Phuket: Ultimate Off the Beaten Track Holiday Guide

Dr. Theodore (Professor Bear) 7 min read

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Over the past few decades, tourism in Phuket has tipped off the scales 🧐 In some respects; it's a great thing for the Thailand tourism industry. 

However, this means that most of the island has become - in a commercial sense - well-trodden. As a resident of Phuket for over five years, I have seen and done things on the island that most holidays in Phuket never get to experience. The central tourist regions in Phuket are the likes of Patong, Karon, and Kata. 

However, there is something to see and do on every island corner. But holidaymakers rarely get to see it all 👓 Please enjoy my off-the-beaten-track in Phuket information for some exciting ideas. 

Secluded Phuket Beaches for Holidaying in Phuket

Most tourists in Phuket don’t get far away from the more commercialized Phuket beaches, such as Patong. If you explore a little, you will find yourself on deserted beaches 🧐 The likes you only see in your dreams. Starting northeast of Phuket, you will find Nai Yang Beach, just a five-minute drive from Phuket International Airport. During the low-season months (April-November), you will be the only person on this majestic stretch of sand. 

At the northernmost spot in Phuket, you can experience the wilderness-style beach of Haad Sai Gaew. This is roughly translated as Crystal Sands. At the northern end of Mai Khao Beach, you will find some quaint grass-topped restaurants and an uncluttered beach 👓 Slightly north of the famous Bang Tao Beach, a stretch of sand known as Layan Beach. Although contrary to popular belief, the beach is south of Layan Bay. Because no major roads run directly through Layan, not so many people visit this beach. 

Ya Nui Beach is located between the viewpoints of Laem Phromthep and Kata Viewpoint on the southwestern coast of Phuket within a quaint cove. The beach is a snorkeler’s paradise, and with the small island of Koh Keyao Noi just 400 meters away, you can take a refreshing swim 💯 The beach is just over 150 meters long and a great place to have a little stop off to enjoy the scenery. 

 Quick Trivia!

Phuket is the largest Island In Thailand, with roughly half a million residents. It receives nearly 39 million tourists annually. Phuket is famous for its many beaches; the most popular are Patong, Karon, Kata, Kamala, and Bangtao.

Tucked Away Phuket Restaurants

Phuket is awash with restaurants, but there are some exceptional restaurants that, to the naked holidaymaker’s eye, are 🧐 virtually invisible and only found by those in the know. One of the favorite restaurants for island residents is Friendship Beach, nestled against Chalong Bay on the southeastern coast of Phuket between Chalong and Rawai. Serving delicious Western and Thai cuisine, Friendship Beach Restaurant is one of those getaway restaurants that you love at first sight 💯

The excellent food and the stunning backdrop of outlying islands and the distant Cape Panwa are breathtaking. On Friday nights, you can enjoy a spot of live blues music. On Sunday afternoon, from 4:30 pm onwards, a live jazz band plays soothing melodies 📜 The restaurant's ambiance is conducive to a relaxing evening or afternoon meal. 

Phuket Seafood Restaurants

Phuket and seafood go together like a knife and fork! The island is famous for the freshest and tastiest seafood in Thailand. Inexpensive and exquisite 🧐, if you ever wanted to sample certain seafood dishes that are relatively expensive in the Western world, such as oysters, Phuket is the perfect place to start.   

Seafood restaurants in Phuket are at every turn, but to find the best and most affordable, follow the local Thai people 🎓 Of course, you could visit Savoey Seafood Restaurant on Patong Beach and have a great experience. Still, it will not compare to some off-the-beaten-path seafood eateries. 

The seafood restaurants at Palai, situated on the same road as Phuket Zoo in Chalong, are where the Thais consume their aquatic dishes 👓 The selection of restaurants at Palai, such as Tang Kae Restaurant, Prantalay, and Phong Phang Seafood, are all situated beachside and provide you with stunning views of Chalong Bay 📜 

Another off-the-beaten-track seafood restaurant is Laem Hin Seafood, situated 📎 on the island's east coast just north of Phuket Town at Laem Hin. This has been a popular restaurant for those in the know for many years due to its fantastic value for money and sumptuous seafood delights 💯 The restaurant is positioned on stilts and situated waterside with a wooden exterior and interior, creating an authentic atmosphere. 

For those staying in Patong, Karon, and Kata, the restaurant is roughly 20 km away but worth the pilgrimage 🧐 This is a restaurant where you won’t find many tourists, so take advantage of its unique environment. 

Hidden Phuket Bars

The well-trodden bar scene in Phuket usually revolves around Patong with a sprinkling of Karon and Kata. However, many options are available if you want to sample something a little 🧐 different and off the beaten track. Some of my favorite bars are on a dramatic Cliffside overlooking Kata Noi. 

There are three bars/restaurants here, affectionately known as reggae bars. You can find the most friendly to be the Small Viewpoint Bar 👓 which, as the name suggests, is an excellent place to take in the famous Phuket sunset from this lofty location 💯  Looking out over the Andaman Ocean from the bar is a dreamlike experience that will keep you coming back for more. During most months of the year, the Small Viewpoint Bar has a local Thai band that plays live reggae music, and they are surprisingly good. 

If you enjoy bar complexes and female-accompanied nights out, a visit to Chalong, Nai Harn, Rawai, or Kamala can be much more rewarding than a night out in Patong or Kata 📜 Around the Chalong Circle; you will find a wide selection of beer and girly bars along to Chalong Pier. Here the atmosphere is less pushy than in the more commercialized Patong and Kata. The road from Chalong to Rawai is home to numerous off-the-beaten-track bars 🧐 that represent a fundamental change from the norm.

Unique Phuket Activities

Due to the high influx of tourists and more tour guides you can shake a stick at, most activities in Phuket have become somewhat commercial. One of the most off-the-beaten-track activities to partake in is off the island 🧐 in Phuket's stunning Phang Nga region. You can hire a mini-bus driver for the day, rent a car, and make the aesthetically profound journey to Phang Nga province's Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation area. 

If you are holidaying in Phuket and want a unique experience, a soiree off the island for a day is just the ticket. The journey will take nearly two hours but could be one of the best experiences of your life 💯 The journey through luscious jungle vegetation and the local Thai towns and villages give you an authentic slice of Thailand. 

Once you get to Ton Pariwat, located at Song Phraek and set in over 100,000 rai of untapped natural beauty, you can enjoy extreme sports such as white water rafting or take leisurely elephant treks through the jungle 👓. The waterfall at the national park is one of the most beautiful in south Thailand. When you are here, it is guaranteed never to get bored 🎓 🧐 This will be the proverbial cherry on your Phuket holiday experience. 

Wat Suwannakuha Monkey Temple

Another fascinating road trip feature is that you pass the famous Monkey Temple, locally known as Wat Suwannakuha. The temple is just a ten-minute drive from Sarasin Bridge when leaving Phuket 🧐 You should stop there on your way to Ton Pariwat. Besides a majestic Buddhist temple built into a mountainside, the temple grounds have hundreds of monkeys. 

You are a touching distance from our beloved ancestors 👓. Which is a fun experience, no matter how old or young you might be. Be careful if you are eating ice cream because the monkeys will swipe it out of your hands in a split second 🧐 The overall trip will take you a full day. But it’s one thing you must see with your own eyes to absorb fully. 

As you can see, the Phuket holiday is much more 🧐 than just Patong, Karon, and Kata. There are many things to see and do around the island that people don’t know about. If you want that real travel experience, get off the beaten track and sample some of Phuket’s more untapped sites. 

 Vocabulary Time!

Awash
: containing large numbers or amounts of someone or something

Luscious 
: appealing enormously to the senses

Profound
: very significant or intense

Uncluttered 
: not having or being impeded by too many objects, details, or elements

Untapped
: not yet exploited or used