Often known as the “Pearl of the South,” you may have heard of Phuket for its beaches and clear waters. I went to Phuket a week ago with my family when I was writing this, and it was stunning. Without further ado, let’s get going.
Day 1 – Travel Struggles
Waking up at 5 am is always fun, but it helps when you know you’re traveling. Instead of breakfast, we rushed to the airport to find something to eat there, preferably butter sugar toast.
We took a cab to the airport cause parking prices are undesirable, especially when you’re going on a 4-day trip.
While waiting for the rest of the family, we sat down and got some coffee from the nearby Cheers because the Heavenly Wang nearby had a queue that was way too large. After everyone arrived at the airport and we got fully checked in, we went to find a Ya Kun for some butter sugar toast before taking off for some light breakfast. Understandably, the Ya Kun had an extremely long queue, but most places had a line, so we queued up anyway.
After finishing our food, we got to the gate to check in and get on the plane. Not so surprisingly, there were more than a lot of people at the gate; who could’ve guessed! Luckily having priority access helped us get in fast.
As you can tell, it was raining outside, so the plane was a bit delayed. We waited inside the plane for quite a bit before takeoff. The view outside the window looked great though!
After a few rounds around the airport, supposedly to get to the takeoff lane, we were in the air!
First time flying on a plane in a while, and I can say the takeoff still makes me want to barf. The scenery was beautiful, though; looking down, you could see Malaysia before reaching above the clouds. Sleeping on a plane still hits differently despite the flight being about an hour or so.
Similar to takeoff, the experience I have with landing is no different. My stomach still feels horrible. Closing in on Phuket, we saw a great view of Thailand and its water. The “clearness” of Thailand’s water never ceases to amaze me.
Phuket!
Touching down around 11:30-12:00, we got off the plane and boarded a bus that would take us to the airport. Photography wasn’t allowed on the tarmac nor in most parts of the airport, so you won’t see many photos. After getting through all the travel stuff, we went outside the airport to meet the chauffeur that would be getting us to the hotel.
The process consisted of a lot of talking and confirming, but after that, we sat there and waited for the driver while we went to get some snacks from 711. You can tell by the number of signs that Phuket has a very tourist-based economy which would’ve been especially hit by Covid, which is why Phuket is only now starting to reopen.
After the van came, we started making our way to the hotel. Phuket is a charming place. The roadside is filled with motorcycles and restaurants. I find the charm of Phuket in how down-to-earth it is with how friendly everyone is. How it’s such a “rural” place, it’s stunning!
Finally, we reached the hotel at about midday
Four Points by Sheraton
Getting to the hotel, we checked in and went to the rooms to put down our stuff before going for lunch.
We were split into 2 rooms, one near the front of the hotel to the right of the pool and the other near the back of the hotel. After settling down and looking at the room (of which I didn’t take a photo, rookie mistake), we went downstairs to the restaurant to find some food.
After eating lunch, we decided to go for a walk alongside the beach to explore our surroundings. We were situated along the so-called start of Patong Beach, and we walked to the North to explore a bit.
Besides booking a van to tour around Phuket, you can also take a tuk-tuk, Thailand’s version of a taxi! Some tuk-tuks can be customised with neon lights and music, while the normal ones are red with seats at the back.
Phuket’s main transport seems to be bikes, with hundreds lined on sidewalks and parked in 711 carparks. The beach was trying to break a world record of most people participating in a clean-up, hence why there were so many food stalls and people. The atmosphere was quite lively, and I liked it a lot!
After walking along the beach, we went to the 711 behind the hotel to get some food, and I found something exciting.
We’ve got the Pringoooooal and the golden something Pringles. It’s so interesting to see these Pringles, which aren’t available in Singapore! It’s the World Cup, so I understand Pringoooooooal. Since it was such a long day of travel, we decided to stay in the room and enjoy the comfort.
I finally got some pictures of the room
Around about 7-8, we went out to look for some dinner. Along the path of the 711 were a lot of restaurants and spas, most of which contained a mix of Thai and Western food. Further down, we found a coffee shop with a few stalls. It seemed pretty cool, so we sat down and ordered some noodles and Zi Char (rice and some vegetables+meat).
What I love about Phuket is how down-to-earth everything feels. Phuket is a country run around tourists, and everyone there is incredibly kind. So many “Sawadiikaps” and smiles make Phuket such a lovely place. Everything feels so homemade, and most people even speak English! A great place to be!
Day 2 – Pool and The Phuket Nightlife
2nd day! We woke up and went straight downstairs to the buffet to get some food. The restaurant downstairs (Western) was booked out, so we went to the other restaurant further toward the back of the hotel to get some food.
The food was really good! There was a handful of food, including rice, noodles, pastries, soup, etc. I usually order waffles, donuts, and stuff like that, and the food tastes good. Need some energy for the day
After breakfast, we went to the pool facing the ocean to chill a bit. It was an infinity pool with beach chairs lined behind it; you could even rent some floats to chill in. I didn’t take a photo of the view because my phone isn’t waterproof, and my clumsy hands would probably drop the phone in the water. I don’t have any rice on me!
After chilling in the pool for about an hour or 2, we went to find some food. On our way to find food yesterday, we saw a restaurant called No.9 restaurant. This restaurant is quite famous in Phuket and known for having some good food, so we thought, why not?
and of course, whats Thailand without dessert, especially mango sticky rice. Famous for being Thailand’s best dessert, mango sticky rice is something you cannot go without. If you’re in Thailand.
Do you know what else Thailand or Phuket is specifically known for… The beach. People go to Phuket for a few reasons, its nightlife, food, and the beach. The crystal-clear water makes for sitting near the beach for the entire day a great pastime.
We went back to the hotel to the pool nearer the back to chill a bit. There was a pool bar and a lot more space to sit down and chill for 3-4 hours, so we did exactly that.
After a lot of apple juice and swimming, we went off again to look for food. This time, we went towards the hotel’s right, towards Bangla Road.
We found a nice place to sit down and eat dinner, with a variety of food to order. I will never get old of how good Thai food is in Phuket; it’s amazing!
Right about here, I would like to talk about a Phuket “tradition” which I like to call boxing trucks (Muay Thai trucks)
This specific boxing truck does not have people on it, but the ones we saw at Patong Beach had people standing on top boxing. These things are why I love Phuket. It’s such a different and new experience.
Back on track, after eating dinner, we continued our walk towards Bangla Road, our destination. Before continuing our trip, we stopped at a nearby “Kopitiam.”
There were a lot of stalls selling food, desserts, fruit, etc., and even rolled ice cream! This type of ice cream is different cause, as you can see from the name, they flatten out the ice cream and roll it into cylinders. That is before they add your flavor of choice and chop it up!
After grabbing some ice cream, we continued along the road seeing the sights.
Riding the waves at a restaurant? 
Finally, we reached our destination, Bangla Road, at Patong Beach.
Disclaimer: This blog portion contains references to drugs, amongst others.
This place is what most people call quite haram. In Thailand, cannabis is legal, and this place starts with a store selling it. As you move further down the street, you see a ton of activity, including bars streaming the world cup, nightclubs, and strip clubs, amongst other things.
After walking halfway through, we went back the way we came to go back to the hotel and got some good sleep. Phuket is a bustling place, and you can tend to be roped into the chaos, so resting is important.
Day 3 – Beach Day!
Finding things to do in Phuket isn’t especially hard, especially when the beach is such an active place. If you are seeking something to do, you can book a jet ski to ride along the water or parasail along the beach. If you’re more of a chill person who doesn’t seek adrenaline, you can also rent a beach chair for an entire day to sit and enjoy the sun.
After getting some breakfast, we went to the beach, set on using our entire day to sit down and unwind.
One thing you need to know about the water in Phuket before you go diving in the water is that the waves are not your typical Sentosa waves. Due to the high number of boats and jetskis cruising through the water, Phuket’s waves tend to be stronger than those you see elsewhere, pulling you out into the sea and sometimes being big enough to toss you around.
After renting our chairs, we spent the rest of the day going in and out of the water, lunch being fries and vegetable sticks from the restaurant downstairs.
After about 4-5 hours spent at the beach, we decided that dinner today had to be something a bit more flashy, considering it was our last day here. Luckily Phuket isn’t a place where finding food is complicated, with markets and family-owned restaurants at every corner.
If you’re worried about getting around Phuket, you can easily find places that will allow you to rent vans to bring you around Phuket’s many beaches and tourist attractions. After finding out about a specific ChillVA Night Market, we took off at around 5–6 pm.
Besides serving Japanese and Thai food, this place also allows you to buy clothes, souvenirs, jewelry, and more. After perusing the nearby shirts and marvel figurines, we sat down to find food. I ate Tonkotsu Ramen and realized it’s the best thing in the world.
After a good dinner and some ice cream, we left to look for a grocery store to get some food but not before getting a souvenir in the form of a small doggo plush. In Malaysia, there is a grocery store named Lotus, which acts as a sort of Target or Walmart in Malaysia. We got some sweets and chips before going back to the hotel to sleep for the last time in the hotel.
Day 4 – Returning Home
Very few things compare to the emotional damage you get when you realize you must go home after your holiday; it’s just sad leaving a lovely place.
Of course before leaving, you can’t forget to get some food. Before leaving, we went to the restaurant below our room to get some breakfast; I ate a cool omellete. After getting packed up, we took a van to the airport to get out of there. I have nothing much to say; airport trips are pretty dull. Queueing for about an hour or so, perusing stalls to see if there are any snacks you want to bring, and sleeping in a plane.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering what we did at Jewel, we ate some Burger King before returning home. Eventful holiday, to say the least, I think Phuket is a fantastic place that no one should miss out on. I’ve already mentioned how fantastic Thai people are in general. Not only that, but Phuket is such a different and fantastic place to be in.
Make sure to watch Tian Guan Ci Fu and worship your local Taizi Dianxia, I’ll see you next time.