So you’ve got a RM2,000 budget and you want to go for this really fancy island holiday to a well-known island like Phuket. Possible? Definitely, because yours truly has actually done it.
I managed to spend less than RM2,000 for a 5 day, 4 night trip to Phuket. The below is a rough guide on how you’re able to do the same but yet not compromise too much. I’ve broken down this article to chunk size pieces for easy reading.
Flight and Accommodation
You can really save here if you know how to get the best rates from AirAsia. From my experience, I managed to save a lot by buying the combo flight + accommodation which only cost me RM489 per pax. So do keep a lookout for cheap deals like this. You may have to pre-book pretty early in advance too. And if you’re travelling on a budget, don’t expect to be staying in luxurious 5-star hotels. Click here to read more about flights and want to learn about The State of Aircraft Insurance.
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Even so, there are plentiful of hotel boutiques littering the island. The one I stayed at was the Frutta Boutique Hotel and I had absolutely no qualms about this quaint space. It was near enough Patong, clean, staff was friendly and it came together with a palatable breakfast spread.
If you asked me, when you’re going to be out of the hotel most of the time and exploring the sights, cheaper hotel boutiques like this are the way to go.
Transport
You can either rent a car or a bike. In my case, I rented a bike which I felt was much more convenient in terms of parking and going around and enjoying the island’s breeze. If renting a vehicle doesn’t suit your fancy, you can opt to stay right in the centre of action and book hotels around Patong (aka the most popular spot on Phuket)
Food
I love, love, LOVE Thailand food. Here you get a chance to actually taste authentic Thai food like pad thai, Thai iced tea, green curry and of course the ever popular mango sticky rice.
Image Credit By Mi Yen
Besides the usual Thai food staples, there are a lot of seafood restaurants around the island.
One restaurant I would definitely, definitely recommend for dinner is No. 6 Restaurant. No. 6 has 2 locations, one in town and one atop the hill. The one atop the hill is nearer to our hotel and because we rented the motorcycle, it was just a few minutes ride up the hill. For those coming from the one in town, there’s a small truck that takes customers up the hill. That aside, the food at No. 6 is really, really good! Price also not bad.
Image Credit By Mi Yen
Image Credit By Mi Yen
And who can miss out Bangla Road. You can’t leave Phuket without paying this place a visit. It’s basically something like Jonker Street, only with way more massage parlours along the way. I wouldn’t say that the food there is the cheapest, being that Phuket is a tourist destination after all.
If you really want something fast and cheap, Phuket also has a lot of convenience stores selling super cheap instant noodles and piping hot sausages. Perfect for a midnight snack after a long day out exploring!
Island Hopping
What is Phuket without island hopping? Word of advice: There are loads and loads of locals that will try to sell you their island packages. Just be sure to compare prices and slash whatever is quoted to you at least by half. Then only start negotiating.
Usually, the hotel staff are quite helpful and more willing to recommend and arrange for your island hopping adventures. Transport wouldn’t be a problem too as the hotels have a lot of connections with these island hopping companies to arrange pick up at your hotel.
There are plentiful of beautiful islands in Phuket. You can opt for cheaper, more common alternatives and go for islands like Maya Bays, Phi Phi Island. Travelling to Phi Phi island will cost you around 1000 – 2000 THB.
But if you’ve got some extra cash to spend and you reckon that you won’t be going back to Phuket anytime soon, you can try out the more expensive packages such as the Similan Islands that can cost you 2300 THB because the water and sea life there is said to be way more beautiful than the other islands.
But mind you, the boat ride to the Similan islands can be pretty far off. So unless you’re okay with bumpy boat rides that can go on for a good 40 minutes, you can just opt for nearer islands instead.
Shopping
Jungceylon is basically the biggest shopping mall in Phuket. Inside, there is quite a number of facial massage parlours. I wouldn’t say Phuket is THE place for shopping. Nevertheless, you can score okay deals for sunglasses, bikinis and such by bargaining and remember to always slash the price by half first!
Overall Cost of Trip
So for those of you curious of how much we spent there in total, here’s a rough breakdown:
AirAsiaGo package (return flights and 5D4N hotel accommodation) = RM489 per pax
Expenditure in Phuket (island hopping, food, motor rental, souvenirs, massages) = RM1,500 per pax
Total: RM1,989 per pax
So it is possible to enjoy a full 5D4N holiday in Phuket is you can manage to save up on the more “major” expenses like flight and accommodation. Everything else can be easily managed within your budget. Just make sure you plan well before your trip to get a taste of everything Phuket has to offer!
