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Like most things in Phuket, options for exerting yourself centre around the beach. Sailing is popular among the glitterati, and just checking out the range of watercraft moored along the shore is a fun thing to do. However, the real good times are to be had under the water - Phuket is a prime snorkelling and scuba diving spot, particularly along its western coast.
If you want to get an eyeful of sea critters without getting wet, then this centre displays a varied collection of tropical fish and other marine life. Some are alive in tanks, others stuffed and displayed. The sea turtle exhibit is the most impressive and informative.
Laem Phanwa
tel info 0 7639 1126
| full | Baht 100.00 |
| child | Baht 50.00 |
The museum contains five exhibit halls that mainly chronicle southern themes, such as the history of Thalang-Phuket and the colonisation of the Andaman Coast, as well as descriptions of the various ethnicities found in Southern Thailand. The focal point of one hall is a towering statue of Vishnu that dates to the 9th century.
Thalang District
(11km (6.8mi) NW of Phuket Town)
tel info 0 7631 1426
| full | Baht 30.00 |
This tiny island is known for its chao leh (sea gypsy) village and hilltop reclining Buddha. There's a loop road that goes around the island, passing a few residences, shrimp farms, rubber plantations and a bit of untouched forest. The main beach, Hat Teum Suk, has chairs and thatched shelters; it's modest, rather a local hang-out.
The village is the largest settlement of Urak Lawoi sea gypsies in Thailand. It's little more than a poverty-stricken cluster of shacks on stilts and a seafood restaurant called, rather poignantly, Gypsy World.
The Urak Lawoi, the most sedentary of the three sea-gypsy groups, are found only between the Mergui Archipelago and the Tarutao-Langkawi Archipelago, and speak a creolised mixture of Malay and Mon-Khmer.
Ao Makham
(connected to main island by a bridge)
The provincial capital, Phuket Town is a bustling, commercial town that sprawls further than any other island town in Thailand. The point of arrival for most watercraft, Phuket Town has some large hotels, shopping centres and great beaches nearby.
For many it's a town to go through on the way to the western side of the island, although there is much here - restaurants, craft shops, markets and surrounding villages - that are worth attention. Also of interest - if you can keep your eyes off the chaotic traffic - is some beautiful architecture.
In the older town centre you'll see some Sino-Portuguese architecture, characterised by ornate two-storey Chinese hâang thăew or 'row companies' fronted by Romanesque arched porticoes with 'five-foot ways' that were a 19th-century tradition in Malaysia, Singapore, Macau and Hainan Island (China). For a time it seemed this wonderful old architecture was all being torn down and replaced with modern structures but in recent years a preservation ethic has taken hold.
On the west coast, this large curved beach is Phuket's main tourist drawcard, especially throughout the high season (December to March). Over the last 10 years, Hat Patong has developed a seedy edge, although it's fairly mild and by day it's fine even for kids.
Patong is made up of hotels, upmarket bungalows, European restaurants, beer bars, nightclubs and lots of locals on the make. The beach is beautiful but far from quiet - it's lined with restaurants and stalls full of tacky or weird souvenirs. It may not be very Thai, but it can be fun in small doses.
The sort of people drawn to the bustle of this teeming, neon-lit atmosphere will adore Patong, while the more sedentary souls (you know who you are) might want to stay far, far away.
Phuket's most important occasion, the Vegetarian Festival, dates back to 1825 and usually takes place during late September or October. There's a host of events and heaps of great food. Don't forget your earplugs - the fireworks are loud. Prepare to get wet from 13-15 April each year as Phuket celebrates Songkran, the water festival. This celebration - on Thai New Year - is characterised by splashing water on anyone in range. It's all good-natured, and can actually be a welcome relief from the heat.
