PHUKET THAILAND
Phuket, a rainforested, mountainous island in the Andaman Sea, has some of Thailand’s most popular beaches, mainly situated along the clear waters of the western shore. The island is home to many high-end seaside resorts, spas and restaurants. Phuket City, the capital, has old shophouses and busy markets. Patong, the main resort town, has many nightclubs, bars and discos.
Phuket province is located in southern Thailand. It is the biggest Island of Thailand and sits on the Andaman sea. The nearest province to the north is Phang-nga and the nearest provinces to the east are Phang-nga and Krabi.
Phuket has a large Chinese influence, so you will see many Chinese shrines and Chinese Restaurants around the City. A Chinese Vegetarian Festival is held there every year. While the Chinese community is quite big, there are many other ethnicities bringing all their traditions and festivals from all over the world to Phuket.
Being a big island, Phuket is surrounded by many magnificent Beaches such as Rawai, Patong, Karon, Kamala, Kata Yai, Kata Noi, and Mai Khao. Laem Phromthep viewpoint is said to feature the most beautiful sunsets in Thailand.
It isn’t all just beaches though, there is also fantastic classical architecture such as the Goom Restaurant. That and the very welcome atmosphere and the famous Phuket NIGHTLIFE, you can see why the island is a hotspot for tourists in Thailand.
Phuket has so many wonderful discoveries its no-wonder Phuket is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Thailand?
Phuket City, on Phuket Island, is the capital of Thailand’s Phuket Province. In the Old Town, Thalang Road is lined with colorful 19th-century shophouses and Sino-Portuguese buildings. Built in 1903 by a wealthy tin merchant, Baan Chinpracha mansion has Italian floor tiles, shuttered windows and antique furniture. Set in a 1930s manor, the Thai Hua Museum has exhibits on Phuket’s culture and history.
People around the world all have different interpretations of Thailand, its people and culture. The Thai people are so charming, the scenery is magnificent, and the food is out of this world.
Unless you’ve already visited Thailand you would never truly know what the country has to offer. It certainly lives up to its mantra of “Amazing Thailand”. And down in the south of Thailand looking facing out onto the Andaman Sea is the island of Phuket, perhaps one of the most amazing places in Thailand, if not the world.
Phuket is a dream come to true for many holiday makers. So we decided that if we could sum up Phuket in under 1,000 words just what makes this island so remarkable, the following is what it would look like.
So below are a few fun facts about Phuket and what we think you need to know about this magnificent island.
Getting to Know Phuket:
- Phuket is 7°53′24″ North of the Equator.
- It is the same distance from the equator as the African countries of Ethiopia and Nigeria and the South American countries of Venezuela and Colombia.
- It is around 863 kilometres (536 miles) south of Bangkok and 700 kilometres (434 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
- The island’s highest Point: 1,736 feet (529 metres)
- It is Thailand’s largest island covering around 576 square kilometres (222 square miles). It is around the same size as Singapore.
- Although Phuket Island is the biggest Island in Phuket Province, there are 32 other smaller islands surrounding it.
- It is roughly 48 km from the northern tip to the southern tip, and around an average of 21 km from east to west.
- 70% of Phuket is covered in mountains stretching north to south.
- Over 60% of the island is covered by forest, rubber trees and palm trees.
- The main agricultural products are pineapples, palm oil as well as the rubber from rubber plantations. There are also some other fruit and cashew farms.
- Fishing is also a major industry on the island.
- Phuket has approximately 10 million tourist each year, but this number is growing.
- Although Phuket is an island, it is connected to the Thai mainland in the north by the Sarasin Bridge
- Contrary to what we tend to hear regularly from foreigners, Phuket is pronounced “Pooket” not “Fooket”.
- The name Phuket is derived from the Malay word for hill or mountain “bukit”. Old western maps named the island Junk Ceylon.
- Phuket has a high season between November to April and a rainier season between May and October.
- Phuket has around 36 beaches. Most of those on the west coast have crystal clear turquoise blue waters (especially in the high season).
- Patong is the main tourist town on the island, renowned for its wild nightlife and Go-Go or girly bars.
- Phuket has 4 yacht marinas, 6 golf courses, amazing sports facilities and 2 new water parks.
- In 1974, the movie “The Man with the Golden Gun” was filmed on the island of Khao Phing Kan in Phang Nga Bay. From that point on the island was called James Bond Island.
- Phuket is estimated to have around 600,000 inhabitants, although the number of people on the island can run into the millions in the high season.
- Phuket has one of the biggest Buddha’s in Thailand. The Big Buddha, standing 45 metres high, is perched on the mountain top overlooking Chalong Bay and is also home to one of Phuket’s most popular temples.
- Phuket has many amazing festivals every year, where tourist numbers increase considerably.
- The vegetarian festival is when Phuket’s Chinese immigrants celebrate the ninth lunar month with abstinence from meat and alcohol.
- The incredible Songkran water festival is in April, which marks the start of the Buddhist New Year.
- Usually around the first full moon of November, the Thais celebrate Loy Kratong. The festivities includes Chinese lanterns and releasing small floats made of flowers and leaves and a burning candle on to the lakes and into the sea.
- Two of Phuket’s most famous ladies lived on the island in the 18th century and have a monument dedicated to them, called The Heroine’s Monument. It sits in the centre of the island and is a tribute to their bravery when they fought off Burmese invaders in 1785.
- One of the most beautiful experiences in Phuket is the annual turtle release on Mai Khao Beach. Usually around April time, the baby turtles are left to run free across the beach into the ocean.
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: With an area spanning over 543km², Phuket is Thailand’s biggest and most popular island. The idyllic resort getaway, located in Southern Thailand, is known for its picturesque white sandy beaches, palm tree-lined coasts, crystal clear waters and balmy weather. Most tourists flock to the beaches in the west of the island (Patong is one of the party capitals of Asia, for instance) as well as its historic Old Town for the iconic Sino-Portuguese architecture – but there are many hidden gems in Phuket that offer much more than the tourist brochures.
THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Save some money by choosing low budget hotels or hostels and learn to love local street food...it is simply delicious!
ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Bangkok is a great city for a homebase, but if you want to exprience the real Thailand book a ticket on an airplane or take the bus to explore Phuket. Pack light and bring your smart phone or cameras for many photo opportunities... YOU WILL BE PLEASANTLY REWARDED!
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