About These Guides

I’m sure you’ll read lots of guides about Phuket. Most of them will tell you that this beach is wonderful, that restaurant is to die for, and that beautiful, authentic Thai crafts can be bought at this or that shop with all the huge tour busses parked outside. And, if you’re on a vacation here for two weeks based out of a resort hotel that takes care of just about everything for you, then that advice might be fine.

However, if you’re staying here a bit longer living in a villa where you do occasionally need to venture outside, then your perspective will be very different. You’ll see much more of what living in Phuket is really all about. Certainly, you won’t have the long-term problems of setting up a business, marrying, or trying to find the right schools for your children, but you will probably wonder if you need to pay 1,000 THB for the resort meals two or three times a day.

There are unquestionably many just wonderful things about living in Phuket. There are also unquestionably many annoying, strange, an infuriating things. At the end of it, though, it’s an unforgettable experience that makes stepping outside of the resorts and big hotels well worth it.

These guides take the view that seeing the whole picture will allow you to make the right choices on where you’re going to spend your vacation. They are intentionally opinioned and, hopefully, informative.