Location

Things to do

Phuket is one of the world’s top tourist playgrounds, not least because it has a huge variety of ways you can stay amused while staying at Villa Anda. Here’s a selection. Your Elite Concierge will be delighted to arrange bookings, guides and transport for you.

Phuket Fantasea and Carnival Magic: A theatrical spectacle and the adjoining theme park. If half-women-half-birds flying through the air, disappearing elephants or bungee acrobatics sound intriguing, put these places on your must-do list.

Walking Street, Soi Bangla, Patong: Get the kids tucked in bed (babysitters can look after them) before you head out to the colourful and raucous heart of the island’s party town, which closes to traffic at night. Discos, side-streets loaded with bars, live music, live shows and plenty of good food. In nearby streets are Patong’s night market and the biggest Thai boxing stadium on the island.

World-class golfing: There are nine international-standard 18-hole golf courses on Phuket. All are open to guest players. The nearest to Villa Anda is the course at Laguna Phuket resort.

Adventure and learning: Take a new experience or skill home with you: a flight on a paramotor, bungee jumping, big-game fishing, kayaking in the extraordinary limestone islands and caves of Phang Nga Bay, or cruising on a luxury yacht. Or learn the basics of scuba diving, Thai boxing, Thai cuisine or Thai massage, beach yoga or aerial yoga, surfing or rock climbing.

History and culture: Before tourism there was tin, the export of which made Phuket rich. Explore the old part of Phuket Town with its delightful Sino-Portuguese shophouses and colonial-style mansions, built in that era. Don’t miss Soi Romanee or Thalang Road, full of delightful coffee shops, bars, shops and restaurants. Savour Royal Thai cuisine at the Blue Elephant, a beautifully restored century-old mansion and visit the Chinpracha House next door.

Shopping: Phuket is a shopper’s paradise, with large department complexes such as Jungceylon in Patong and the Central complex just outside Phuket Town. But don’t forget the local markets such as the island’s biggest night market near Wat Naka temple, or the Sunday market in Phuket Old Town walking street, featuring local food, crafts, fashion items, music and street performers.