Trip to Phuket Island (March 2013)

PHUKET (March 2013)

Angie and I found some time to visit Phuket this March. This is our first trip to Phuket so we really did quite a lot of research - looking for places to eat and places to visit. (Actually, Angie did most of the research... I mainly looked for beaches and places for shopping).

Most of our research was on places to eat, shows to watch, some spas for Angie, and some good beaches. We couldn't travel off-the-island on this trip so we mainly looked for beaches on Phuket island itself.

Most of the places we were looking at are in the map below.

View TH - Phuket in a larger map

Garmin Mapsource GDB file located here.
Driving:
As we were staying in Mai Khao which is at the northern tip of Phuket, we decided to rent a car to drive around the island. Driving in Phuket is an experience in of itself. If you're adventurous enough, I highly recommend renting a car as it will give you the freedom to visit many places off the beaten track at your leisure. 

However, be warned that driving in Phuket can be very complicated due to the many narrow roads as well as the many locals on small motorcycle whose riding skills and adherence to road etiquette leaves a lot to be desired. More than half the motorcyclist here believe that wearing the helmet is optional and we have even seen some Westerners adopt the same practice of riding without helmets. (I guess ignorance is bliss or else it imparts some invisible protective charm... :p )

Compounding the problem of driving in Phuket is that if you are involved in any accident, most of the locals (as well as the local police) do not speak the English language which makes communicating and settling the issue problematic. Most guides that I have read recommend asking for the Tourist Police who are able to speak English and may help you resolve the issue. So it's good advice to keep the Tourist Police phone no. in your mobile phone on your visit.

That aside, driving in Phuket can be quite safe as long as you practice safe driving techniques... mainly driving slow and keeping a good lookout before switching lanes or making a turn.


DAY 1
Methee Cashew Nut Co.
On our arrival and picking up our rental car, we had quite a bit of spare time before our check-in to the hotel, so we took a drive down to Methee Cashew Nut Company in Phuket Town. This place was featured in Andrew Zimmern's Bizzare Foods TV show on the Travel Channel.

Cashew Nut Juice Stall

A wide variety of Cashew Nuts

Our initial impression on our arrival was that this shop was a tourist trap. (Just as we arrived, a tour van stopped by and unloaded a group of chinese tourist.)

One of the items featured in Andrew Zimmern's show was the Cashew Nut Juice which is the juice derived from the fruit (above the nut) which they mix with a soda (7-Up / Sprite) for 50 THB a cup. We decided to try it out but we were disappointed by it as we (mostly) only tasted the soda.

On the table nearby, they had a huge range of cashew nuts with samples for tasting. We had a great time sampling the many different flavours they had for sale. They had tom-yum, sesame seed, chocolate, garlic, and many other flavours. Angie and I really liked the garlic-flavoured cashew nuts.

You won't find flavoured cashew nuts like these elsewhere and hence, they are priced accordingly - be prepared to pay tourist eye-gouging prices averaging around 220 THB for those small containers shown above. In contrast, you can find a similar container of plain cashew nuts at the supermarket for 70 THB. Methee offers a small discount - buy 10 packs and get 1 pack free. My advice is buy a few packs of your favourite flavour to take home but look elsewhere for your snack shopping.

Dinner - Thanoon Seafood
We read about this place online at the link below and decided we had to try this place out since it was so close to our hotel. For those of you with GPS, the coordinates are: N8 12.260 E98 17.918
http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2011/10/thanoon-seafood.html

Thanoon is mostly frequented by the locals (which means the food is good) but some of the staff are able to speak English and the menu has pictures of the food and it is bi-lingual with the Thai name as well as the English name next to each food item.

Finding the place took a little effort as we had an idea where it was located but we were not sure of the route to take. You have to drive across Sarasin bridge (from Phuket to the mainland). Once across the bridge, the restaurant is towards your left but you can't get to it. Instead, you need to proceed a bit further and you'll be able to make a U-Turn. After that, you'll be on the same road heading back towards Sarasin bridge (towards Phuket island). Just before the bridge, there's a small exit road to the left. Take that exit and then circle under Sarasin bridge. As soon as you emerge from under Sarasin bridge, you'll see Thanoon on your left.

Great view at the restaurant

Thanoon has a great view, especially at sunset. We arrived at 6.00pm and it was quite empty but the place quickly filled up around 7.00pm.

Placing our order took quite some time as the list of foods on their menu is quite long.

However, Angie had an idea of the types of food she wanted to try in Thailand so we soon made our choices.

Minced Prawn Cakes

We ordered some minced prawn cakes (mostly to appease me) as Angie was worried I wouldn't be able to stomach her other choices. The prawn cakes were battered and fried to perfection with sweet chili sauce on the side. Definitely a good starter.

We also ordered the fried rice with crab and a plate of pork satay. These were also very good but unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo.

Horseshoe Crabs with Cashew Nuts

Angie also ordered the horseshoe crab which was fried with cashew nuts.

The crab really has no real meat and the only thing you can eat is the roe / eggs. I had a bit of it and it was really tasty.

Deep-Fried Sea Cicadas (Hipa)

The other item we ordered was the deep-fried sea-cicadas. These are really small and you eat them whole with the shell like soft-shell crabs.  

They don't really have much taste on their own but that's what the fish sauce is for.

DAY 2

Banana Beach

We decided to take a drive out to some of the beaches in the morning on our 2nd day. I had originally read about Banana Beach here. It was rumoured to be a secret beach known only to the locals so naturally, we had to go check it out. We managed to find it although the roads leading to it were very narrow. It's just 10min's drive past Naithon beach and the coordinates are here: N8 02.515 E98 16.606. You will see a small sign that says Banana Beach.

 

There is very little parking and you need to climb down a steep path to get to the beach but once you're down there, you'll appreciate the trek to get to this beach. There's a small shack beside the beach that's been set up to serve food.

Naithon Beach
A short drive away from Banana Beach is Naithon Beach. This is more accessible as there are plenty of parking spots and lots of bars/cafes. There are many deck chairs with umbrellas for rent (150THB) with a beautiful beach and fine white sand.

Simon Cabaret

In the evening, we took a drive to Patong to watch the show at Simon Cabaret. The drive to Patong was a bit disconcerting as the traffic was very heavy and the roads in Patong were extremely narrow. Most roads are only single lane with many pedestrians and tourists walking around. You really have to drive slow and keep your eyes open for those small motorcycles as well as the pedestrians. There is free parking right beside Simon Cabaret.

We had booked the tickets online a week in advance so we got pretty good seats. Advice to all of you attending the show, the 1st row and the aisle seats on the 2nd and 3rd row should be avoided unless you'd like to participate in the show. ;-)

The 'ladies' commonly approach the audience in these strategic seats as part of their acts - either to plant a friendly kiss or something a bit more suggestive. Choose your seats with care. 

The show was great and is highly recommended for those of you visiting Phuket.

After the show, you have an opportunity to meet some of the cast members and have your pictures taken with these lovely ladies. If you choose to have your photo taken with them, a tip is expected... typically around 200 THB each. Most of the performers supplement their income with these tips.

Definitely worth the price to have a few photos taken so you can show your guy friends. The look on their faces as they're staring at the pictures and you reveal that they are salivating over pictures of men is priceless. :-)

We decided to drive out of Patong immediately after the show. Typically, Patong is not famous for good food. Most of the eating establishments are over-priced and targeted at the unwary tourist.

We had planned to visit Bangkok Burger Company before we went for the show but unfortunately, we were delayed by the traffic and had to skip that visit. I hope to visit it the next time we're there. For those of you interested, it's marked on my map above.

Day 3

Mai Khao Beach

We decided to go with a relaxing day on our 3rd day and walk around our hotel. The beaches at Mai Khao were very beautiful with great sand and turquoise blue waters.

Mai Khao is part of the Sirinat National Park which means that it is protected which explains it's beautiful and unspoiled nature. It has the longest beach coast and you can spend the whole day walking from one end to the other.

The hotel does offer some limited water sports - mainly canoes or sailing catamarans. The national park status means that motorised water sports such as jet-skis and speedboats are not allowed to protect the wildlife. My advice is just kick back and enjoy the view. Do check with the hotel staff before swimming in the ocean. At certain times of the year, the currents can be very strong.

Lunch at Kindee Restaurant

We had heard about Kindee from friends it is only a short drive from our hotel so we decided to try it out for lunch. The GPS coordinates are: N8 10.546 E98 18.106

http://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g1223683-d1626665-Reviews-Kin_Dee_Restaurant-Mai_Khao_Phuket.html

 

If you don't want to drive out, Kindee also delivers to the hotels near Mai Khao beach. The details are available on their website http://www.kindeerestaurant.com.

However, it is highly recommended for you to visit to experience its rustic charm. You'll be able to sit in the main restaurant overlooking the swamp or you can choose to sit in the small huts beside it.

We tried out the Kindee Crab Cakes which is one of their signature dishes. The crab meat was mixed with corn and then battered and deep-fried to crispy golden perfection and served with a side of Thai sweet chili sauce. It very tasty and we finished the whole plate.

The next item we tried was the Massaman Curry served with your choice of beef, lamb or chicken. This dish was voted as the top dish in South East Asia on CNNGo.com so we wanted to give it a try.

We had our curry with beef and we definitely needed steamed rice to go with our curry. The curry was made with coconut milk and ground peanut sauce which give it a very rich taste. The dish also included chunks of beef, potatoes, and onions. The Thai fragrant rice was soft and fluffy and a perfect delivery accompaniment to the curry.

Definitely one of my most favourite curry dishes and one of the best dishes we've had in Phuket. I don't know if I'd rate it as the top dish in South East Asia but it's definitely very good in my books and I'll definitely try it out again on my next trip to Phuket.

We also ordered their stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts. The dish was also fried with onions and water-chestnuts and was very tasty. We totally cleaned up the plate with nothing left over. We also recommend this dish to go with your steamed rice.

Normally, as with most typical guys, I'm not a real fan of salads but their signature Kindee Salad was very good. Also highly recommended to round out your meal.

The salad is sprinkled with bits of bird's eye chili pepper (cili padi) to give it some bite. These peppers are renowned as little firecrackers and if you're not a fan of spicy food, you should thread with care and pick them out before eating the salad.

Overall, the entire meal was great and we had no regrets of visiting Kindee. The entire meal for four people cost us about 1,000 THB which is a bit high by Asian standards but still reasonable. Generally, you won't find cheap food in the Mai Khao area as it is very remote and largely caters to the well-to-do tourist. However, if you're going to pay a lot for your meal, then it's best to get out of the hotel and get some good-tasting local food at Kindee or Thanoon.

Shopping at Super Cheap

Super Cheap is a massive shopping bazaar frequented by the Thai locals. It's situated inside a large warehouse and sells everything from household goods to food to clothing to pharmaceuticals. It is located at GPS coordinates: N7 55.201 E98 23.676

This place is worth a visit if you're shopping for small knick-knacks or household items. As it is frequented by locals, you won't find a lot of tourist or souvenir-style items here but it is a good place to shop for fresh food or snack food if you're in the area and also to grab a quick bite.

Unfortunately, we visited the place around 7pm and most of the fresh food stalls were closing up for the day although the opening hours are until 11pm. Early morning or evening is probably the best time to visit as this place is not air-conditioned and it gets very hot walking around here in the mid-day.

Day 4

Lunch at Leam Hin Seafood

For our last day, we had some free time before our flight so we decided to have lunch at another good Thai seafood restaurant before we leave. Angie originally wanted to try out Kruvit Raft Restaurant on the neighbouring island when we first arrived but we were worried that the boat ride to the island might make us late for our flight so we settled on Leam Hin Seafood by the pier instead. Leam Hin is situated on the east side of the island. GPS coordinates: N7 56.145 E98 24.468

The pier beside it is the same pier that you can take a water taxi to Kruvit Raft Restaurant which is a floating restaurant nearby so you have both choices when you come visit this area.

Dining at Leam Hin will give you a great view of the pier and ocean as well as very good seafood.

These are the crab sausages that Leam Hin serves. There are only 2 in the picture because it was so tasty that we ended up eating most of it before I remembered to take some photos.

Angie also wanted to try out some of their oysters. They cost 40 THB each which was quite reasonable for their large size. Angie loved this dish.

This dish was the fried fish-roe salad. A very excellent dish full of flavour and richness.

We also ordered the vermicelli fried with crabs. The dish is good but most of the flavour is in the gravy at the bottom of the dish so you should mix noodles with the gravy at bottom before you dish it out.

We also ordered the deep-fried sea-bass. This fish was fried to a very crispy, golden brown and was superb.

The fish was also served with a side of fish sauce and garlic chili sauce (shown in the picture).

The entire meal including a large pad thai and 2 crabs came up to 1,500 THB which was quite cheap for the quality and amount of seafood we had. 

We highly recommend this restaurant and would definitely visit it again on our next trip to Phuket.

OVERALL 

In summary, we really enjoyed our trip in Phuket although we didn't get a chance to go island hopping this round. My advice for the first-time tourist to Phuket is rent a car and get out of the town. Don't let yourself be stuck in Patong as there is a wealth of good food and great beaches all within easy reach and this will allow you to see the real Phuket and not the commercialised tourist scenes in Patong.

On our next trip, we hope to visit these other sites that we've missed out.

• Kathu Shooting Range - It's a shooting range where you can try out handguns, rifles and shotguns.
• Phuket Zipline Adventure
• Big Buddha
• Kata View Point
• Similan Islands
• Koh Phi Phi Islands