“The Pearl of the Andaman,” Phuket dangles like a teardrop earring from a bend on Thailand’s west coast. Its mountains and beaches sparkle against some of the most beautiful water in the world.
But before it became glamorous, the island was a center of trade and rubber production and an industrial capital of tin mining. In the 1970s, tourism began with a handful of bungalow operations, mainly on the pristine sands of Patong. The first luxury resorts took root a decade later with the opening of The Royal Phuket Yacht Club and two Ed Tuttle-designed resorts: The Chedi (now The Surin) and Amanpuri, both perched above the exclusive Pansea Beach. Hollywood and international royalty quickly propelled the first Aman property to global prominence, and Phuket’s golden era of luxury took flight.
In the decades since, rapid development, traffic and overtourism have slightly dimmed Phuket’s luster, but that didn’t stop The White Lotus team from filming here for Season 3 of the hit HBO show. Plenty of pockets of beauty and quiet luxury remain on Thailand’s largest island, and the last decade has seen a new wave of exquisite properties, such as Rosewood Phuket.
Nestled beside a powdery beach on a rocky cape between the bustling party scene of Patong and the family resorts of Karon, the hotel was Rosewood’s first in Southeast Asia when it opened in 2017. Nearly a decade later, it balances serenity with access to Phuket’s array of nightlife and adventure offerings. And if you’ve watched The White Lotus, you’ll probably recognize Ta Khai, Rosewood’s signature Thai restaurant, since it served as the show’s primary dining location.
While Chiang Mai has long held the mantle as Thailand’s outdoor hub, adventure has also helped fuel Phuket’s evolution from a backpacker haunt into a world-class destination. Rosewood’s waterfront center on Emerald Bay offers activities such as snorkeling, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, but the resort can also arrange trips to locations inland or at sea. So, when you’ve had your fill of treatments and massages at Rosewood’s Asaya Spa, here are a few of Phuket’s best options for exploring.
Diving and Island Hopping
If you’re not into scuba, island-hopping day trips are still prime opportunities for viewing marine life, and the karst topography from Phang Nga Bay down through the Phi Phi Islands is every bit as spectacular as Vietnam’s popular Ha Long Bay (with less boat traffic congestion). Trips will include snorkeling and exploring desert beaches on islands such as Koh Hong, where limestone cliffs form a “room” around floury sand. Operators such as Five Star Marine lead speedboat tours that can whisk you to Phi Phi in less than an hour.
Sea Canoeing
A visit to Phuket is incomplete without partaking in a sea canoe adventure. At least a dozen companies provide tours, but choose the original: John Gray’s Sea Canoe. Naturalist John Gray moved to Thailand from Hawaii in 1989, believing that the fate of the world depended on environmental conservation in Asia. Off Phuket’s eastern shore, the hundreds of islands dappling Phang Nga Bay caught his attention. He started exploring by kayak and discovered caves and tunnels hidden within some of the rock walls. In a few spots, these secret passages opened up into massive hongs, where beaches and stands of mangroves lie surrounded by sheer cliffs, beneath open skies.
The awe-inspiring beauty seemed like the perfect outdoor classroom, so Gray started his business to teach “natural history,” believing that if people experience the wonder of such places, they will want to preserve them. Along the way, he invented the “sea canoe.” Not to be confused with a sea kayak, the sea canoe is a rugged, inflatable boat in which both passenger and pilot can lie flat, facilitating navigation through tight passages.
Not only will you see geological masterpieces on a John Gray’s excursion, but guides will also point out wildlife such as brahminy kites, hornbills, crab-eating macaque monkeys and mudskippers (also called “Darwin fish” because they have legs).
The full-day trip also includes two delicious meals of local Thai specialties. After dark, the program concludes with a Loy Krathong ceremony (modeled after the Thai holiday). Guests and their guides create candlelit vessels made of banana leaves and flowers, which they set afloat, turning their spiritual and mental burdens over to the cleansing water.
Sailing
Since 1987, Phuket has hosted Thailand’s premier yacht racing event, the King’s Cup Regatta (the next one will be December 5 to 12). The 29th annual Bay Regatta will also take place February 18 to 22. The former draws a wider international crowd, while the latter is more of a community event in which competitors sail from Phuket through Phang Nga Bay to Krabi and back, with overnights and parties along the way.
For vacationers looking to get their feet wet and learn to sail, both children and adults can take classes with Seahorse Sailing at its locations in Chalong Bay and SAii Laguna Phuket. Founded in 2023 by Scott Duncanson, one of Thailand’s foremost sailors and the former seven-year commodore of Phuket Yacht Club, Seahorse has single or multiple-session courses in O’PEN Skiffs or ILCA (Laser) dinghies. Four-hour sailboat rentals are also available for experienced sailors.
Land Adventures
Apart from sightseeing in Phuket Town, Wat Chalong or the Big Buddha, Phuket’s interior holds an impressive selection of outdoor pursuits. The island boasts a number of golf courses, including two at the Blue Canyon Country Club, known for its challenging layout and for hosting the Johnnie Walker Classic on multiple occasions (which Tiger Woods won there in 1998).
Phuket Elephant Sanctuary provides guests ethical interactions with one of Thailand’s national symbols, and The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project offers an hour- and two-and-a-half-hour-long learning program about the behavior of these endangered primates and the importance of rainforest conservation.
If the long-armed apes inspire you to swing through the jungle, Hanuman World (named for the half-man, half-monkey god in The Ramayana) is the country’s largest zipline adventure park with roller ziplines, sky walks, a luge and traditional ziplines that stretch more than 1,300 feet through the treetops.
After this adrenaline rush, a great way to wind down is to take a short hike along Laem Phromthep, the rocky cape at Phuket’s southern tip, a popular location for both visitors and locals to grab a snack, sip a fresh coconut and watch the sunset.
