Phuket for novice

Sawaadee ka, I landed on the island for the first time on 27-30/9/2007, so before my memory faded I would like to note down a few points for peer referencing, or in another word how will I plan differently if going there again ....

Barring tsunami, October to January are peak season for Phuket, so traveling cost generally inflated during that time .. First thing you need to know when arrive at the airport is -- taxi charges from airport to hotel is 700 baht per trip, same charges from Hotel back to airport. Bus is cheaper if you are willing to explore. Driving a rental bike and become mat rempit wannabe I would not recommend unless you are tired of paying your life insurance premium or seeking police attention.

Donate 1300 baht per person then you entitle to visit Fantasea Theme park(open from 530pm-1130pm except thursday) located on kamala beach 9kms north of patong.
I felt that the entrance fee was overpriced, luckily we didn't pay 1800baht which include buffet dinner, no ride no nothing, other attraction basically are asking you to spend on souvenir or paying to play funfair games, the main show is the cultural performance, I can only say that the stage was grand other than that can barely understand or appreciate the show. If you are on tight budget can give it a miss :) Browsing www.phuket-fantasea.com may offer you the same consolation ooomph.

Phi-Phi island tour program 1400 baht per person
Pickup from hotel to pier(Rassada port), the ferry will bring you passing by Maya bay(where movie The beach was filming), viking cave where birdnest are harvest, getting wet and snorkelling at monkey bay but coral and fish are nothing to shout about, lunch at Phi-Phi don included with the program, as well as transportation from pier back to hotel. IMHO, this activity is worth trying. If possible next time should plan a trip to Krabi island and stay overnight there.
Attention: with the many rugged cliff surface rocks and caves that island is heaven for rock climbing enthusiasts, probably bliss business for chiropractic as well :P .

For accommodation, Kata beach area is generally more peaceful, fyi Phuket ClubMed is also situated here. For the stretch of Karon beach you can see more established hotel along the road but the wave there definitely looks stronger to my naked eyes.
To experience the busy night life and shopping you should not miss Patong. Very happening and busy place, do look up for Bang-La Road at night(also look up the electric poles on that street, the messy cables sure make TNB looks very elegant), frankly I cannot see any sign of Tsunami visited here before. For me, to stay here the location of the hotel is more important than their star rating as long as they are clean and safe, hotel facilities are what you can do without, because most of the time you will be outdoor experience Patong anyway. Those with active brain cells would rather save the money for shopping and food in this area, amen.

I deciphered from taxi driver broken english that in comparison Phuket actually is the most expensive place to shop in Thailand, I would not disagree. For your shopping spree Patong and Phuket city are the two places you should concentrate your limited time with. We was told Phuket city (i.e. Robinsons and Ocean mall surrounding) can offer you a better bargain than Patong but the place looks older though, whereas Jungceylon is a new shopping mall in Patong for 'puteri lilin' aka those opt to shop under aircond.
Tip1: if you didn't bring enough Thai currency, it's a good idea charging using your credit card because the conversion rate is not that bad, furthermore international spending gain double points leh ..
Tip2: If your partner is muscular enough to carry the bag for you, according to survey, fast moving consumer goods i.e. shampoo, toilette cream, skincare dan lain-lain of the same brand here, can be cheaper there. *hints* Octopus and Cow will feel the same way too :P
Tip3: If you shop at the store displaying VAT refund sign, ask for form PP10 with original invoice if you purchase with at least 2000 baht in same store. But total purchase have to be 5000 baht per person(VAT included) or more, to qualify for the VAT refund. You can get the refund minus 100 bath processing fee at the airport.


Other attractions to boast and my amateur rating as follow:
****Thai massage (supposely 350-400 baht an hour, but normally massager spend less than 60 minutes on you, probably Thai's clock 50 minutes = 1 hour?? :D )
***Promthep cape to watch sunset
**Shooting range (try once is enough, around 900 baht per 10 bullets)
*Elephant, monkey or snake show (give them a break so we give them a miss)
*Chalong temple (I have seen a better one b4 :)
Simon cabaret show (not enough time to watch this shemale performing but no regret)
Be more adventurous, try their hawker food, worry not toilets is abundant.
If it's a dull day for you on the ride, take note of all the pirated Shell petrol stations logo along the road.

If you are following city tour, these are the itineraries I dislike most:
i)visit gem/pearl factory
ii)cashew nut factory/birdnest shop
iii)chinese restaurant(as if we don't have enough back home) expect you to eat shark fin or birdnest
needless to say what the tour agent motive are, but it's purely waste of my time. If it's within your control, just chartered a taxi whole day then tell them where you want to go.

In summary, for a 4D3N trip, I will suggest staying 1 night at Krabi, 1 night at Kata beach and another night at Patong, then you can cover all the different lifestyle that Phuket got to offer :D.
p/s: For those who have been to Redang, then please lower your expectation about the beach, it's not too bad but more to please those have never seen a nicer beach before, but the offering of tourist activities in Thailand leave us much to learn from.

ok got enough information for you oledi? Huh, 4D3N you think you have a lot of time meh ... to subsidize my future trip feel free to click on the google ad lah ... btw photos available for those with high karma or accumulated enough credits kekekekekek... La kon.