My 11 days free & easy visit to Southern Thailand (Hat Yai, Krabi, Phuket, Koh Samui & Sg Golok ) June 21 > July 1 2026 - Day 2 (Phuket)

 

Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Bangla Road, Phuket

Day 2 Monday June 22 2026 (Phuket) - after 1 night stay in Hat Yai, it is time to move on & my next destination is Phuket  & staying for 2 nights (my last solo visit to Phuket was in June 2013), we took a long distance bus from Hat Yai Bus Terminal departing 07.30 > arriving Phuket Bus Terminal 15.00 (approx 429km); after the hotel check-in in Phuket & a short rest, we ventured out and walked along the Patong Beach & Bangla Road to get a glimpse of this famous island resort filled with foreign tourists when nightfall ! 

Phuket city on Phuket Island is the capital of Thailand's Phuket Province, the Thalang Road in Phuket Old Town is lined with colourful 19th century shophouses & Sino-Portuguese buildings; Baan Chinpracha Mansion, built in 1903 by a wealthy tin merchant has Italian floor tiles, shuttered windows & antique furniture; set in 1930s, the Thai Hua Museum has exhibits on Phuket's culture & history. Patong Beach & Bangla Road have a lively & vibrant nightlife in Phuket. 

Hat Yai > Phuket (approx. 429km)

1) Hat Yai Bus Terminal - took a Grab (70bht) from our hotel to Hat Yai Bus Terminal & bought our bus tickets 515bhts (Hat Yai > Phuket Rm63) from a bus terminal's ticketing counter opening around 07.00, the VIP coach costs 799bht (Rm98) & much comfortable. 

2) Boarding our bus departing 07.30 from Hat Yai Bus Terminal > Phuket Bus Terminal 2 (approx. 429km, 7hrs)

3) 1st R & R brief stopover (10 mins) for toilet run (09.00)

4) Suburban & countryside scenery from Hat Yai > Phuket, 

5) 2nd R & R stopover (13.30) for toilet run & lunch (20 mins), savoured a plate of vegetable rice (550bht = Rm6.70) in the R & R centre.  

Thai Vegetable Rice 55bht

6) Arriving in Phuket Bus Terminal 2 - for day trippers in Phuket, you may consider taking a Phuket Smart Bus from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 > Patong Beach. 

7) Took a private taxi (500bht) from the Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to our hotel in Beach Road, near Patong Beach. 

8) Hotel Accommodation (2 nights): East Planet Hotel, Phuket Patong, room tariff Rm74, 2 single beds

9) After the hotel check-in & a short rest, we started our walkabout from our hotel towards the Patong beach ..... looking forward to view a tranquil sunset scene as we strolled the Patong beach in the evening ! 

10) The busy Beach Road along the Patong beach, Phuket 

11) Patong Beach near the Bangla Road - a tourist's haven especially in the evening ! 

12) Bangla Road & Bangla Waking Street, Patong, Phuket - the vibrant, neon-lit epicentre of the island's nightlife, closed to traffic after 18.00, the 400 meter street bursts to life with open air beer bars, nightclubs, go-go bars & street performers. Welcome back, KM ! Good to see you here after a 13 year gap !  Despite the Middle East conflict, European & Asian tourists were visible seen in Beach Road & Bangla Road, Patong. No doubt, Phuket island has retained her charm in attracting visitors from all over the world !