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By Air :
Phuket has an international airport; both regularly scheduled and charter flights from around Asia, Australia and Europe bring in more than 2.5 million visitors a year.
Flights to and from Bangkok take about an hour. Thai Airways have an extensive website.
You can also take the daily 25-minute Bangkok Airways flight to and from from Koh Samui, on the other side of the peninsula.
Book your tickets early, especially during the November-May high season.
By Sea :
If you come from abroad by yacht, it's necessary to check in with Immigration and Customs on Chalong Bay, on the southern end of Phuket. For more information, see yachting services page or Sail Thailand (Bangkok: Artasia Press, 2nd ed. 1995).
There are no regular ferry services from other countries.
By Road :
Phuket, 885km south of Bangkok, is connected to the mainland by a 1200m causeway. The bus ride from Bangkok takes 14hrs or more, leaving from the Southern Bus Terminal. Those who've taken the trip more than once recommend sitting well away from the front seats, so that you can't see the road ahead.
There are regular mini-bus trips from Singapore and Penang which are reasonably priced but only recommended for the young, the brave or the hungry for adventure.
By Rail :
An equally gruelling, though very scenic journey involves the night train (with sleepers) from Hua Lumphong Railway Station in Bangkok to Surat Thani, where you transfer to a bus to Phuket.
On the same track, trains from Butterworth in Malaysia (adjacent to Penang) connect with Singapore and stop at Surat Thani.
VISAS & HEALTH :
* Visa requirements:
Most nationalities can get a 30-day tourist visa upon arrival. This is non-extendible. If you overstay the term of the visa, there is a fine of 100 baht (about US$4) per day.
* Health advice:
No special health problems exist in the Phuket area. (If you're travelling to remote areas of Thailand or planning to stay for a long time, rabies, tetanus, hepatitis and encephalitis shots are recommended, but not required,.)
Malaria isn't a problem in the Phuket area. Prophylactic malaria medication is not recommended in any case. Most medical advice these days is simply to use insect repellent, sleep in air-conditioned rooms or under a mosquito net, and keep covered as much as possible in the evening when the mosquitoes are out and about. But we repeat: Phuket is not in a malaria zone.
Always drink bottled or boiled water.
* Medical facilities:
Phuket has some good hospitals that are accustomed to dealing with foreigners. Ask your hotel to recommend a clinic or dentist. On 8 January 1996, southern Thailand's first recompression centre for diving accidents opened on Phuket.
* Miscellaneous advice:
Bring light clothing, including shorts and swimwear. Cotton is much cooler than synthetic materials. Sunglasses are a must. Polarizing lens are recommended where you expect to be on boats. A brimmed hat is also advisable if you're going to be spending time on the water.
Use sunblock. The ozone layer remains intact at these latitudes, but sunburn is never pleasant, risks of premature skin ageing or skin cancer aside.
In the wet season (roughly May-late October), you are well advised to carry a rain poncho if you're planning to travel by motorbike.
Buy a good phrasebook. (Make sure the book includes some sort of tone marks for each syllable, or it will prove ineffective.) Most of the local people you will deal with as a tourist speak English. (Many people in tourism also speak French, German, Italian, Japanese and Chinese.)
Remember to check the expiry date on any photographic film you buy. Also remember that in tropical climates film has a shorter life, and you should shoot it and get it processed as soon as possible. The bright light, especially around water, means that you might want to stop your lens down, as well.
Electrical appliances use 220V.
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TRANSPORT ON PHUKET :
Public transport :
From the airport, there are "limousines", at 400 baht (US$16) to Phuket Town or to one of the west-coast beaches. The mini-bus service is 80 baht (US$3), but be warned, sometimes it takes a while -- the driver and his assistant may take some of the passengers shopping for accommodation, which is a pain in the neck for those who already know where they are going and want to get there.
The ubiquitous little "tuk-tuks" -- open taxis -- charge whatever they can get away with and, for the foreigner, you can be sure that's more than a local would ever want to pay. If the vehicle is stopping to pick up more people along a route, the fare should probably be no more than 10 or 20 baht (US$0.50-75). If you want the tuk-tuk all to yourself, then expect to pay 100-150 baht (US$4-6) from the beaches to Phuket Town, for example, maybe less if you are a genius at bargaining.
The route buses -- ornate little trucks, really, with benches for seats, ply regular routes from place to place around the island, and their destinations are clearly marked in both English and Thai. Fares range around 10-20 baht per passenger, and you can expect drivers and conductors to be up front about this. On the busier routes, you'll spot one every 20 minutes or so. Wave it down, they will stop anywhere. On some routes -- the Kata/Karon Beach-Phuket Town, for instance -- modern buses with comfortable seats have made their appearance.
Motorcycle taxis are for the stouter of heart, and the fares are to some extent negotiable. You can recognise them by the numbered vests on the drivers.
Car rentals :
Jeeps are readily available for hire by the day or week. Make sure that insurance cover is offered (it often isn't) as it is the driver's responsibility to pay all damage costs. In case of an accident, the richer party (i.e. the tourist) is usually responsible for all costs - real and imagined. The logic behind this is inescapable. If you had not come to the island, the accident would never have happened - so it is obviously your fault. Simple. Insured Car Rental is available from Via Car Rent in Patong.
Motorcycle rentals :
Everything from little mopeds to 750cc "big bikes" are available at reasonable prices by the day or week. You must look after your own welfare, however, and check to see whether the brakes and so on are in working order. You cannot assume that they will be. Note that insurance cover is not available for motorcycles. You must pay for any damage - and you won't get your passport back till you do! This also applies to your own injuries.
You should also wear a helmet; the authorities have been enforcing a new helmet law on the island. Drive carefully -- always assume everyone else on the road is determined to kill you, and you won't go wrong. Larger vehicles take precedence over smaller ones at all times.
The local hospitals are often noted for their skills at neurosurgery. This directly relates to the amount of practice they have had dealing with motorcycle accident victims.
Ferries & tourboats :
Regular ferry services run between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi, the spectacular island group a couple of hours away to the east. Tourboats also do daytrips to the Similan Islands, about 50 miles to the north-west, which are famed for the quality of their diving.
Boat rentals:
You can rent everything from a traditional wooden "longtail" boat (with driver) to a 30-knot speedboat that can get you to the Similan Islands for diving or snorkelling and back within a day. This is one way to see the Phuket coast from the sea or to visit neighbouring islands. Other ways involve chartering a sailing yacht or getting a place on a live-aboard diveboat.
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