10 Nights in Thailand - 5* Sala Mai Khao Beach Resort Phuket

Phuket Holidays

Party resorts, sleepy beaches and wild jungle – holidays to Phuket tick a load of different boxes.

Full package Phuket

Holidays to Phuket come in all shapes and sizes. Ice-white beaches – all 40 kilometres of them – are some of the biggest draws on Thailand’s largest island, but it’s not just the coast that’s stacked. Head away from the shore and you’ll stumble across an inland that’s stuffed with jungles and national parks – and that’s before mentioning the capital, Phuket Town. Early-morning markets and beeping tuk tuks bring this place to life, and its old town’s a smorgasbord of architectural styles.

Bucketloads of beaches

Beaches are Phuket’s forte, and whether you like your sunbathing sessions laidback or lively, this place has all the angles covered. Mai Khao Beach is protected as part of the Sirinat National Park, so you can grab a spot anywhere along its 11-kilometre-long stretch of sand and chill out in peace. At the other end of the scale, Patong Beach is backed up by a strip of bars that’s heaving morning, noon and night. Kata and Karon are somewhere in the middle – watersports are the big draws here, with quirky souvenir shops and lively restaurants just behind the sands.

Jungle jaunts

If beaches are the icing around the edges of Phuket’s cake, then think of its jungles as the filling. Two national parks make up the island’s interior. In the northwest, you’ve got Sirinat – a coastal spot with an 11-kilometre-long stretch of sand where you can get close-ups of the planes coming in to land at the nearby airport. Head east, meanwhile, and you’ll find Khao Phra Thaeo, where you can trek to waterfalls and gawp at gibbons.

Party in Patong Beach

Phuket’s most popular resort is the liveliest place on the island and a prime pick for partygoers. By day, the three-kilometre-long stretch of beach is a hive of watersports, backed up by street-food carts and market stalls. Come night-time, you can turn your attention to Bangla Road. There are more than 100 bars dotted around here, from karaoke bars to nightclubs, while the Bangla Boxing Stadium puts on Muay Thai fights three times a week.