Scuba Diving in Phuket

Scuba diving is why I came to Phuket 7 years ago, hoping to get some instructor work, see the best dive sites of the area, and then move on. I had this idea to work my way round SE Asia, only I never left Thailand (at least, not for long). My very first dives here were local day dives from Phuket (read more here), but what I really wanted was to be on a liveaboard to the Similan Islands. Best diving in Thailand and the best way to do it. Well, more about that later. This section is about the great variety local dive sites around Phuket. If you want to go scuba diving in Phuket, Phi Phi or the Similan Islands, talk to Sunrise Divers based in Karon Beach.



• Sunrise Divers on Google Earth

Phuket Scuba Diving - Dive Sites

Koh Racha Yai

Nice and easy diving, with the east coast being the best; visibility normally around 20 - 25m, lots of coral, loads of small fish, minimal currents. Ideal for everyone who wants a relaxing couple of dives. There are boats going here every day and it's home to The Racha resort. Most commonly used for students doing beginners courses, but you can get some nice dives here if you dive a little deeper. The max depth is really only about 24m unless you like sand. I have dived to about 33m here. All the usual reef fish are here, with regular octopus, lionfish, scorpionfish, cuttlefish, blue spotted stingrays, puffers, butterflyfish...the list goes on. Not the most exciting scuba diving in Phuket but always what I would class a "nice" dive.

Shark Point

From the name you may get the impression the site is crawling with sharks - not really, though leopard sharks are commonly seen, especially in the low season. Shark Point is a beautiful place to dive; colourful soft corals, fan corals, oodles of marine life and it remains the only place ever where I saw a dolphin during a dive. The dive site consists of several pinnacles. The largest breaks the surface, the second is at 5m, then the rest are smaller. You need decent navigation or experience with the site to get between the pinnacles. Visibility varies from 8 - 25m, currents can be fair to middling.



Anemone Reef

Near Shark Point you have Anemone Reef, which was hit by the King Cruiser in 1997. This site is one pinnacle, all under water, starting at about 5m. The top few meters are carpeted with anemones, and all over the site is soft coral. Some people prefer it to Shark Point. To me they are pretty similar. Both have a max depth of about 24m, so they're not really deep. Worth going slowly around these sites. Soft corals can hide all manner of critters such as ghost pipefish, frogfish and seahorses.



King Cruiser Wreck

Sank in 1997, depth is from 15 - 32m, currents can be strong. Not a beginners dive, and conditions are highly variable. Visibility can be 5m, can be 20m. If you get a good day, its a great dive. Wreck is covered in marine life. Lots of lionfish and scorpionfish (don't put your hands down!), schools of snapper hanging around. The wreck has been slowly deteriorating since it sank. Now not possible to penetrate the car deck, but it's the only wreck nearby (unless you are Trimix trained), and there are boats here every day, doing trips combined with 1 or 2 of the other sites.

Koh Doc Mai

This is a real "love it or hate it" kind of site. You dive along a wall with depths down to 28m in places, and to get the most of the site, especially when vis is low, you need to keep your nose to the wall. All kinds of things to see from seahorses to little moray eels to cleaner shrimps and nudibranchs. When vis is good it IS truly spectacular. There are a couple of small caverns at the base of the wall too. I saw mating leopard sharks here one time, which was great. It's almost always the final dive of the day on the way back to Phuket from the wreck. You can see this island anytime you take a ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi - a small limestone island rising straight up from the sea.



Koh Racha Noi

South of Racha Yai and in deeper water, is Racha Noi. Every time I dive here I see something interesting. Maybe an eagle ray, maybe a manta, maybe turtle, maybe big barracudas. The deep water and currents attract bigger fish here and there's not much pretty reef. Currents can be odd - up, down, round and round. Again, like the wreck, not ideal for beginners especially at the South Point, where you try to decend to 30m on top of a deep pinnacle. There are easier sites, so some new divers go here on occasion. It's not the most popular site, probably because its not ideal for all divers, and its quite a long haul in the normal chugga slow day trip boats that are used for Phuket scuba diving, but certainly worth the effort.



That'll do for now. Phi Phi is also within reach of a day trip for diving, and with some new fast boats coming into the dive industry in the last few years, there are more day trips to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang too. In the high season there are daily trips to the Similan Islands - the boats depart from Khao Lak with early morning pick ups in Phuket.

There's a lot of scuba diving variety available from Phuket. You can easily do a weeks diving without repeating dive sites. It was good enough to keep me here for life!

Phuket Scuba Diving Links

• Similan Islands Liveaboards
• Day Trip Diving
• PADI Dive Courses
• Phuket Dive Sites
• Sunrise Divers Blog

Phuket Hotel Recommendations

On Jamie's Phuket Blog, you will find reviews of some of the best hotels on the 3 main beaches (Patong, Karon and Kata) and also plenty which are away from the crowds in quieter areas of Phuket. Phuket is a big place, it's worth spending some time to find the right hotel for you. I've been living in Phuket for over 11 years now, so I can certainly make some good suggestions when people ask me about Phuket hotels. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions on this page.

Where to book Phuket hotels online?

There are so many hotels to choose from in Phuket and literally hundreds of hotel booking web sites. I recommend everyone to look at Agoda before booking anywhere else. The rates are competitive, the choice is wide and the web site is well designed and very easy to use. There are loads of guest reviews for most of the hotels too. Agoda is also good for last minute bookings - you can book right up to the day of the stay with instant confirmation online... plus Agoda has a very nice rewards program where you gain points with every booking that can be used as a refund on future bookings!

• Phuket Hotels by Agoda.com
• Hotels all over Thailand at Agoda.com

Jamie's Recommended Phuket Hotels

Patong Beach Hotels

• Amari Coral Beach Resort
• La Flora Resort
• Yorkshire Hotel and Spa
• Phuket Merlin Beach Resort
• Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort
• Graceland Resort
• Aspery Hotel
• Burasari Resort
• Tri Trang Beach Resort
• My Top Patong Beach Hotels
• Full Listing of Patong Beach Hotels

Karon Beach Hotels

• Pacific Club Resort
• Phuket Orchid Resort
• Boomerang Village Cottages
• Old Phuket Hotel
• Phuket Island View
• Le Meridien Beach Resort
• Marina Phuket Resort
• Karon Princess
• My Top Karon Beach Hotels
• Full Listing of Karon Beach Hotels

Kata Beach Hotels

• Ibis Kata Hotel
• Mom Tri's Villa Royale (Kata Noi)
• Sawasdee Village
• Avista Resort
• Kata Palm Resort
• CC Blooms
• Katathani Resort (Kata Noi)
• My Top Kata Beach Hotels
• Full Listing of Kata Beach Hotels

North Phuket

• The Surin (Pansea Beach)
• Sala Phuket (Mai Khao Beach)
• Dusit Thani Laguna (Bang Tao Beach)
• Indigo Pearl Resort (Nai Yang Beach)
• Phuket Airport Hotel
• Nai Yang Beach Resort
• Naithonburi Resort (Naithon Beach)
• Seaside Cottages (Mai Khao Beach)
• Kamala Beach Hotels
• Bang Tao Beach Hotels
• Surin Beach Hotels

South Phuket

• The Racha Resort
• Baan Krating Jungle Beach (Ao Sane Beach)
• Cape Panwa Hotel
• Novotel Beach Resort Panwa
• Evason Resort and Spa (Rawai Beach)
• All Seasons Resort (Naiharn Beach)

Want the very best hotels in Phuket? Check out the Best Hotels in Phuket list I made in January 2011, or the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket list I made in 2008. Quite a few hotels are on both lists. A few new ones on the 2011 list. And they're not all 5 star - quite a mix of budgets. Good place to start looking if you want a top hotel!

Phuket Town

Not next to the beach, but if you want a taste of the real Phuket or want to see some of Phuket's biggest festivals, or like a bit of history and culture, then Phuket Town is worth a look for a hotel - maybe not for your whole holiday, but for a bit of balance. I like Phuket Town, by the way.

• My suggestions for Hotels in Phuket Town
• Phuket Town Hotels at Agoda.com

Phuket Hotels - Google Maps


View Phuket Hotels in a larger map

(The map above includes locations for all hotels mentioned on this blog and my Phuket hotels blog)

Khao Lak Hotels

While Khao Lak is not part of Phuket (it's in Phang Nga province), it's not far away, about 70km north of Phuket airport, which is the nearest airport to Khao Lak, so basically we can consider Khao Lak hotels as being part of Phuket, since the whole region is serviced by Phuket Airport. Khao Lak is very quiet, there are a lot of very nice hotels on the beach, there is very little in the way of nightlife, a good place to just sit and relax. You are also within easy reach of Khao Sok national park and Phang Nga Bay.

• The Sarojin
• Khao Lak Hotels - Full Listing
• Cliff and River Jungle Resort (Khao Sok National Park)

Hotels all over Thailand

• Bangkok Hotels
• Phi Phi Island Hotels
• Krabi & Ao Nang Hotels
• Chiang Mai Hotels

More Phuket hotel reviews to be blogged as time goes by... Please note that this is a blog, and some of the hotel reviews were made years ago - things can change. You can find more hotels on my Phuket Hotels Blog. For most hotels you have a link for up-to-date reviews at the Agoda site, made by people who have stayed at these hotels recently, well worth checking the reviews!

This page is of course just a taster for the hotels available in Phuket. Do you have a question about Phuket Hotels? Please do add a comment below or join the Jamie's Phuket Facebook Page. I will try to answer! Or look @ Agoda.com for more Phuket hotel information than I can ever hope to add here plus best prices for online booking... Enjoy Phuket!

Hotel Recommendations: Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa

The Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa opened less than a year ago in Patong Beach. It's a 5 star resort with facilities such as spa, sauna, fitness center and even a bowling alley! Now, there are many hotels in Patong, but the main reason I like this one, aside from the facilities, is the location... (Graceland on Google Earth)

The North end of Patong beach, as you head towards Kalim and Kamala, is much quieter. There are no bars, and there's a nice park and promenade along the beachfront where people (locals and tourists) often come for a sit down or a picnic. It's almost like you're not in Patong, but you can walk to Bangla Road or McDonalds in 10 minutes. It's basically the last resort in Patong. Go further North and you are officially in Kalim. The Novotel is a couple of minutes away, as is "Da Maurizio", maybe the best Italian food in Phuket, and certainly the most expensive!

Phuket Graceland - Booking and Reviews

• Phuket Graceland Resort Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Phuket Graceland Resort - Guest Reviews

• More Hotels in Patong Beach
• Last minute Patong Beach hotels - LateStays.com


Phuket Graceland Photos

 

 

Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com

Wat Phra Thong (Pra Tong Temple)

Another week, another temple. On the same day we visited Wat Sri Sunthorn, we also found Wat Phra Tong, which was actually our main aim for the afternoon. Pra Tong temple is fairly well known and is mentioned on many Phuket web sites, but owing to its location (quite a way from any main beach - see on Google Earth) it's not visited as much as Wat Chalong, though there are plenty of Thai visitors coming to see the famous "half Buddha" image.



The temple has quite a story attached to it. It's not clear exactly when, but the story is of a boy who tied his buffalo to a post sticking out of the ground. The boy became sick and died. It was found that the post he had tied the buffalo to was the top of a buried Buddha image hidden in the undergrowth. The buffalo was also dead. The villagers tried to dig up the Buddha, but could not. They got attacked by wasps, hornets and bees. the governor ordered the people to cover the image with gold and to build a temple around it.

 

The image is known as "Phra Phut" and is thought to be Chinese in origin. At Chinese new year many local Thai-Chinese visit the temple for prayers. You can find the temple just North of the traffic lights in Thalang on the east side of the road (right side if you're going towards the airport).

 

Wat Sri Sunthon (Sri Sunthorn Temple)

Last Sunday we set out with a particular target in mind. Phuket is full of temples, and there are many that we have never visited. I wanted to find Wat Phra Thong, where there is a famous half buried Buddha image...We found it, but on the way, a litle south of Thalang Town (which used to the the main town in Phuket a couple of hundred years ago), we found Wat Sri Sunthorn and were very glad we did.

There were several buildings in the temple. The main Wat seemed to be closed, but on top of another building is a huge reclining Buddha. We found our way up to the roof to look more closely and say a quick prayer. Certainly worth a quick visit, and can be combined with a visit to Wat Phra Tong and also Wat Phra Nang Sang, also in Thalang, which we have not visited yet.

• See location on Google Earth - the reclining Buddha is easy to spot.

 

The temple is named after one of the two sisters, known as the Heroines of Thalang - Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthorn who rallied the people of Phuket to defeat invading Burmese in 1785. Actually at the time, their names were Chan and Mook, but later King Rama V gave them these honorary names.

Pretty much every visitor to Phuket will see the "Heroines Monument" which is a bit south of Thalang in the centre of a traffic circle on the main road between the airport and the southern beaches and Phuket Town. Not many tourists go to these temples. On Sunday we saw a few Thai people there. The most visited temple in Phuket is Wat Chalong, and quite a few go to Wat Phra Tong too.

 


 

Hotel Recommendations: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

As a resident of Phuket, making hotel recommendations has some plus points - I know the island well, I can advise on the best beaches, know the locations of the hotels etc... At the same time, as I am not a tourist, I have not stayed in any hotels since I was a backpacker (and I can't really recommend the On On Hotel unless you're a backpacker!).

Le Meridien Beach Resort is one of those hotels that I can't say anything bad about. Over the years many customers I've had contact with have stayed there and I've never heard a bad word. The resort is located on it's own private beach in a place called "Relax Bay" or "Karon Noi" between Patong and Karon beaches, and no more than 10 minutes from either, so you have both seclusion and proximity to main tourist areas. I say seclusion, but Le Meridien does have more than 400 rooms, so you're bound to see a few other people, just you better hope they don't all decide to use the pool at the same time! The beach is great, and you can snorkel there too.

• Location on Google Earth



Le Meridien - Online Booking

• Le Meridien Beach Resort Rates and Reservations at LateStays.com
• Le Meridien Beach Resort Rates and Reservations at R24


Le Meridien - Photos

  

There is another excellent Le Meridien Resort on Naiharn beach, Phuket:

• Le Meridien Phuket Yacht Club

Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com

Singing Bird Competition in Kathu, Phuket

In a place like Phuket, well known for it's tourism, the local life is often overlooked. Phuket has a rich and diverse history and the people of Phuket are a true mix of races and religions as one often sees in port towns around the world. The Kathu area of Phuket was the original center of the huge tin mining industry in Phuket bringing with it many Chinese workers. The mines are now all closed, but tin mining, along with rubber made Phuket a wealthy area well before the tourists arrived. The Chinese influence is clear in Phuket, both in Phuket Town and in Kathu, with many Chinese shrines in evidence, Chinese writing on many shops and many a Chinese-looking face. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe the keeping of caged birds is very Chinese influenced, and you see many bird cages in Phuket.

This was the first time I'd seen a singing bird competition, and indeed the first time I'd seen so many caged birds in one place, so went along to have a look - it was just a couple of minutes drive from my house in Kathu.

 

Hard to know what was going on, but the bird owners were sure taking it seriously. As I understand it, the birds were judged on their singing in several ways - how much they sing, how long they can sing for and how nice their songs are - something like that. There was a huge scoreboard plastered with the scores. I think you'd have to be a local bird fancier to know exactly what it all meant. My wife didn't have much more of a clue than I did.

 

There were a couple of hundred birds hanging in their cages. Judges would stand and take notes, and when a whistle blew, it looked like the owners would call to their birds. Owners had to stand a set distance from the cages behind the judges. I must say it was quite a spectacle, and I do enjoy finding some local life in my local area.

Chalong Temple (Wat Chalong)

Chalong Temple is the largest of Phuket's temples, and the most visited. Locals come to pray and pay respects to the founders of Wat Chalong, among them Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, 2 monks who were well known for herbal medicine and took care of local villagers and negotiated for a settlement during a chinese miners rebellion in the 1870's.



Wat Chalong a big place, with several buildings including the main temple, with statues of the revered monks where people can pray, apply gold leaf to the statues, light incense and candles etc.. There is another building with a tall tower, in which one finds painted walls with scenes from the life of Buddha and many Buddha images. At the top of the tower is what is said to be a fragement of bone of Buddha himself. There is also an airconditioned building containing waxworks of the monks.

 

 

The views from the tower are nice, across the temple grounds looking towards the hills. You can see Buddha Mountain and Radar Hill from here.

 

Wat Chalong is well worth a visit, though if you want a quiet time, I would suggest going early morning or late afternoon, as it can be rather busy with locals and tourists alike. It's really the only temple on the Phuket tourist trail, and tours tend to arrive there from 10am - 2pm. We went yesterday at midday and it was buzzing! There is a yearly fair at the temple around Chinese New Year (see links below).

The temple is located between Phuket Town and Chalong. The road runs from Central Festival to Chalong circle. If you want a good half day tour, you can combine Chalong temple with some of the small beaches in the SW corner of Phuket along with Laem Phromthep, a drive up one of the hills mentioned above (good for sunsets) or a walk down Chalong Jetty.

• More Photos of Chalong Temple
• More Temples in Phuket
• Chalong Temple Fair
• Wat Chalong on Google Earth

More Noodles in Phuket

Are noodles the life force of Thailand? Well, for sure a bowl of noodle soup is a cheap and tasty meal, commonly eaten by Thai folk for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I reckon some noodle shop owners are millionaires. They always have customers, and some are always busy. The last noodle place on this blog, up near Kathu Waterfall (see here) is a real local place, off the main road, a few regular local customers.

This morning we went to another noodle shop near our house in Kathu, but this one, close to the busy Ket Ho junction between Patong and Phuket Town, is bigger and busier. Breakfast time is fairly calm, but they are super busy at lunchtime, filling up with local office staff and other working folk; they get their trade during the day and don't open in the evening - but despair ye not because there's another noodle shop just 100m down the road. This is a real clean place, all stainless tables and chairs, real ceramic bowls (many use cheap plastic), and the owner and staff are always friendly. There's another small place right opposite which only opens for lunch and during the afternoon - the noodle soup here is maybe a bit tastier, but the owner is not so smiley :)

Here's some pictures from today's breakfast...

 

 

Hotel Recommendations: Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort

Patong Beach is well known as the biggest, baddest beach in Phuket..paradise to some, hell to others, you can't deny it has a huge selection of restaurants, bars, hotels, resorts, shops and more. But even Patong has it's quiet spots. Try checking out the back roads, or head to the far south end of the beach and cross the little bridge. The road splits here - turn right for the (very nice) Amari Coral Beach Resort, or turn left and follow the road as it climbs up and over the hill. Up here you find Baan Yin Dee.

This boutique resort features just 21 unique rooms, with 3 pools and the excellent "Fusion" restaurant with great views over Patong Bay. Friends have stayed there and say the service is superb, it's quiet, romantic...maybe one of the best places to stay around Patong without being in the heart of the madness!

Baan Yin Dee - Booking and Reviews

• Baan Yin Dee Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Baan Yin Dee - Guest Reviews


Baan Yin Dee Photos

 

 

Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com

Quiet Beaches in Phuket - Ao Sane and Ya Nui

Quiet Beaches Part I - Ao Sane and Ya Nui

The main tourist beaches of Patong, Karon, Kata, and to a lesser extent Kamala and Bang Tao will not get too much mention on this blog save for hotels (such as the Dusit Laguna on Bang Tao beach) or places to eat (such as BBQ Hut in Patong. The main west coast beaches contain most of the hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops, so no matter where you stay or go during the day, it makes sense to visit these at some point or even stay at a hotel on a main beach and travel out each day to explore.

There are many small or quiet beaches on Phuket Island, some have development, some have almost nothing. Among those I like include Naithon, Nai Yang, Layan and Surin. If you want something real small for a day's relaxation, try one of these:

Ao Sane Beach

Reached by a winding cliffside road from Naiharn (you have to drive through Le Meridien Yacht Club), Ao Sane is a tiny beach with some bungalows for rent and a small restaurant. There's even a tiny dive shop. The views are great, the water always seems quite clear and is good for snorkeling. There is limited space for parking vehicles, and when we have been there we've only seen a few other people. The bungalows were hit by the tsunami, but have been rebuilt and the restaurant serves decent food (nothing special, but not bad). The beach is rocky, with large boulders buried in the sand. It really is quite scenic, and is always quiet. My only gripe is that the bungalow/restaurant owners don't seem to bothered about keeping the beach clean.

• Ao Sane Beach location on Google Earth

Just a little further is a unique accommodation option - the Baan Krating Jungle Lodge, set in the trees overlooking the sea, a real jungle getaway.





Ya Nui (Yanui) Beach

This place has a special place in our hearts. We have photos of our daughter here with my parents back in 2003. The beach was wiped out by the tsunami and many of the small bungalows were destroyed. It's not far from Ao Sane and Naiharn, in the same SW corner of Phuket - it's a very nice area to drive around with several beaches, views and quiet roads.

At Ya Nui there are some bungalows again now, and it's usually quiet. We went last time in April and there were just a few people there as we watched a great sunset. It's a lovely little beach, again quite rocky with little rockpools where the kids enjoy finding little fish and hermit crabs.




Ya Nui Beach Links

• Ya Nui Recovery Project
• Ya Nui Beach location on Google Earth
• Ya Nui Bungalows
• Ya Nui Resort