Day one
Heading up to the Big Buddha site at Chalong is a good way of surveying all that you’re going to explore over the coming three days.
The views east take in Chalong Bay, Phuket Town and Cape Panwa, and west across to Karon and Kata beaches. But there’s also someone looking over your shoulder here as towering 45 metres above you is a giant white marble Buddha statue.
After all that walking, you might like to head to the nearest beach. Nai Harn Beach on the south coast is a kilometre-long strip of white sand that’s calm but has a few little beach huts and restaurants ready to serve you. Or head up towards Patong and stop at Tri Tra beach for the afternoon either to sunbathe and get a beachside massage or hire jet-skis and sea kayaks.
Once you’re suitably chilled, it’s off to sample one of Phuket’s cultural theme parks and shows that kick off come evening. At FantaSea, just north of Patong, you get a buffet dinner before watching the shows, which include a theatrical safari complete with tigers and Fantasy of a Kingdom Thai cultural show. Or there’s the option of nearby Siam Niramit, which has similar shows and a traditional Thai village with floating market.