Planning for a relaxed, laid-back, nature-themed getaway? Don’t go to Phuket.
Phuket is not really a very romantic and relaxing place to go to. A lot of people for sure will disagree with me on this. This is my stand, though. Prior to going there, I had the same idea as most people. But after two trips to Phuket, I already know that it is no place for relaxation.
Don’t get me wrong! Phuket is a nice and very progressive city. It is one of Thailand’s business hubs. But for a long-awaited and well-deserved vacay with your special someone or your family, I hardly think Phuket is the right place. If you are planning to go there to have quality time or to relax, I don’t think Phuket is the place.
Heavy traffic is one of the worst that I have experienced. You can’t go to a temple and expect to get out within an hour because you will be spending half to a quarter of an hour getting through and another 15 to 20 minutes looking for space to park. From a distance the scenery is really spectacular with the eye-catching, well-designed villas on the mountain slopes and beautiful hotels by the beach, but if you take a closure look the water is full of rubbish. The water is dangerous and not suitable for swimming for kids, even for me. LOL. The strong rush of the waves towards the shore is quite typical but what really scared us the most was when the water recedes back to the sea it sucks you back so strong that you have to dig your feet deep into the sand to avoid stumbling over. We have been to many beaches. We live near a beach in our home town Davao in the Philippines but we have not experienced such pull by a receding wave. So, we have to stay really very near the shore. Very near that it is as if you are already swimming in sand. I particularly did not enjoy my swim. I was worried and desperately trying to take all the sand from my skin the whole time. I was stressed instead.
There are a lot of big shopping malls, bars, spas, and restaurants, though. But for me these are just side dishes. The main course, which is the reason why we went there in the first place isn’t what exactly as advertised. It did not meet our expectation of clean, relaxing, and tranquil nature.
If I’d go back to Phuket, it would definitely be for a different reason other than vacay. I would recommend Ao Nang Krabi and Island hopping for your vacay here.
No wonder I don’t remember that much of Phuket except the fact that we spent most of our time in the car.
What is your idea of Phuket?
Leave your comments and creative responses below ^_^
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I have never traveled to Thailand before. I love reading of your travels and think it is very informative!
Thank you so much. I’ll drop by your blog too.
Beautiful!
I’m following you Ate Mitch through NuffnangX. I’m using Nuffnang in my foodie blog.
Oh my Hi Jhezel..so glad to hear from you. please leave your foodie blog link here. I want to drop by. thanks
We were just about to book a trip with the kids to Phuket! It’s a good thing I stumbled upon this post. So we’re booking a family vacation to Bohol instead. Thanks for sharing!
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Beautiful pictures! I’ve never really been out of North America! Thank you for the tour through your eyes!
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Friends who’ve been to Phuket say similar things about it,too. Parang Boracay daw na na-exploit. But I’ve been hearing good things about Krabi! Hopefully someday we could visit Krabi as a family
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I’m sorry to hear your vacation wasn’t as you’d hoped! Hopefully your next one will go better
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I’ve never traveled to that part of the world. Although it sounds fast paced, I’ll bet it would be a fun experience to visit!
Love your photo board. I tend to stay away from high traffic cities when I want a relaxing vacation. Thanks for this info.
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Aww. That’s sad. But at least you have shared with us the experience. Thanks!
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Hmm, I might not have enjoyed that beach also. I’m not a great swimmer, nor do I swim on any pool or beach where I can’t reach the floor for that matter. So I won’t like that feeling of getting pulled deeper into the water. I had a similar experience back in 2006 I think, at Puka Beach in Boracay. The waves were pretty big and the ocean floor goes deep rather fast, the shoreline isn’t great as the ones at Station 1 and 2. But the sand is amazing though so that’s just what we came for.
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I have never been to Phuket yet but I heard about the terrible traffic there. It is such a lovely place though but just like Manila daw na masyado marami sasakyan din.
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My idea prior to going there was that of a very nice place with beautiful beaches and scenery. But after our trip, Dakak in Dapitan, Mindanao and Boracay are a lot better.
I was once based in Thailand. But I did not get the chance to explore Phuket yet. Thanks for sharing about your experience. I would rather explore Krabi then when I go there for a vacation
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