1. Phuket has 2 seasons, hot and even hotter and don’t forget to factor in humidity. Stay hydrated, you will sweat, ALOT. So it is important to stay hydrated. Seek out water bottles, Gatorade or bring liquid IV. Don’t drink water from the tap, it will be uneasy on your stomach and ruin your trip! And rain. Rain is a factor & is sporadic. Check the forecast ahead of your trip, try to plan off days/resort days in rain days. The city keeps moving in the rain, so don’t be scared. Get a nice poncho and keep going.
2. Most of the locals we have met have been so kind and helpful. But, out of convince to yourself, download the app “Grab”. This was helpful in ordering taxis/cars and having a set price and not having to worry about bargaining, and the app has your location and driver info so it’s an added safety factor. Basically it’s Thailand Uber!
3. Something that came as a surprise to us.. there is not toilet paper in most public restrooms. Hotels absolutely. So do yourself a favor and bring flushable wipes, or something that can conveniently fit in your purse or backpack while you’re wandering through the cities and experiencing the culture.
4. Hotels and food are overall cheap here. You can either save money and eat local and stay nice, or you can spend a comparable amount of money and eat nice and stay really nice. Example: Our hotel near the airport was nice, pool, bar, modern and was only $32 a night, plus we found a local fast food place and had dinner for $3 each. Or, the hotel we stayed at for our 5 days in Phuket, on its own island, resort, pools, spa, amenities, activities, private pool was $100 a night, plus dinners on the resort for $30-$40 combined. Still not bad price wise (I think), but still more than what you could spend in most places in Thailand. We definitely splurged given it was our honeymoon.
