Thailand: The Disappointments of Phuket

In the minds of most people in the West, Phuket is an indyllic, unspoiled, tropical paradise matched by few places in the world. While it's true that Phuket island is indeed tropical, it's hardly unspoiled or idyllic. I was surprised, actually, at the level of unplanned expansion that covers the island and at how uninteresting the island was itself.

The island is dominated by development from the airport area in the north all the way down the full length of the island, with larger developments around Phuket Town and Patong — one of the major tourist beach areas on the island. You have roads lined endlessly with western-style buildings, rusty shacks, strip malls, and the occasional wat. There is a major mall, lots of Western chains, and, well, a whole lot of development not a whole lot of natural beauty. Given the nature of humidity and the heat, a thick haze hangs over everything, making it difficult to see far from even the higher spots on the island, though there's not much to see.

It was, honestly, a disappointment for all of us.

Now that's just the island and how it's developed. The beaches and the location are an entirely different story.

The beaches in Phuket, though not many, are lovely and the sand soft and white. The waters of the Indian Ocean are warm and inviting. The sunsets at the southern end of Phuket are truly spectacular (though, like most beautiful things in the area, crowded with tourist bus after tourist bus). There's a few high level points on the island that are lush and green parks, which are nice too (though you have to pay to get in to the biggest and nicest of them).

Phuket is also the launching ground for trips to the Adaman Coast, which is where its importance and desirability as a tourist destination really comes to play. I'll blog more about that in another post, but it's the bay and the islands in the bay along the Adaman Coast that really drive people to Phuket.