I’ve been to Thailand five times now. Yes, that does sound like overkill, but I don’t really get tired of it. Landing in Bangkok feels comfortable (I still love that city), and I have a document filled with suggestions to send people when they inevitably tell me they’re planning a trip here.
Or you could just read all my Thailand posts instead of asking me via social media… love you all though!
Marko and I spent most of fall 2019 in Thailand. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, you already know this. And if you haven’t, then you lucky you – you haven’t been inundated with photos of every meal I’ve eaten for the past two months!
After spending 10 days solo in South Korea, I flew to Bangkok for a bit, mainly just to eat all the Thai things I’ve missed so much. Then I met up with Marko and his friends to chill in Ko Lanta for a while. After that, it was time to settle down somewhere.
For me, this “digital nomad” lifestyle really works best when we spend at least a month in one place. Here’s a look at what that looks like in Phuket.
So Marko and I “moved” to Phuket, Thailand for a month and a half. Phuket is the biggest and probably most well-known island in the country. During my first several trips to Thailand, I skipped it. I didn’t go here on vacation after law school and I didn’t stop here while backpacking because, well, it’s not really a backpacker spot. On return trips, we stuck to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Koh Tao.
My opinion? I think young people shy away from Phuket because of its touristy, seedy, and expensive reputation. It’s not thought of as a “cool” place to go in Southeast Asia because it’s not off the beaten path at all. It’s thought of as a vacation spot. You don’t get any travel bragging rights from going to Phuket.
But hey, I’m 31 now and I’m working online – so I need a little infrastructure and a lotta wifi. And a gym. That metabolism ain’t what it used to be.
Phuket has all these things. But I couldn’t seem to find many posts online about whether Phuket was suited to digital nomad life (other than a couple of pretty negative blog posts and a few Reddit rants) or even if it was a generally nice place to live.
The Verdict?
Yes, Phuket can be busy, seedy, hectic, and expensive as its reputation suggests. There are definitely crowded beaches, prostitutes, tons of Russians, lots of shady-looking bars, and terrible tourists (mostly concentrated in Patong, but Karon isn’t much better). Honestly though, we really enjoyed our time here. And when we left to head home for Christmas, it felt like the time had just flown by.
What Other Thai Islands Did We Consider?
Our decision to stay in Phuket didn’t come without a bit of FOMO. We both loved the time we spent in Koh Tao over the years, but we were hesitant to settle there because of the uncertain weather (rain!) in October and November. And of course, the wifi is always a concern on tiny islands since we both have video calls occasionally for work.
Before settling in Phuket, however, we spent nearly two weeks on the island of Koh Lanta and honestly, we ended really liked it! We thought it might be a bit TOO chill, but we found a fantastic coworking space, decent gym, motorbike, and bungalow on the beach (oh, Castaway, I loved you!) – so really, what’s not to like? We went diving and found a few bars where lots of young people hung out.
When planning our stay in Thailand, we feared the wifi in Koh Lanta would be awful, but really, it was solid and workable in the two places we stayed. A lot has changed in the past few years I guess!
Looking back, although we were sad to leave, we’re not sure that Koh Lanta would’ve had enough to entertain us for two months. It really is very chill so you’ll basically just be beaching and working. There’s not a whole lot more to do besides dive – and it’s not cheap in Lanta like it is in Koh Tao, though it is better. We also weren’t going to splurge on our beachfront bungalow for two months, so who knows how I would’ve liked living in a more affordable place on the other side of the road that wasn’t so walkable. And who knows how the wifi would’ve been there. The food in Koh Lanta wasn’t as cheap either – island life and all.
The Key to Living in Phuket
So we stuck with our original plan and headed to Phuket.
From what I’ve read, most of the digital nomad community here is clustered at the south of the island in Rawai or Chalong. The apartments there are definitely cheaper, but many of the beaches aren’t the beautiful ones you want to lounge on (in Chalong, they’re the type where longtail boats pull up and anchor on a tiny strip of sand) or you’ll need a motorbike to reach them.
I will say this: If you’ll be living in Phuket for a while, having a motorbike is essential.
I thought we’d avoid this problem by staying in Kata where I could walk to the beach, but distances on Google Maps are a lot farther than they look. And it will be hot. If you can’t drive (or ride on the back of) a motorbike, I wouldn’t recommend living in Phuket.
Normally I don’t mind walking. In Mexico, we routinely walked a mile to dinner and back multiple times a week and it was fine – extra exercise! But in the main areas of Phuket, the roads are nuts and there are no sidewalks, so it’s not exactly a leisurely stroll. It’s more of a “watch out and don’t get run over” trek along a busy road, so it often felt like a hassle to walk anywhere. Needless to say, I went to the beach like once by myself.
(One of the perks of living near a busy main road? The cheapest local food was hidden here – versus the beach roads where prices are double and triple.)
So It’s great that Marko can drive a motorbike because I am still scarred – physically and mentally – from wrecking in Bali. Yes, I could probably learn, but why risk it? I wouldn’t be able to drive with him on the back and I also wouldn’t recommend Phuket for a first-timer. Once we had our motorbike, however, we found our favorite little restaurants, a weekly pub quiz, excellent beaches, and even a place to eat Thanksgiving dinner!
A Note on the Cost of Taxis vs. Motorbikes in Phuket
If you don’t have a motorbike, you’ll be forced to pay a minimum of 200 baht for any length of taxi ride. (To put that in perspective, our motorbike was 150 baht per day.) We found a metered taxi only once while we were in Phuket. The taxi mafia on the island ensures that even rides with Grab are stupid expensive for Thailand. We rented a motorbike for 34 days for 5,100 baht or $167 USD.
Visa Runs from Phuket?
Yep. I spent 60 days in Thailand on two separate 30-day visa exemption stamps. Yet another convenient thing about Phuket is its international airport, so you don’t have to connect in Bangkok to exit the country. We drove the motorbike to the airport (sweaty, but saved us the 900-baht taxi ride), parked for free (shocking), and flew to Kuala Lumpur for the weekend. It’s just an hour and a half flight and I love that city.
The Perks of Phuket: Food and Activities!
Being on a larger, more developed island does have its perks. Despite Phuket being a touristy place, we are able to find amazingly cheap, local Thai food for about 50 or 60 baht ($1.65 to $2 USD). In contrast, most food in Ko Lanta starts at more like 80 to 100 baht for almost everything. Phuket also has a huge variety of Thai and international food so we were able to find a great Indian place, khao soi, and legit Neapolitan pizza, as well as southern Thai food spots and places that are listed in the Michelin guide.
It’s not all built up either. We were also able to get away to some fantastic beaches and drive through lots of lush scenery. Phuket has fantastic viewpoints and plenty of beaches all over.
There’s also go-karting, mini-golf, the Big Buddha, lots of night markets, and Old Phuket Town, which is filled with colorful Portuguese architecture and has an awesome Sunday Walking Street. We also explored a new beach almost every weekend. Phuket is BIG. You could also take day trips or snorkeling excursions to the islands if you wanted.
Where Should You Live in Phuket?
Marko and I had a little apartment in between Kata and Karon beaches in Sea & Sky Condos (via Airbnb, of course). We paid a little extra, particularly for Thailand, but we had a balcony, two pools (including one on the rooftop!), a tiny gym, air conditioning, and a maid service every five days, so we felt like it was worth it. Because it was high season by the time we left and because we booked ahead on Airbnb, our rent was about $1300 USD per month, which we split between us. Unlike a typical Airbnb, however, we still had to pay for utilities and when you run the AC at night, that can get pricey (again, for Thailand).
This was one of the few places we’ve booked that didn’t give a discount for stays longer than four weeks (again, high season in Phuket). But because our other costs were super low, it balanced out. When you’re eating for a few dollars a day, you can make your weekday costs as little as $30 all in.
Kata? Karon?
Situated between Karon and Kata, we were a little overwhelmed at first, but you do get used to the chaos. We chose this spot because I thought I’d want to be able to walk to the beach without Marko having to drive me, but as I mentioned, that didn’t happen. After work, I’d just head to the rooftop pool or the balcony, which I am very glad that we splurged on.
The wifi was solid most of the time. (But even if it isn’t, Thai sim cards are cheap and you can hotspot if you have a good signal. I paid $10 for 60GB of data, which is just silly).
As for location, things in Phuket don’t really start to calm down tourist-wise until you get south of Kata. Until then, there’s traffic and businesses and people all over. Surin is a fancy spot up north with boutiques and lots of retired people. Patong is a nightmare and Karon is only slightly better. Don’t believe what the Internet says, it’s still hectic.
Kata is where the island starts to chill out a bit, but there’s still plenty of stuff going on. Kata Noi is more resort-centric and spread out, with fewer things along the main road and its own beach.
Phuket Town?
If you come to Phuket, do not miss this place. Old Phuket Town is lovely and it’s a WAY more leisurely place to stroll around – there are actually sidewalks. I feel like I’d be more inclined to get off work and explore here. We also found the best beaches in the south of the island anyway, so they’d be just a quick motorbike ride away.
Now that I’ve been to Phuket and I know that even on a tropical island, I don’t go to the beach every day, I honestly think I’d like to base myself in Phuket Town. It feels more local and hip, with younger Thai people, cool bars, cafes, fabulous restaurants, and the most popular coworking space on the island (Hatch, which I think is now just a cafe with good wifi).
We don’t really do coworking spaces (though we have dabbled) but it would be nice to have the option to avoid being cooped up in the apartment. This neighborhood is filled with street food and shophouse-style restaurants featuring Southern Thai food, as well as Malaysian influences. You can find my beloved roti, seafood, Hokkien mee, crab curry, and more! There are craft beer bars, live music spots, and cocktail bars, and hotpot restaurants.
Oh, I’d also consider staying in Rawai, closer to all the awesome beaches, so long as I was also close to awesome food as well…
Where are all other Phuket digital nomads?
You tell me. Sorry this isn’t your typical Phuket digital nomad guide – we don’t do a lot of coworking, cafes, or community events. We usually work from home (where we know the wifi is good, making our own coffee and saving money) and then pack in our activities on the weekends.
Marko and I didn’t meet any other digital nomads in Phuket, but we’re not super social, particularly during the week! (I know, so lame.) We chatted with people while watching the rugby in Karon at an Aussie bar, we found Thanksgiving dinner at Friendship Beach Resort, and we did socialize a little bit at The Green Man‘s weekly pub quiz…
We found a couple of cafes to work from, specifically The Coffee Club (expensive) and Gluay Nam Wa (three-hour wifi allotment), but I’m sure there are tons. If you want to know what all the other “digital nomad” folks are doing, check out Rawai, Chalong, or Kamala. There’s also a pretty inactive Facebook group. And if you’re into it, there are poolside boozy brunches with DJs that you can get in on.
Phuket Beaches – Which one’s the best?
First off, Karon Beach is one of the worst beaches I’ve ever been to. Sure, it’s long and fine for lounging, but when we arrived in October, it was covered in trash. I’m not sure if this was just because it was shoulder season and they hadn’t cleaned the beaches yet, but it was depressing and we never went back.
Patong Beach is actually a decent beach, but man, it is packed with people, vendors, parasailing, jetskis, chairs, and all that. We took a peek on our ride home once. Everything you read will tell you Patong is a shithole, but if you’ve been to Thailand before and explored different corners of Bangkok, it’s not that crazy. (I mean, don’t stay there or anything, but still.)
Kata Beach is situated in a bay and it is definitely better, but it’s crowded. It’s a decent spot, but not the place I’d assumed from pictures (damn you, Internet). We spent one full day here before we explored other, nicer beaches. The good news is that two beach chairs and an umbrella for the day are only 200 baht ($6.63 USD) and you can buy snacks from vendors and drinks from the stalls behind you.
Nai Thon Beach is up north toward the airport. There’s barely anyone there, the water is clear, and it’s close to a couple of restaurants. Nobody will bother you here, there are no vendors or chairs, and we left our stuff on the sand to go swimming. Banana Beach is a beautiful, pristine beach just down the road from here. You have to park on the side of the road and walk down to reach it, but it also looked great.
Nai Harn Beach in the south of Phuket was our favorite. You have to motorbike (or taxi) here and, no, it’s not super secluded, but the beach is probably the best we visited. Super clear water, clean sand, occasional waves to make swimming more fun, and only a handful of vendors. Again, two chairs and an umbrella are 200 baht or you can just lounge in the sand. It’s not packed with tourist families, but generally a much younger crowd. You can grab beers and snacks from the minimart behind you or visit one of the restaurants nearby.
Ya Nui beach just around the corner from Nai Harn looks fab too.
Ao Yon Beach is a super chill beach in the very south close to Phuket Town. (One of our Russian friends from the pub quiz told us about it.) There’s a place to get massages, a guy who will rent you cheap sunbeds, and an expensive Yacht Club Brasserie (great wings, fresh bread, and fries though!). There’s not really anywhere to buy food or drinks unless you bring your own. There are lots of boats anchored here in the bay here, but it’s calm and clear with hardly any people because it’s out of the way. The hotels and apartments overlooking the bay look incredible – it would be the perfect place to stay if you wanted to chill out and do nothing.
Where to eat (cheaply) in Phuket?
Yet again I’ve tried to do too much in one go. Apologies if this post seems a little thrown together – I’m working on embracing the mentality of “published is better than perfect.”
More on Phuket’s food in another blog post…
As for accommodation in Phuket, I always use Booking.com for the best prices (I’m a member so I get Genius points and deals!) and I was actually looking at this cheap hotel with great reviews located across the street from my condo. If you’re not particularly risk-averse and it’s not high season, it might be a good idea to check in somewhere for a few days while you look for an apartment! You can also book an apartment in the building where we stayed, Sea & Sky condos, using Booking – they have several rooms available.
For long-term rentals, we always use Airbnb because you often get amazing deals – up 10% to 50% off – if you book more than 28 days. You can get $40 to $55 off your first stay using my link!
Anybody else been to Phuket? How’d you feel about it?
