Thailand: Patong, Phi Phi, & Phuket

This my friends was our first attempt since Bali to have a beach vacation and Thailand seemed like the obvious choice.

Phuket is probably Thailand’s most famous and populated island. It’s crawling with tourists and has basically become the mecca of south-east asian beach vacations. I won’t lie, there’s a lot of beauty there, however I have to admit that tourism may have killed this place.

After 21 months of the Japanese work life and me dragging John all over Asia, he needed some serious R&R. So I found us a nice little resort near Patong Beach in Phuket and we ran with it. By ran with it, I mean we went to the pool everyday and literally stayed there until the sun went down…for six days straight. We did however manage to venture off the property for a full day boat tour of the Phi Phi Islands and of course made our way down to the famous Bangla Street for some Thai night life, but otherwise life on this little island was relaxing. It’s amazing that I actually made it that long, sitting still, without driving him totally crazy. Maybe, I needed a break too.

First and foremost, this was the first time we had flown through Bangkok airport and let me tell you what a nightmare, especially during the busy season. Sure it’s a nice airport, but it’s literally insane. Like I have no words for the insanity that was this airport. Also, our flight to Phuket was delayed for three hours, so we didn’t actually make it to the resort until 2am…that’s another story for another time. Just note that BKK is a hot mess.

With that being said our first full day in Phuket was Christmas Day, so how did we celebrate? Well with an all you can eat breakfast buffet and cocktails…of course. So that brings me to the Phi Phi Islands. For those wondering Phi Phi is actually pronounced “pee pee” not the phonetic “fi fi”…Do with that what you will.

Christmas dinner looked a little different for us this year! The food in Thailand was AMAZING!

Phi Phi Islands

I think most people recognize the Phi Phi Islands from the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach. Maya Bay is home to where the movie was filmed and I must be honest, absolutely beautiful…if it wasn’t covered with tourists. Thailand is super famous for its beaches and it was quick to see why, they’re stunning. The only down side to traveling to the most populated island in Thailand is 1) it was the high season and 2) tourists, EVERYWHERE. Despite the crowds it was an enjoyable day out on the boat. Would I highly recommend this to most people? Well that depends, it is beautiful but with the number of tourists it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been. There are plenty of beautiful beaches outside of Phuket and Phi Phi, but for us we had cost in mind with this trip and to travel any further out would have come with a higher price tag.

Needless to say the coconuts and pineapples were plentiful, the sand was soft, and the water was blue. I wasn’t complaining! Take a look at some pics.

Patong & Bangla Street

Our final night in Phuket, we decided to watch the sunset at a local bar across the street from our resort before we ventured to Bangla Street. During the day this is like any other street, but when the sun goes down it turns into a walking street and basically the red light district of Patong. You can find anything here from cheap beer, to live music, street food, the famous ladyboy cabaret performers soliciting tourists for pictures, and of course locals advertising the “Thailand after dark” ping-pong shows.

I won’t lie John and I had a pretty good time just people watching at the local out-door bars. Most people are friendly, looking for a good time, and generally it’s found here. If staying in Patong Beach then Bangla is a must stop. If you’re feeling adventurous there is obviously something for everyone. Of course, we had to partake in a little of the tourist fun and maybe it’s not for everyone, but both of us had a good laugh. It was certainly the best way to end our time in Phuket. Maybe not the smartest to wait until the last night when we had an early flight to Malaysia the next day, but totally worth it! Check out some of the pics!