After nearly two weeks of exploring Southeast Asia on a solo trip, I finally turned to a beach destination for a bit of relaxation. I settled on Phuket, despite the reputation as a hard-partying super touristy island. I didn’t have high expectations, other than a few low-key days at the pool. As much as I would have loved to explore some of the smaller Thailand islands like Koh Tao or Koh Samui, I wanted an airport with easy access to Hong Kong for my flight home. I spent most of my time at the hotel pool, but I did spend one day kayaking Phuket on the Phang Nga Bay Sea Cave Tour with Viator.
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Kayaking Phuket: Phang Nga Bay Tour
My Phuket boat tour started at noon, and included hotel pickup; a huge bonus as my resort was about an hour away from everything on the island! Upon arrival at the marina, we were funneled through a small shop for last-minute purchases like soda, sunscreen, and souvenirs. If you choose the same Phang Nga Bay tour I did, you’ll return pretty late and tired, so don’t expect to buy souvenirs on the way back.
Our large group of tourists was split into two groups of 50 and assigned to a boat.
Lunch is served as we set sail, and smaller groups are each assigned a guide. As a solo traveler, I was paired up with a solo woman from Australia, and our guide, Alex. After lunch was served, we arrived at our first kayaking spot. Most of the kayaking takes place on islands with caves leading to interior lakes, or hongs. Upon paddling into a dark cave (sometimes having to lie down in the boat to avoid conking our heads) the walls would then open up to a beautiful oasis.
We saw plenty of monkeys on the shores as well, and unlike Cambodia, they did not want anything to do with us. I’m sure they are used to the traffic, but it was nice that they weren’t begging for food or water.
After a few kayak outings around the islands of Phang Nga Bay, we had some downtime while the crew prepared dinner. Some of us swam, while others attempted a foot race on the slippery kayaks strung together.
Making a Krathong
After dinner, it was time to pair up again with our guide and make a Krathong. The Krathong is a decorated basket or crown that is adorned with candles and set afloat while making a wish, typically during the Thai holiday of Loi Krathong in November. The base of the Krathong is formed by a banana stalk and decorated with banana leaves and various flowers. While I’m not usually big on arts and crafts, the ritual of floating them after dark is pretty special. It’s also fun to hear and see the guides get competitive about the best-looking Krathong. My new Aussie friend and I agreed, we had one of the best guides on the boat!
Krathong Release in Phang Nga Bay
As the sunset, we got our Krathong ready and returned to the kayaks one more time. We grouped up with two other boats in a nearby cave to light our Krathong, make a wish and float them away. (In the traditional Loi Krathong ceremony, they do just float away, however with so many tourists partaking, it was necessary to re-collect ours after a while)
After our Krathong release, Alex took us to a secluded area to see the bio-luminescent plankton and even a few glowing jellyfish. At the end of the evening, we had about an hour ride from Phang Nga Bay back to the marina, and there my car was waiting to take me back to the Westin. It was a long day and a late-night (for me!) but an unforgettable experience on this Phuket Island tour!
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Where to Stay in Phuket
I chose the Westin Siray Bay for my Phuket hotel. I’m a big fan of Westin hotels, and I found a great pre-paid rate of $93 per night ($110 with taxes and fees…still a bargain!) The hotel offers an airport car service, which is a bit pricey at $35 each way, but well worth it given my evening arrival and the 45 minute drive. When I checked in to this Phuket hotel, I received an upgrade to a 2 room suite, complete with two balconies!
Browse Phuket hotels at Booking.com
I loved the ocean view balcony, and enjoyed room service breakfast in the morning! I already miss the orange juice in Thailand, which is apparently tangerine juice…so yummy!
The only time I left my Phuket hotel was for the Phang Nga Bay tour, so I also had lots of free time to enjoy the many swimming pools at Westin Siray Bay.
Need more ideas for your Phuket itinerary? Check out Travel on the Brain!
So, I didn’t see much of Phuket, but this was a great way to wind down from a very active vacation. The Westin was great for this type of visit. – if you wanted to do more activities, you might want to stay in a more populated area, but as far as resorts go, I loved it. The one downside to Phuket that I noticed was a return to Western prices – even a crappy sandwich at the airport cost $18!
Have more time in Thailand? Adventure In You has your guide to the best Thailand Beaches!
Do you have a favorite Phuket Island tour? Tell me about it in the comments!
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Thanks so much Leigh for your well written and photographed journal. That was an amazing trip. I felt like I went on the trip with you! You are one brave soul. ( I was biting my nails waiting fir your return though!!)
You must have learned so much and experienced culture beyond my imagination
You will never regret that trip.
Keep traveling. Keep journaling for us!!
You are giving me inspiration.
Ps. How were the plane rides???
This looks like such an amazing experience! The krathongs are so pretty! Did you keep yours afterwards?
I had a similar experience in Phuket and absolutely loved it! I chose the location based on ease of travel and had a super chill trip – despite the partying reputation. I live for room service and a good book, too, lol! Wasn’t the water color on the bay incredible???
I only spent a weekend in Phuket so we didn’t really have time to explore the islands unfortunately. The main thing I remember is how nice the hotel was (we stayed at the JW Marriott) and how cheap it was. Looks like you found a similar gem!
OMG tangerine juice sounds so yummy. and that view, damn! 😉
I love kayaking, never done it in a place like this though!
Also, your last night sounds super fun, I love those kinds of nights – sometimes when we travel we don’t actually give ourselves time to relax!
I love kayaking so I definitely want to go there now! 🙂 And that water is so pretty!!
Sounds like you had a great adventure! You surely did not miss out on anything major as Phuket is not the most interesting destinations in Thailand, just huge masses of tourists all over the place with wild parties.
I seemed to have a completely different experience of Phuket when I visited (I think I stayed in a dodgy part!) so reading your post has helped me to see it in a different light. The trip you did with the caves looks beautiful and so does the hotel you stayed in. Relaxing by the horizon pool sounds bliss!
This looks like an incredible day! The kayaking looks awesome. I like how you had time to relax thought too and hang at that beautiful pool! Pinned so I can save when I go to Thailand!
What a great trip this sounds, fresh tangerine juice sounds delicious in my hungover state this Sunday, as does swimming with all the glowing plankton!
Loved reading this! I’ve been to Phuket twice myself and it’s a guilty pleasure of mine to read about other people’s experiences of places I’ve already been to, haha. Your hotel looks and sounds amazing as well!
It reminds me of Ha Long bay in Vietnam. Felt so surreal and peaceful. And kayaking in the sea caves was my favorite part. Love your pictures.
Looks like you had fun! Sometimes we just need to relax instead of running around in circles all day 🙂
Too bad you couldn’t get a picture of the jellyfish! Must have been a wonderful experience ❤