Blog about Thailand
Uber is banned in Phuket . You can use your Uber app to order a car until 8 April 2018, then after that only the Grab app will work in SE Asia.
Getting around Phuket is relatively easy , as the island is served by many private and public transportation options. Most of the resort areas are small enough to walk around , with popular resorts and hotels located close to the beach, restaurants and shopping areas.
Local bus. Small, open-sided buses connect Phuket Old Town with the island’s main beach resorts, such as Patong, Surin, Kamala, and Karon. Buses are cheap and reliable, though they can be slow because of the circuitous routes they take and the number of stops they make.
grab ride hailing service has arrived on Phuket , but it is not the solution to the dreaded situation, as it has in many other places with dysfunctional public transport. Indeed, they seem to be part of the problem in return for being allowed to operate: grab cars are even more expensive than the fixed fee taxis .
A taxi from Phuket airport to Patong beach costs about 600 baht + 100 baht airport fee. As usual in Thailand, make sure your taxi driver turns on the meter when leaving.
The roads are hilly and you will be encountering many incompetent drivers with no driving license. Transportation in Phuket is expensive so a car rental can be cost-effective if you are going to be moving around a lot and there are more than one person.
But there are some things you should probably try to avoid. Luu moo. The base of this soup-like dish is raw pig’s blood. Larb leuat neua. Shark fin soup. Yum Khai Maeng Da. Scorpion. Deep-fried foods. Decorative garnishes. Tap water.
Majority of the time, Phuket is a pretty safe place to visit but most of the really harmful situations arise out of the heavy-handed nature of some of the scams and ripped off tourists all ignited under the duress of Thailand heat, a few drinks and a deal gone bad.
The quickest way to get from Patong to Old Phuket Town is to taxi which costs ฿430 – ฿550 and takes 16 min.
We recommend spending a minimum of 4 days in Phuket to experience the best it has to offer. Pick up your favourite things to do from this guide and stitch the best possible Phuket itinerary for you. But don’t pack everything into a 4-day schedule, or you will not be able to experience anything properly.
While there are plenty of similar apps available around the world, Grab is the only 1 that operates in Phuket . A key advantage of Grab in Phuket is that you won’t need to rely on tuk-tuks for getting around.
Limited island-wide bus service is also available and, of course, it is possible to rent vehicles. Motorbike Taxi. The fastest and cheapest form of vehicular travel in Patong beach is the motorbike. Tuk-Tuk Taxi. A tuk-tuk is a small truck or van-like vehicle. Metered Taxi. Bus or Songthaew. Motorbike and Automobile Rental.
Using Grab is expensive in Phuket . For starters, the booking fee for booking a Grab in Phuket increased from 50 baht to 150 baht in November 2018. The cost per km is around 9 baht.
Tipping roughly 10% of the bill is a good tip , and rounding up or down just like you would do at home. If eating at a fancier restaurant and the bill is higher, you can ignore the 10% rule and give it based on how the experience was with a minimum of 100 baht tip .
Fully rolled-out by November 2020 through an updated version of the Grab app, Cash -in with Driver allows cash – paying commuters to enjoy safe and reliable GrabCar services by simply activating their GrabPay wallets during the ride, paying cash to their drivers, and receive their change credited to their GrabPay wallets.