5 Things Travellers Need to Know Before Visiting Phuket – For a safe and fun holiday in the land of smiles

The beautiful isle of Phuket might look deceptively small on a map, but in reality, it happens to be the country’s largest island spanning 12,56 Km. As a general rule, it tends to take anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours to drive from popular tourist attractions such as Cape Phrom Thep and the Sarasin Bridge. Do note that some places take even longer to get to because the island’s roads are less direct and not well-maintained. This is an important fact to keep in mind when you are travelling to and from the airport and in case you need to catch a flight on time.

For those looking forward to delighting in sunny blue skies, balmy air, and endless sunshine, they will be delighted to know that Phuket boasts year-round tropical weather! The average temperature in Phuket usually remains between 25-30 Celsius. Generally, the months of May and June tend to be the warmest time of the year while December and January tend to be chilly come night. However, it’s important to remember that the island’s tropical monsoon climate means there will be plenty of rain all year round – with September being the wettest month. (The months of July, August, and October experience occasional bouts of rain too). The best time to visit is during winter, however, this period tends to attract hordes of tourists while resort prices become more expensive.

If you have travelled in Bangkok, you might have been pliantly surprised by how cheap the metered taxi fares are. However, when you visit Phuket and need to get around, you might be in for a shock. For comparison, the starting taxi fare in the capital might be around 100 THB, while in Phuket, it might very well come up to a whopping 400 THB.  Unfortunately, when it comes to travelling on the island, you might find that taxis are unavoidable, so it's best to budget the fare into your travel expenses.

Like most parts of Thailand, the tap water in Phuket is not safe for consumption. This is mainly due to the fact, that the pipes that water is delivered from treatment plants or damaged or old. Most Karon beach hotels in Phuket such as the likes of Jono X Phuket Karon offer their guests complimentary bottles of water.

While bartering in most markets in Phuket is generally acceptable, it’s not a common practice in Thailand. Remember, Phuket locals are very friendly and honest, and if they set a price for an item, then that’s the price they want.