Phuket is pronounced ‘Poo-Ket’, rather than ‘Fuket’ as I’ve heard many travellers say! Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and another 32 smaller islands off its coast. It is in the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. The island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island from the north to the south.

• The island’s length, from north to south, is 48 kilometres (30 mi) and its width is 21 kilometres (13 mi).
• Kata Beach is one of the only places in Thailand where you can surf!
• There is currently no official lifeguard service on the island. Take notice of the warning flags: green means you’re good to go, yellow indicates a medium risk, purple warns of dangerous marine life, and red signals no swimming allowed. Never swim alone.
• On On Hotel in Phuket Old Town is the original ‘flea-pit’ hostel that was featured in the legendary backpacker film, The Beach. Now called ‘Memory at On On’.
• Patong means “the forest filled with banana leaves” in Thai.

Before Phuket became known for all the beach tourism and oceanside resorts, Phuket thrived in the 17th century for its wealth in Tin which attracted interest from European and Chinese traders. The Chinese, particularly from Fujian province, immigrated to Phuket to work in tin mining. Some of these Fujian immigrants stayed in Thailand and married local Thais, which leads to the distinct Thai-Chinese culture that can be seen in Old Phuket Town today. This Thai-Chinese mix of heritage is known as “Baba”.

• On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand’s west coast suffered damage when they were struck by a tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake. Some 250 were reported dead in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Almost all of the major beaches on the west coast of Phuket, especially Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata sustained major damage, with some damage caused to resorts and villages on the island’s southern beaches.
• In 1785 the Burmese attacked Thalang during the “Nine Armies’ Wars”. After a month-long siege of the capital city, the Burmese were forced to retreat on 13 March 1785.

Phuket has some of Thailand’s fanciest hotels, complete with spa facilities, swimming pools and buffet dinners. You’ll need to pay 3000 baht and up for this luxury though. For those on a more modest budget, there are hundreds, if not thousands of hostels, guesthouses and bungalows around the mid-range 500-700 THB, and there are some cheaper options at around 300 THB.

Compared to the rest of Thailand, food is a bit more expensive here and can be even more expensive if you’re right on Patong Beach.

• If you eat at the street stalls, the food is not only cheap, but it’s also utterly delicious! Remember that buying beers from 7-Eleven vs in bars and restaurants will save you lots of money.
• It isn’t safe to drink the tap water in Phuket.

• Bus You’ll pay 100-200 THB ($3.15-6.25 USD) to get across the island, but you’ll need patience.
• Songthaews A ride in a songthaew usually starts around 25-50 THB ($0.80-1.60 USD).
• Motorbike Taxi, good for a short journey around town, but If you’re going a longer distance, I wouldn’t advise it. It’s not the safest option!
• Taxi Metered taxis are expensive, but sometimes they’re cheaper than tuk-tuks. Their fares start at 50 THB ($1.60 USD) per two kilometers. An hour-long journey from the airport to Patong is a minimum of 500 THB ($16 USD).
• Tuk-Tuk A 2-mile (3-kilometer) ride in a tuk-tuk can cost about 335 THB ($10 USD). Shorter distances average about 100 THB ($3.15 USD)
• Grab app (Like Uber)

I flew to Phuket direct from London Gatwick airport which took around 13 hours to arrive.

• Air, Phuket International Airport (HKT). Cheap local airlines like AirAsia, Vietjet Air, Nok Air, 12GO and Thai Airways have daily flights from Bangkok which takes just an hour and a half to reach the island. Flights are around $30 US or less if you book in advance. The best thing to do is to check Skyscanner to compare the cheapest prices.
• Ferry, There are daily ferries that connect Phuket to neighboring islands Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. Ferries depart daily from Rassada Pier and Tonsai Pier, with service expanding each year. The average price for a one-way ticket ranges from 300 THB to 1500 THB.
• Train, There is currently no rail line to Phuket.

• Get away from the beaches and the drunken tourists.
• Skip Patong.
• Prices will go up after a certain time without warning.
• Visit Phuket’s little-seen Old Town.
• For one week during the month of October, Phuket Old Town sees one of the most spectacular Vegetarian festivals in Southeast Asia.
• There are a number of unscrupulous elephant camps posing as ethical sanctuaries on the island. At the moment there is only one truly humane elephant home that meets the highest levels of animal care and that’s the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.
• There is currently no official lifeguard service on the island. Take notice of the warning flags: green means you’re good to go, yellow indicates a medium risk, purple warns of dangerous marine life, and red signals no swimming allowed. Never swim alone.
• If you eat the street food like the locals, you’ll be hard-pressed to spend more than 200 THB a day on food (maybe not even that).
• Negotiate with long-tail boat drivers.
• Get a group together and charter a longtail boat. Split between four or more people, it should be cheaper than an organized tour.
• Haggle in the markets, especially if buying in bulk.
• If you’re on a budget, Ham & Cheese Toasties from 7-11 are a great, cheap & quick meal.
• Beers and drinks are heavily discounted when purchased at 7-Eleven. Purchase a few beers before you go out to the bars and cut your night’s budget by a lot.
• If you travel during May through October, you will be missing the peak season, and save quite a bit, even though you might catch some rain.