I have written about Phuket a number of times, as I obviously like the island very much and consider it one of my absolute favourite destinations in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, so do hundreds of thousands of other visitors every year. Phuket continues its skyrocketing rise to become one of the most popular holiday destinations not just in the region, but in the entire world. Needless to say, all this comes with the price.
Sure, Thailand is still relatively cheap compared to the USA, Australia or Western Europe, but it’s no longer a bargain it once was. Are the days of Phuket being a relatively budget destination gone forever? Is there still a way to enjoy Phuket without breaking the bank?
The answer is, absolutely. But you’d need to know and consider a few things, and I am here to give you some useful tips by the main categories of spending.
Transportation
Flying to Phuket remains fairly cheap, especially from other Southeast Asian destinations. Even from further away, airline prices are quite similar to what they are for Bangkok flights. But I would like to talk to you about transportation within the island as it could save you major bucks down the road.
First of all, if you fly to Phuket as 99% of its visitors do, you’ll have to get to your hotel or accommodation. Most people go by taxi, and it’s not a bad option as the prices have been reasonably stable – around 800 baht for most destinations around Patong or Phuket Town. If you have travelled to Asia previously, you probably have a Grab app on your phone, but don’t get excited – Grab prices are about the same as normal taxis. What you should do to save 100-200 baht is to walk over to domestic terminal (easy 2-3 minutes) and get a taxi there, which tends to be cheaper, especially if you bargain.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: if you do not have too much luggage, you can get a ride to most parts of Phuket for half-price of a taxi if you walk 5 minutes from the airport to the main road and get a car there from one other car share apps such as InDrive or Bolt. They are not allowed into the airport, but they will be more than happy to wait for you just outside. And if you have even less luggage and don’t mind waiting a bit, there is an hourly SmartBus that goes from the Airport all the way to Rawai on the southern end of the island for just 100 baht.
The best way to get around the island is on a rented motorbike, and they remain relatively affordable: about 3000 baht per month even in high season, or about 1000-1200 baht per week if rented weekly. Having a bike will not only help reduce your transportation costs, but allow you greater flexibility in finding accommodation, as I will discuss below. It will also help you cut the travel time, as car traffic in Phuket is approaching Mumbai levels nearly at any time of the day.
One important caveat with renting a motorbike in Phuket is that the local police aggressively targets foreigners at multiple roadblocks throughout the island to check your driving license. What you need is an International Driving Permit which you should always carry with you. If you don’t have it, be prepared to pay 1000 baht fine each time you’re stopped. If you don’t have it, stick to using drivers from the apps mentioned above. Some of them actually have a motorbike taxi option, which is usually dirt cheap.
Whatever you do, avoid using local tuk-tuks like plague. These drivers are known as the “tuk-tuk mafia” and they will always overcharge given any chance. They are also known to get violent very easily at any sight or a problem. You have been warned!
Accommodation
Your main expense during your trip to Phuket will undoubtedly be your accommodation cost. Unless you don’t care about how much money you spend (and therefore not interested in this post), don’t even think about staying at a hotel by the beach. Yes, there are a few exceptions – for example, northern end of Patong beach where there are still a couple of relatively budget hotels tucked away. But overall, don’t worry about staying at the beach, particularly if you have rented a motorbike. Phuket has about 20 great beaches scattered throughout the island, so why limit yourself to just one?
I do not recommend using AirBnB for Phuket or any other Southeast Asian destination. It will almost invariably more expensive than what you can find on other booking sites if you search around. If you want to stay more than a week, you should expect a reasonable discount from daily rates. Of course, in high season, the demand for hotels is such that the owners have very little incentive to knock off anything for you, as they do get booked up quickly. So have a good search on Agoda, Booking or other similar site and get something to your liking and with your budget.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: if you want to negotiate a better deal with a property you’ve found on a booking site, there’s nothing to stop you from contacting them directly and asking for a cheaper rate directly, especially if you plan to stay longer term. You see, unlike with AirBnB, other booking sites will have the name, the address and sometimes even the phone number of hotels and guesthouses. The only risk is that unless you are arriving within a couple of days, properties might not hold a room for you for too long, especially in high season.
The further away from the beach, the cheaper hotels tend to get, and as I stated above, that’s where having your own wheels helps a lot. Destinations in the interior of the island, such as Kathu, Chalong or just a few blocks from beach roads, tend to remain fairly affordable. Patong, despite being the tourist center of Phuket, is one of the cheapest beach towns due to huge number of hotels of all categories providing at least some competition for your money. Smaller beach communities such as Kamala, Bangtao, Kata, Karon or Rawai, are usually more expensive during high season.
The cheapest budget hotels can be found in villages closer to the airport and beaches such as Naiyang and Mai Khao, but beware that you’d be far away from most activities other than the sea and there’s pretty much no nightlife there.
Food
Thai food is a worldwide favourite of many, and is a big part of many people’s Phuket experience. Fortunately, the local food remains relatively cheap. But in Thailand, there are 2 types of local food to consider. The first type is what the locals actually eat, and chances are, you won’t want that. It’s mostly street stands selling skewers of various mystery meats, rice balls and other concoctions of various spiciness that are mostly sold for takeout in plastic bags. You can of course, try that, if you can figure out what’s what and you reckon you can handle it.
The second type of local food is the one that’s actually targeted at tourists. It would be sold at street restaurants or night markets, with English menus or translations, and that’s where you will see more familiar dishes such as padthai, tom yam soup, yellow, green or red curry and so on. That’s where you’d probably be eating most of the time if you are on a budget. These establishments vary in size, reputation and price range, but generally, a typical Thai dish should cost between 90 and 150 baht. Not as cheap as it used to be, but then what is?
Cheap Charlie’s tip: there’s a fine tradition among many Phuket’s bars to serve food for free whenever it’s owner’s or staff members’ birthdays. You can tell such occasions by balloons hanging outside the bar. You are free to walk in, order a beer and enjoy free food even if you otherwise never visit this bar. People partaking in this generosity are somewhat disparagingly called “balloon chasers” by Phuket’s expats, but if budget is your main concern, it probably won’t bother you.
Thailand is a country with one of the highest concentrations of 7-Eleven convenience shops in the world, and you could theoretically eat exclusively there, as every location will offer decent frozen meals, beverages and breakfasts for very low prices. There’s decent coffee available there – remember, Thailand is not a coffee country like Vietnam, so you are not exactly spoiled for choices of coffeeshops. You could certainly save a lot of money eating at 7-Elevens, but wouldn’t recommend doing that all the time as you would miss out on freshly-made home-cooked food Thailand is known for.
While there is plenty of fine dining and international cuisine in Phuket, it’s probably not the best place for you if you’re on a budget. Sure, it might be cheaper than similar food in your home country, but not by much, and might not be quite as good as you’d expect.
Daytime Activities
Ok, so you’ve found accommodation, sorted out transport and figured out how to eat on a budget. What’s there to do in Phuket for fun?
Fortunately, the island’s main attraction that draws millions of visitors every year is completely free. Yes, I am talking about the beaches of Phuket, which are some of the finest in Southeast Asia. I won’t spend too much time talking about them as I have previously written on the subject to some extent. You can choose any beach you like in high season and discover why the Andaman Sea keeps bringing people to this relatively small island.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: to enjoy your beach time even more, consider bringing your own mask and snorkel. At many beaches in Phuket, there is marine life to observe right offshore, so you won’t really need any boat tours of you want to see some fish, corals and if you’re lucky, a turtle or an octopus. You can rent snorkels at some beaches, but the price/quality ratio of the gear is usually dismal.
I also strongly recommend visiting the historic Phuket Town for some Sino-Portuguese colonial architecture, Sunday street market, interesting food and eclectic bars, although beware that bars in the town tend to be more expensive than in beach communities.
On Saturdays, you can even attend Phuket Hash House Harriers for an unusual experience among the island’s many expats and hiking in the interior of the island, which often gets overlooked by visitors.
Nightlife
Of course, no visit to Phuket is complete without at least one visit to its myriads of bars and clubs, of which the highest concentration is to be found on the infamous Bangla Road in Patong. Even if ping-ping shows and ladyboys are not your cup of tea, it’s worth visiting just for a peek, as it is a prime-time human theatre. While many bars and especially clubs here are a quite a bit overpriced, you can actually drink relatively cheaply on Bangla Road, especially if you come around midnight. Just look for girls with posters offering 100 baht mojitos or buckets for 200 baht or even less. As a bucket usually contains at least 3-4 regular cocktails, those are good deals.
You have to keep in mind, of course, that most bars on Bangla Road and around are the so-called girly bars. That means that each will have a staff of sexy scantily-clad women (or ladyboys) who will descend on male customers like vultures and chat them up expecting so-called “lady drinks”. Those are overpriced, low-alcohol concoctions that are one of the main items of these girls’ incomes. The other revenue stream for them – well, you might have guessed it. If you do want to take any of those girls home, you can, but it will cost you the so-called “bar fine” (since bars basically serve as pimps), as well as whatever amount you negotiate with the girl. There are plenty of so-called “freelance” girls roaming Bangla Road and nearby alleyways, who are not affiliated with bars and might be a bit cheaper, should you feel inclined to partake in that sort of activity. But overall, if you are on a tight budget, I would not recommend drinking or entertaining at Bangla Road.
Fortunately, there are plenty of quieter bars all around the west coast of Phuket, where you could have a beer for around 60-90 baht, watch a game or chit-chat with staff or expat regulars for free.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: some glitzy beach clubs in Phuket such as Café del Mar have regular but spectacular fireshows around 7 pm. You don’t have to be a patron of those clubs to watch them, as most of Thailand’s beaches are public. In fact, you can even bring your own beer, watch the show and listen to the music, as long as you stay on the beach.
Cheap Charlie’s tip #2: cocktail prices in Phuket vary widely – anywhere from 80 baht to well over 250. In most bars, your cheapest bet is local Thai whiskey or rum with cola. Many night markets in Phuket feature mobile bars, often in old VW Buses, where you can get a proper cocktail for 100 baht. There used to be such bars directly at Bangla Road, too, but competition forced them to close down and move elsewhere.
Medical Care
Thailand in general and Phuket in particular have excellent healthcare that is relatively affordable, especially if you come from the USA. Having said that, there are vast differences in both care cost and quality. On a holiday, we always hope we won’t need to deal with any of it, but alas, emergencies and sudden medical needs do occur.
First and foremost, I recommend getting a travel insurance before your trip, such as World Nomads. It’ll cover you in case of a seriously expensive medical situation such as an accident.
For hospitals, the best facility in Phuket and also one of the most expensive ones is Bangkok Hospital. If you do pay out of pocket for your medical expenses, you might be unpleasantly surprised. But even cheaper options, such as Vachira or Patong hospitals, still offer decent care. Since they are used predominantly by local people, navigating them can be difficult and there’s almost always a long wait to be treated, so you decide.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: Thai pharmacists can be a surprisingly good source of medical advice for free, so if you don’t suspect you have any rare disease, you can usually rely on their recommendation.
Thailand is a good place to take care of whatever dental issues you might have, but truly good dentists in Phuket are far and few between. I would suggest asking around for which clinic happens to have a good reputation at the time of your visit. But remember, things like crowns or implants take time, so if you decide to do them during your visit, it is best to set appointments well in advance and make sure you have enough time on your trip.
Mind the Seasons
As I keep reiterating, Phuket is a highly seasonal destination. That means that the high season, November to March, is a lot more expensive time to visit the island than the low season, which runs April through October. Unfortunately, the activities available during the low season are more limited.
For example, you will be able to swim in the sea only at some remote shallow beach coves that are protected from the monsoons of the Andaman Sea. Most of the best Phuket’s beaches are only good for strolling along during the low season due to treacherous currents and rip tides in the sea.
Low season, of course, is called so because it happens to be the rainy season in this part of Southeast Asia. While sometimes the rain might occur just once or twice a day as a short shower, other times, especially towards the end of the rainy season in August – October, torrential rains can continue for days, causing floods and even landslides.
Low season attracts a lot of visitors from countries where summers are unbearable, either due to immense heat or even stronger monsoons, such as India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc. If you happen to be from such a destination, you might find Phuket’s wet season as well as its low-season prices rather welcome.
Cheap Charlie’s tip: to minimize expenses AND enjoy some of Phuket’s high season appeal for less money, consider visiting during the short “shoulder” seasons: last week of October through mid-November and mid-March to mid-April. Spring shoulder season is generally a better time weather-wise, but keep in mind that Songkran, or Thai New Year that occurs mid-April, can attract huge crowds and raise prices. Fortunately, it lasts only a couple of days.
So there you have it – hopefully, now you can enjoy Phuket without breaking the bank. I’d encourage you to visit soon, as the prices in this paradise on Earth are only bound to go up!