Transportation at Phuket


luntut

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2007
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Punggol
I will be heading to Phuket this coming weekend, for 5 days.

Everything's settled in terms of accommodation and stuff, but there is just 1 outstanding issue, which is the transportation around phuket.

I will be staying along Karon beach, and will be exploring the island, namely the phromthep cape, phuket town, and a few other beaches and stuff.

2 ways, its either tuktuk or self drive. cos of vehicular rental is bout 60 a day, and i got no idea about tuktuk charges.

Greatly appreciate if you guys who have been there before, can suggest what would have benefitted you the most, in terms of moving around the place, vs cost effectiveness and worry free travel (parking, jams, blinking amber traffic lights, etc).

Thanks!
 

I'd recommend you to rent yourself a comfortable vehicle to drive around.
Went to phuket recently, but my friend drove the car we rented at
approximately 60bucks per day. Karon to Phuket town,
lots of up and downhills if i remembered correctly.
and Tuktuk might get a little too uncomfortable for it?
Car rental is definately a better choice,
or maybe, motorbike?

:)
 

I'd recommend you to rent yourself a comfortable vehicle to drive around.
Went to phuket recently, but my friend drove the car we rented at
approximately 60bucks per day. Karon to Phuket town,
lots of up and downhills if i remembered correctly.
and Tuktuk might get a little too uncomfortable for it?
Car rental is definately a better choice,
or maybe, motorbike?

:)

i probably might not consider a motorbike (though it was my thought initially) cos i have my other half with me, and i dont have a bike license to brave the evening road blocks.

assuming careful driving, how easy is it to get into an accident? from the way my friend describes the road conditions there, he sounds like i will drive into another car anytime...
 

the road conditions there are not as bad as u think. the traffic there is actually pretty smooth. i only experience heavier traffic over at patong side. i would recommend u to rent a motorbike for the days when u are doing beach hoping. coz its much easier to find a parking lot. n u dont nd a motorbike license to rent a bike there. any driving license thats in english is accepted. its all auto tranmission scooters there. as long as u can ride a bicycle. it will be no issue for u. another advantage of renting bike is that u can explore narrower lanes. see something nice, just park at the side. i doubt car can give u that flexibility. enjoy ur trip!
 

I'd recommend you to rent yourself a comfortable vehicle to drive around.
Went to phuket recently, but my friend drove the car we rented at
approximately 60bucks per day. Karon to Phuket town,
lots of up and downhills if i remembered correctly.
and Tuktuk might get a little too uncomfortable for it?
Car rental is definately a better choice,
or maybe, motorbike?

:)

I agree!

I went there in 2009. Lots of hills, and renting a Jeep is cheaper than a car and more convienent and safer than a motorbike. If riding motorbike, please wear helmet as a lot of tourists are booked by the phuket traffic police for not wearing them.
 

well, i should say that the people there are a little reckless in driving,
but if you are careful, it should be alright. :D
 

I find the local bus pretty useful (and of course cheap) from getting along the three main beaches (Kata, Karon and Patong) and also to Phuket town, only shortfall is they don't operate after sundown.

This site provides a rough guide to the prices for the different alternatives
http://www.phuket-guide.net/phuket_home/gettingaround.htm

Another point is to look out for the metered taxis when you get out of the airport, they are much cheaper than the limousines drivers who hang around at the entrance.
 

the road conditions there are not as bad as u think. the traffic there is actually pretty smooth. i only experience heavier traffic over at patong side. i would recommend u to rent a motorbike for the days when u are doing beach hoping. coz its much easier to find a parking lot. n u dont nd a motorbike license to rent a bike there. any driving license thats in english is accepted. its all auto tranmission scooters there. as long as u can ride a bicycle. it will be no issue for u. another advantage of renting bike is that u can explore narrower lanes. see something nice, just park at the side. i doubt car can give u that flexibility. enjoy ur trip!

i was told that if riding around in the evenings, will get booked by the police for not having a legit bike license, thats what i was told... bikes are mostly stopped at road blocks, and cars are not...

I agree!

I went there in 2009. Lots of hills, and renting a Jeep is cheaper than a car and more convienent and safer than a motorbike. If riding motorbike, please wear helmet as a lot of tourists are booked by the phuket traffic police for not wearing them.

renting a jeep is cheaper, but the thing is that, they are open tops, and this is the season for afternoon rains, and i am a little concerned (ok rather concerned) about what happens when it rains. or do they have covered tops too..

well, i should say that the people there are a little reckless in driving,
but if you are careful, it should be alright. :D

will do! thanks!
 

the road conditions there are not as bad as u think. the traffic there is actually pretty smooth. i only experience heavier traffic over at patong side. i would recommend u to rent a motorbike for the days when u are doing beach hoping. coz its much easier to find a parking lot. n u dont nd a motorbike license to rent a bike there. any driving license thats in english is accepted. its all auto tranmission scooters there. as long as u can ride a bicycle. it will be no issue for u. another advantage of renting bike is that u can explore narrower lanes. see something nice, just park at the side. i doubt car can give u that flexibility. enjoy ur trip!

I agree. I was renting a motobike. But the down side is, it is a bit unsafe if you want to ride from patong to phuket town. The up down hill need skillful motorbike rider ;)

I find the local bus pretty useful (and of course cheap) from getting along the three main beaches (Kata, Karon and Patong) and also to Phuket town, only shortfall is they don't operate after sundown.

This site provides a rough guide to the prices for the different alternatives
http://www.phuket-guide.net/phuket_home/gettingaround.htm

Another point is to look out for the metered taxis when you get out of the airport, they are much cheaper than the limousines drivers who hang around at the entrance.

Yes. Actually it was recommend by some website to take bus to phuket town (rather than ride a motor) but I ride all the way to the town :) need about 40 min though...
 

i guess its better to rent a car then.

will be renting it from this place recommended by my friend, airport car rent. will be renting 4WDs, but for 4WDs they are mostly manual, and I havent touched a manual transmission car in 4 years... hmmm.
 

go take the local bus. its lots of fun, cheap, make more friends, get latest news about restaurants, scenic points, etc. with the money you safe ..... drink more chang!
 

Actually, the Jeep i rented has a covered roof. It is not the open-type.

Btw, tourists in motorbike got booked by traffic police in board day-time as well too...
 

my other half is not comfortable with the idea of haggling and taking tuk tuks and whatever public transport. she has this mentality that it is not safe.

i was also unable to get a jeep rental at such short notice, hence will be renting a toyota vios instead, which happens to be just 200 Baht more a day, then the jeep.

oh well, kinda a waste.

thanks guys for all the inputs!
 

rented a vios during my last trip there. Good and powerful enough to handle the slopes.
And i would say driving is a quite a breeze there, except that Patong might sometime be a bit heavy with traffic. (my trip was in Jul09 so consider low peak)

Save a lot of money as well as i planned to visit many places of interest like phromthep cape, Big Buddha, other shopping ctrs near town, other beaches, and i stayed in Kata and able to travel frequently to Patong to enjoy the crowd and then retreat back to the tranquility of Kata. If took cab, sure cost a bomb as a 15 mins drive from kata to Patong will cost at least 400 to 500thb per direction plus the trouble of haggling.

more freedom, i would say. Step out of the hotel and off you go to where you want to.

And also, remember to rent from credible rental shop coz they provide insurance. An old man and his son pestered me to rent their private car at a slightly lower rate but luckily had read that they do not have proper insurance coverage thus avoided them.

Enjoy and have a nice trip!
 

my other half is not comfortable with the idea of haggling and taking tuk tuks and whatever public transport. she has this mentality that it is not safe.

i was also unable to get a jeep rental at such short notice, hence will be renting a toyota vios instead, which happens to be just 200 Baht more a day, then the jeep.

oh well, kinda a waste.

thanks guys for all the inputs!

rented a vios during my last trip there. Good and powerful enough to handle the slopes.
And i would say driving is a quite a breeze there, except that Patong might sometime be a bit heavy with traffic. (my trip was in Jul09 so consider low peak)

Save a lot of money as well as i planned to visit many places of interest like phromthep cape, Big Buddha, other shopping ctrs near town, other beaches, and i stayed in Kata and able to travel frequently to Patong to enjoy the crowd and then retreat back to the tranquility of Kata. If took cab, sure cost a bomb as a 15 mins drive from kata to Patong will cost at least 400 to 500thb per direction plus the trouble of haggling.

more freedom, i would say. Step out of the hotel and off you go to where you want to.

And also, remember to rent from credible rental shop coz they provide insurance. An old man and his son pestered me to rent their private car at a slightly lower rate but luckily had read that they do not have proper insurance coverage thus avoided them.

Enjoy and have a nice trip!

May I know how much you guys rent? Rent From airport?
 

May I know how much you guys rent? Rent From airport?

I rented from David Car Rent (http://davidcarrent.com). Not sure if they are the best around but i chose them base on some good review from forumers in hwz.

My experience with them was pleasant too. Not pushy, friendly and helpful. Offer suggestions to suit your need.

Their shop is directly opposite the airport (hidden behind fences thus not visible from the road and i learnt it the hard way after 15mins walking about in the killer phuket sun) but you can email them before hand and they will pick you up from the airport. Or you can give them a call when you reach airport, which i did ultimately, and they will still send a car to pick you within mins. But it was during July low season so i dare take the risk as car maybe to readily available. Now still consider shoulder season ba... so you might want to confirm availability of cars.

Returning also easy. I could have walked to the airport (say 5 mins) but they gave me a lift over (<1min).

As for price (note off peak season), they charged me 1000thb/day for 5 days.
receive the car with 1/2 tank so i return with 1/2 tank.
Travelled 351km total and top up petrol (Ptt) once (3/4 tank) and it cost me 1000thb.
I said the number wrongly and kena the most expensive one so take note when u pump.

That should be all ba. :)