Phuket Days

Sunset over Kata Beach

The saying every bum needs a holiday is true, everyone needs time out, even for those who doesn't do much. Thanks to my 8 long haul flights accumulated over a period of 2 years, I finally earned enough air miles to get a free flight to Phuket. For an unemployed bum, free is good and any destinations in the Land of Smiles is even better!

I stayed at Kata, which is located on the southwest side of Phuket island, just south of the more popular Karon. Kata is a quiet and convenient base if you are looking for a relaxing beach holiday - the beach is blessed with soft fine sand and clear blue water, the wave is gentle enough for swimmers yet creating enough swell for surfers or body boarders to catch the breaks.

Although Kata is quieter comparing to Patong or Karon, it still has its fair share of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping arcades, tour operators, convenience stores, massage outlets, tailors, chemists, etc, just so the tourists don't run out of touristy necessities. For a fancy night out, rowdy Patong is only a 15 minutes ride away and Phuket town is not far either for shopping excursions during the day. As for me, I hang around Kata during most of my stay, coming from crowded Hong Kong, hanging out on the beach is just the relief I needed.

During the high season which runs from October to March, Kata can be swamped by visitors from Scandinavia, creating a little Viking colony. In Kata and Karon, it is not uncommon to see sign boards advertising in Swedish or Swedish cuisine on restaurant menus.

The low season on the other hand, Phuket gets the occasional thunderstorms and patchy rain, with low hanging clouds constantly shielding the sun. My experience in September wasn't too bad with some rain but mostly sunny days, even though it poured down hard when I was out snorkeling near the Phi Phi islands, the downpour did not last long.

My holiday was what I imagined it to be - relaxing in a rural and quiet environment, even better because Phuket is in Thailand, my favourite country. I must add that the best thing about travelling in low season is a relatively empty beach with plenty of vacant deck chairs, uncrowded bars with free pool tables, and most importantly, special deals being offered by hoteliers and tour operators!