3-Day Itinerary in Phuket, Thailand for Budget Travelers
Here is all the information that you need to visit Phuket, including a 3 days itinerary!
Content
About Phuket
Phuket is a southern province of Thailand. Many tourists are there for the beach. The more popular beaches are Patong, Karon, Kata, Kamala and Bangtao. The nightlife is mainly in Patong. So, if you wish to have the combination of sand, sea and party; Patong would be your first choice. Moreover, Patong is the second biggest town. The main town is called Phuket Town.
Most importantly, Phuket has an international airport. So, if you are transitting in this area, why not chill here for a couple of days before you jet off to your next destination.
I was in Kata, as I prefer the quieter side of the town.
Getting From the Airport to Phuket
Honestly, the easiest way is to book your airport transfer in advance or take a taxi. You could book the airport transfer with the hotel that you are staying at. Based on experience, it is cheaper to book your airport transfer via a third party.
Getting Around in Phuket
There are several ways to get around Phuket. You can walk under the scorching sun. You can rent a bike. Rental of the bike is really reasonable in Phuket. It's also one of the cheapest alternatives. You can also get a taxi to travel to a different destination. However, if you are getting a cab, you may want to negotiate for a price with the driver first before you hopped into the cab. Alternatively, you can use Grab. The advantage of taking Grab or Taxi in Phuket is you would have the comfort of the air-conditioning.
There is also local transport like the Phuket Smart Bus, which would bring you from beach to beach. There is also the Phuket Local Bus which would bring you to Phuket Town. Both of the bus rides have very reasonable prices, so to those who are more budget-conscious, this would be a better option for you to tour around Phuket.
Here are some useful links for the respective city bus:
Phuket Local Bus: http://www.phuket.com/phuket-magazine/phuket-local-bus.htm
Phuket Smart Bus: https://www.phuket101.net/how-to-ride-phuket-bus/
Safety
As a general rule of thumb, go out after the sunrise and don't go back too late at night. Avoid dark lanes. Be mindful of your own belongings, especially at the beach. Don’t leave your belongings unattended. Your items may get stolen when you are off playing in the water. If you are travelling solo, you can ask your friendly neighbour who is suntanning to look after your belongings or simply just bring the necessities and some cash. Pickpockets tend to happen in packed places too, where you can't see your own belongings. Exercise cautions regardless of where you are travelling.
Weather
The best time to go to Phuket is from November to April. The remaining period is the monsoon season. However, I was there in July, and the weather was great. So, I think anytime is good.
Here's a budget itinerary for 3 days and 2 nights in Kata, Phuket!
Day 1
Upon arrival in Phuket, you may go straight to your hotel to leave your luggage. Remember to pre-book your airport transfer. I booked mine via Klook. After checking in, you can go for lunch. If you do not like the sun, you can go to the hotel and rest for a couple of hours before heading out. Alternatively, you could go to the beach to soak in the sun. I opt to stay in the hotel cos I was suffering from motion sickness during the journey to the hotel. After a few hours of resting or activity, you can go to a nearby spot to catch the sunset. Here are my 3 main recommendations near Kata Beach to catch the sunset. After sunset, you may opt to have a good dinner. My suggestion is to enjoy the evening and dine at The Sundeck. The overall ambience is excellent there, but the food can be a little pricey as compared to other parts in Kata.
Day 2
Start your day early with breakfast at the hotel. Then, it's time to start your beach holiday! It's always good to go to the beach soon and find a good spot to suntan, enjoy the sea breeze and the sound of the wave. It's really calming. There are empty beach chairs on Kata Beach, which you can rent for the whole day. Alternatively, just bring a mat.
There are activities available on Kata Beach. You can learn to surf. Don't worry about the equipment as you can rent them from a shop here as well. You can also opt to go for parasailing, swimming in the ocean or merely playing with the sands. I prefer to stay in the shade, do some tanning and build sandcastles in the air.
There are a few restaurants next to Kata Beach, you can easily hop over to get some food. After lunch, you can continue to stay at the beach and continue with your activities. You could even catch the sunset too if you are staying until the evening.
An alternative after lunch is to hit back to your hotel and wash up. Take a short break, and you could head out for a good massage before your dinner.
Here are the 2 massages parlours that I visited.
Darin Massage
Darin Massage is a one-stop service, where you can get a hair wash, facial and massage. There are different packages available for their services. I opt for 45 mins of body massage and 45 minutes of feet massage. They have clothes available for you to change into before you go for your body massage. However, the place only had 1 changing room, and it doubled up as a locker room too. So, I have been asked to change with my friend in the locker room. There wasn’t any lock for the door, and I am a bit unhappy about it because no one was guarding the door while you are changing.
Darin Massage has kid-friendly services as well. Kids can have their hair braids with colourful hair extension. Or the kids can simply sit in a corner and play their mobile games while the parents are having their massage.
There are plenty of seats available, so I doubt you would need to make a reservation.
Overall, the massage is good, but not great.
Sabai Massage
We went to Sabai Massage before dinner time. There wasn't any customer in Sabai Massage. Most of the masseurs were having their afternoon nap as well. That itself is a good sign because it meant that masseurs are well rested and they have the strength to give you a good massage. I did another body massage here. Overall, I prefer the massage here as compared to Darin Massage.
However, I have to say place may seem a little run down as compared to Darin Massage. So, if you want to have a massage in a decent place, Darin Massage would be more suited for you, especially if you are bringing your kids along.
For those who don't like massages, you can go and chill in a cafe before your dinner. Given that's this is a chill itinerary, it's a good reason to do nothing too. Give yourself permission to just rest.
Day 3
Just like the second day morning, you can go for breakfast and an early tanning session at the beach. Then, go for brunch before you head back to the hotel to wash up and leave for the airport.
If you do not want to go to the beach anymore, you can do a couple of cafe hopping in Kata. You can go to the Coffee House Cafe for a cup of coffee and do some readings there. After an hour, you can take a taxi and go down to the Sundeck for a good lunch to end your trip in Kata, Phuket.
Expenses
Here’s a list of expenses:
Air Ticket: SGD 97
I got the returned air tickets of Singapore and Phuket from Jetstar.
The cost does not include meals and baggage.
Hotel: SGD 44, inclusive of taxes
Food: Less than 2500 baht
Transport: Less than SGD 30
Massage: Less than 900 Baht
This is the total cost of 2 massages that I did. The average price of a 1 hour body massage in Phuket is around 300 to 400 Baht.
I did not do any shopping for this trip.
Other Notes
I stayed in Sugar Marina Nautical.
Here are some of my recommendation for dining:
I had dined at these places. However, I did not take photos of all my meals to write a review for all the restaurants (in italic). My personal favourites are The Sundeck and Kata Mama Seafood. Kata Mama Seafood is located next to Kata Beach. Overall, the food culture here cannot be compared to Bangkok. There are more options in Bangkok and the food in Bangkok are more delicious too.
Phuket is an affordable place to visit if you want to slow down your pace of life. You can stay there for a longer stay and visit around Phuket. I would love to revisit Phuket and go to Patong, where there are more activities to do.
That’s all I have to share for Phuket.
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x, Esther
PS: Click here to read everything about Phuket. Or view the itinerary.
