Best Of Phuket In 15 Locations

Best of Phuket in 15 locations

By Anna Purpurpurpur

Phuket is the largest island of Thailand and one of the most popular places to visit.

This part of Thailand has a lot to offer for food enthusiasts, beach goers and those who look for some historical experiences too!

I absolutely loved it – let me share my favourite sites with you!

1. Old town of Phuket

Although Phuket old town is far from all the beaches, you still have to visit it because this place has an unbeatable vibe: on one hand, it’s a typical hustling southeast Asian city, on the other, it has some interesting unique features.

Tin trade and tin mining used to be the main magnet in Phuket, and Europeans (primarily Portuguese) and Chinese migrants lived here alongside the local population since the 16-17 centuries.

That’s why there are so many old colourful pretty buildings – this style is called Sino-Portuguese (other prominent examples of it you can find in Singapore and Malaysia).

The structure of buildings is pretty recognizable and the facades are decorated in vivid colours – and the whole streets of such houses look very Instagrammable.

Thai people also have their version of the Singaporean world Perinakan – this is Baba here for those of Chinese origin mixing up with locals! In central Phuket such buildings mostly house cafes and shops for tourists but you can spot temples and hotels as well.

We stopped for dinner in Kor Ra Kang, another camera – friendly spot with faux flowers over two floors and mirrored tables just like in Elan in London. Their coconut ice cream was simply the best.

Some places to see in old Phuket are the Thalang street (don’t miss Sunday night market), Hai Leng Ong statue of a Golden dragon, the Old city hall and Surin circle clock tower – and don’t miss wonderful street art all around the city!

2. Big Buddha

We knew that the Big Buddha was closed but decided to go there anyway – and we didn’t regret it! You can still see this majestic statue from pretty close distance – you simply can’t access it directly.

Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakiri (that’s the full name of it) is made from white marble brought from Burma (a devastating earthquake has just happened in that country) and stands 45 metre high – which makes it the third tallest Buddha statue in Thailand! The temple’s construction started in 2002 so it’s pretty new, however in 2024, just last year, there was a landslide after heavy rains – and as I understood there were even some deaths caused by that!

So it was decided to close it down for repairs and reinforcing the structure to avoid future landslides. The parking lot there is still open, with a few shops, a viewpoint deck and cheeky monkeys all around (just a reminder not to tease or touch monkeys as they are wild animals and can bite: treat them with respect)

And the scenery opening up from the parking lot is unbeatable!

3. Chalong temple

Wat Chaiyathararam, or Chalong Temple, is the largest and one of the most famous temples of Phuket. Make sure you include it into your itinerary!

There is no known date when its construction started but presumably it was at the beginning of the 19th century.

Locals come here to pay respects to the temple’s monks, especially to Luang Pho Cham, famous healer and a person who played an important role in 1876 during the Chinese tin miners riot organized by Chinese secret society Ang-yee.

The 60 metres high three-story Chedi there contains Buddha relics: a fragment of a bone; – and two halls with golden statues. Come to the terrace on the third floor to observe the scenery!

Important: it’s an operating religious site, please dress respectfully.

4. Green Elephant sanctuary

The Green Elephant sanctuary, the top ethical recommended elephant sanctuary in Phuket. Of course, this is not a national park in Sri Lanka where elephants roam around freely but this place is still a better space for elephants than others where animals are clearly exploited.

The sanctuary was founded by Swiss expat Urs Fehr (as I understand, he recently withdrew from the elephant sanctuary management because of a legal case filed against him even after the court ruled in his favour) and is said to operate in accordance with European animal protection laws.

There are a few options that can bring you in close contact with the elephants. We went for 30 min feeding which included cutting the veggies, walking up to the site where the elephants are located and then – optionally – you could also give milk to the 1 year old elephant. You could also give elephants a wash or play with them in a mud pool but we decided not to go for it.

5. Ma Doo Bua

Ma Doo Bua might be the most famous Phuket cafe. The giant lily leaves and boats are the main feature of the place, and there’s a spa and a hotel nearby too.

We absolutely loved their cocktails and fruits, and just look at this glass with a lotus petal! We came in the late afternoon, and the place was half empty, with no queues at all, and we had the most amazing time.

Sadly, no drone photo shoots were available for our visit (they have an in-house drone pilot here but usually they shoot in the mornings or lunch times and this is when the place is really busy) and I didn’t manage to book anything in advance so we’re here just enjoying the vibe.

6. Siam Niramit

The Siam Niramit is a cultural performance walking the visitors through the ancient history of Thailand and its kingdoms, most famous festivals, mythology and folklore characters and gives a chance to admire various regions of Thailand.

Everything is presented by dances, music, traditional costumes and impressive decorations. I must say that I was really impressed: I wish there were more activities like this in the country! The show lasts about 1 hour and 20 min plus there is a pre-show time.

There is also an opportunity to explore the outdoor Thai village located right within the theatre premises.

There you’ll get introduced to the local arts and crafts from all the country including Thai silk production, floating markets, Thai masks Phi Ta Khon and so on. Finally, you’ll learn about trade, farming, and agricultural traditions of various regions of Thailand – for instance, about floating markets and tools like Krok Kradeuang.

In addition, you can opt for a buffet option when buying tickets which allows you to eat at a restaurant before the show (they have Thai and Western cuisines there).

Photography is strictly prohibited during the performance but you can take shots before it during the pre-show and after the main show (you can’t even take the camera inside the theatre and should use a locker instead).

Important: We went for this performance however the most famous one in Phuket is FantaSea: I’d suggest you not to go for it because they use elephants during the show. The Siam Niramit just had chickens and goats of stage for a few seconds, not really participating in the show.

7. Plane spotting at Mai Khao beach

Why come to the beach if you’re a plane enthusiast? For some plane watching! Actually Mai Khao beach ends right where the Phuket airport is, and you can get very close to it. Depending on the season planes land or take off over this site.

Our taxi brought us to the entrance of the national park, and further we took a tuktuk ride to get to the exact spot (there are lots of tuktuks there, and a ride lasts a few minutes).

There were a few shops there, and very soon after arriving we found ourselves almost at the end of the airport runway. Yes, the place is a bit crowded as there are lots of plane spotting enthusiasts but the planes fly every few minutes.

8. Floresta and Central Phuket

Looking for luxurious shopping in Phuket? Look no further and call a taxi to Central Phuket! This is a huge modern shopping mall consisting of two buildings – Festival and Floresta – connected by a bridge.

There is a fantastic food hall, a hypermarket, a small floating market and shops with Thai arts and crafts. Besides that, you can find high-end brands too, up to the Bulgari, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada and so on. For kids, there is also an aquarium and jungle zone but we didn’t have a chance to visit them.

Overall, this shopping mall definitely has the vibes of the best Bangkok malls, and you won’t regret popping in.

9. Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation

To see Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation you have to go to the JW Marriott Mai Khao, another beautiful property on the south of the island. You can also participate in baby turtle release – check the release dates in advance!

This foundation protects the nesting sites of turtles in Phuket and runs educational programs about turtle conservation and protection. They also keep a few turtles right here, within the hotel premises, who are unable to survive in the wild because of deformities or diseases.

During our visit, there were 4 turtles, green and Hawksbill ones with health problems, with full info about each one. The tanks were not very big but the turtles seemed well cared about.

10. Nak-Kerd Seaview Cafe

Nakkerd Hill where the Big Buddha site is located has lots of cafes along the road up the hill. Choose one of them you liked the most! We went for the Nak-Kerd Sea View Cafe.

They have the most incredible views of the green mountains nearby, Karon beach and sea scenery. And their mango juices and fresh coconuts are amazing!

11. Elephants at Mai Khao

We spotted an elephant near our hotel Anantara – we were told that it belongs to a local family and looked pretty good. We haven’t spotted any hooks or sticks which is a primary red flag however I still would like to stress that elephants are extremely intelligent animals that are better to be seen in the wild.

As you might know, not all elephants are treated well in Asia: some tourists still are offered to ride them (we saw one spot like this near the Big Buddha), or elephants are used for the shows or performances. For us, these things are a no, but we’re happy to feed an elephant – there are some ethical sanctuaries around Phuket where you can feed an elephant, give it a bath, watch it playing free in the mud etc. We’re visiting one of the most famous sanctuaries during this trip too but we couldn’t help but to give some treats to this gorgeous animal too!

12. Wat Choeng

If you look for a quiet impressive temple to visit without crowds, a very pretty temple called Wat Choeng temple. The main relic of it is a bone fragment of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka.

You can quickly stop there on your way to the Green Elephant sanctuary!

13. Turtle village

Turtle Village might look not small but it’s actually the main shopping area of the Mai Khao beach – and it literally was located seconds away from the entrance to our hotel. It you’re staying or travelling around the south of the island or spend some time around the airport, come here for coffee or shopping!

The Turtle village a shopping centre accompanied by an evening outdoor market of local crafts where you can find Jim Thompson shop (Thai silk was made famous internationally by this American and recently became fashionable again), Starbucks and a few other cafes and restaurants, souvenir shops, 7/11 supermarket and a pharmacy. Having such a shopping centre in proximity to our Anantara hotel was very convenient – and we even could order a buggy directly from our villa to there!

14. Wat Mongkol Nimit

Wat Mongkol Nimit, or Wat Mongkol Nimit Phra Aram Luang, is a beautiful temple in the old town of Phuket, close to Thalang road.

It was built around 1880 and is sometimes nicknamed the Klang temple, with ‘Klang’ meaning ‘central’. Make a quick stop here if you’re visiting the streets of old city of Phuket!

15. Tiger park

Let’s start with a disclaimer: I’m not sure you have to visit this place. Our driver has recommended the Tiger park to us saying that he and his daughter had lots of fun there, but once we arrived there, we realized it’s not exactly a site we tend to visit during our travels.

Tiger park is a privately owned park with lots of tigers of all ages and sizes; and they also have cheetahs. There are three branches of this business operating for 20 years.

And I must note that it looks really well made, with modern shops and cafes, everything is organized well. We really enjoyed the Skywalk over the park where tigers walk freely, interact with each other and relax in multiple pools. Without doubt, the majority of the local population doesn’t have such luxurious homes and facilities. You can also have a buggy ride in that part of the park.

However, just to the side of this luxurious tiger dwelling there is a much less ethical part where people take photos with tigers. The Tiger park states: ‘Our mission is to ensure that all of our tigers are living in an environment that makes them feel safe, happy and healthy. In the near future, we will be building an innovative, virtual jungle for adult and elder tigers, providing a comfortable environment as they continue to age’. However I don’t see a way where people can take photos with tigers ethically – all the tigers I saw people photographing with were sleepy – I’m not sure this is a coincidence and not a state caused by human intervention. I’d personally never return to this park unless they ban photos with animals.

Where to stay in Phuket: Anantara Mai Khao

Anantara is one of my favourite hotels to stay at, and this property in Phuket didn’t disappoint, and our stay was fantastic.

The reception with fragrant flowers and welcome drinks overlooking a lotus pond was really what you expect your proper holiday to start with.

The territory of Anantara is quite large, with a beach access, herb garden, ponds and even an area with rabbits and hens. It’s up to you whether to explore it on foot or in a buggy!

The sunsets by the ocean were mesmerising, and just spending some time there by the water was relaxing.

The Anantara Mai Khao might look familiar to you because White Lotos season 3 was partly shot here! We booked it before we learned about it.

We had a personal villa with a private pool and an outdoor bathtub, a covered terrace and a gazebo overlooking the lotus pond.

The villa looking over the pool was not very big, but extremely stylish and decorated with traditional thai ornaments and our bathroom with panoramic windows. The outdoor shower was another perk we loved.

Breakfast selection like this: amazing selection of fresh fruits including jackfruit (my forever love) and jams such as papaya&lime, coconut, mango and guava.

Their spa where the scenes from the series were featured was fantastic – probably one of the best spa experiences I’ve had! I opted for a Bamboo sticks massage, and the spa premises itself were very picturesque.

There are quite a few restaurants on the hotel premises: seafood Claws, Fire Salt beachside restaurant, Thai and Indian restaurant, and so on. We religiously went everywhere – and the food was really great in every single one.

We had a very good-looking afternoon tea delivered right to our villa! There were sandwiches, scones and plenty of the prettiest desserts with a local twist such as mango cheesecake. Highly recommended.

Finally, the highlight for us was a fantastic 12 course menu from Tree house Japanese restaurant (Michelin guide).

On the other note, as you probably know, I’m a wildlife photographer (a ver beginner to be honest) but I had some amazing encounters with local animals and birds not leaving the hotel premises! Here are some of my shots, from water monitors to woodpecker.