Took a 4 day, 3 night trip with the wife (no kids). Phuket is quite a large island (can take up to a hour drive from airport to destinations further south, or cross island. Here's a overview of the main areas:
Patong – Very touristy, lots of nightlife.
Kata – Beautiful beaches, lots of restaurants and hotels.
Karon – Quieter, great for families and couples.
Kalim – For surfers!
Bang Tao – All inclusive luxury resorts.
Surin – Nice beach, quiet, upper end hotels.
Kamala – Very relaxed area, great for those wanting to avoid crowds.
Mai Khao – Very secluded, several luxury resorts.
Rawai – Opposite end of the island, more local, popular with long term stayers.
Phuket Old Town – Main town centre of Phuket, very local area, not popular with tourists.
Transportation
As of Dec 2024, there is no direct flight from Taipei. The transfer at Bangkok is relatively painless, albeit a far walk from terminals. No landing visa is required from Taiwan as of this writing. We flew Eva (they partner with Bangkok airways). I booked through booking.com (hotel + airport transport), and flights via expedia (out of routine more than anything).
We used Grab for local transport. You can also find taxis on the street but they will negotiate price with you.
When to go
For Dec, Phuket weather was perfect.
Accommodations
We decided to stay at the Intercontinental in Kamala Beach, which is north of the super touristy Patong Beach (about a 25 min drive). Next time, we would like to try the Naka Phuket, which is even closer to Patong (for shopping) but secluded and pristine otherwise.
Restaurants
In Kamala, we really enjoyed Lillo Restaurant. The chili crab and yellow curry crab were both excellent, as well as all the other dishes. It's not the most local flavor, but thats not a bad thing as we could not eat the truly local (ie super spicy) food for every meal. The view and service was great as well.
We also had drinks/dinner at Cafe del Mar next to the hotel. Fun place to enjoy people watching, smoke shisha (and whatever else you might want to smoke), and have some solid food (wagyu burgers, california rolls, pizza, raw oysters, etc).
Things to do
Our main objective was to hang by the beach and relax. We got a massage at this local spot which was great. For exploring other islands, water activities, etc I am not so sure (more research is required). Phuket is great for children (feeding alligators, riding elephants, etc).
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