity to people's trade and livelihood.
4. If like me you enjoy exploring different forms of local architecture and design or are simply keen on visiting a famous Thai temple then add Wat Chalong to your list of things to do in Phuket. It's the largest of the temples and given that I visited it now that is during off season, there were not a large number of people there either. It's a stunning example of the ornate Thai temple architecture and design. The entry is free but if you can, I recommend making at least a small donation out of respect. Also a pro tip, dress appropriately. Full coverage and no bare shoulders is ideal.
The Phuket Big Buddha is temporarily closed, in case that's something you were considering checking out too. It would probably serve you well to check the status when you choose to travel to Phuket.
5. Not so much as a thing to do as one solid recommendation for a great local meal would be a meal at Blue Elephant, Phuket. Not contesting that it is not cheap or necessarily the most authentic Southern Thai meal you can get in Phuket. But right from entering the beautiful sprawling villa to crossing their little blue elephant souvenir shop to being seated in their beautifully designed restaurant, the experience definitely adds up at all the different levels to make it an unmissable experience. The service is beyond lovely. The kindest servers coming up and chatting with you and making little recommmendations if you like. Complementary amuse bouche, little coolers, all thrown in for good measure. Enough and more options for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike.
All in all, you cannot fault this experience and I would highly recommend it. Everything we had was quite lovely and if I have to be honest, I would 100% try it in another city too. I think there's one in Bangkok too.
Phuket has an international airport so we flew directly from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket (1.5 hrs) and while there was no visa requirement for us, we did fill in the Thailand digital arrival card online prior to landing. Most places accept card but I would recommend keeping cash for the street markets (some shops and food) and additionally for tips.
Safe travels.
See you in the next one.
x
