Hi all im new to this forum and hubby and i have just booked a relaxing week in phuket staying in patong . we have previously always gone to bali thought we would have a change . my question is is it easy to obtain transport once arriving in phuket to takes us out to patong and roughly what should we pay or do i need to book accomadation through a travel agent to get tranfers included.

thanks michelle

There are a few modern air-conditioned buses that operate along routes in Phuket City but do not go to other parts of the island. The fare is fixed at 10 baht. There are designated bus stops, but you are able to flag them down along the route as well. You can also get off anywhere by pressing the buzzer.

Bus #1: Route runs between Big C Department Store and Archeewa College, via Bangkok Road, Phuket Bus Terminal, and Phuket Road.

Bus #2: Route runs between Rajabhat University and Lamchan Health Centre, via Supercheap Department Store, Phuket Provincial Prison, Phuket Bus Terminal, and Central Market.

To get between Phuket City and the beaches, the blue beach buses, or song-thaews, are the cheapest option. Their destination is usually displayed in English on the side. As there are no actual bus stops you will need to flag one down in the middle of the street. When you want to get off, press the buzzer.

You can catch a song-thaew from Phuket City near the fresh market on Ranong road. Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht.

If you are staying in other parts of the island, ask your hotel reception where you can flag one down.

Easy to arrange but make sure you get a metered taxi. Turn right as you exit the terminal and walk 50 meters to the end of the veranda.

Pay the man at the taxi booth the 100 baht Airport Levy and he will call a metered taxi around to the front. When you arrive at your Patong hotel pay the driver the fare on the meter....about 400 baht.

Ignore offers of "limo", "taxi", "metered taxi" etc as you walk to the metered taxi booth as these are all touts which will end up costing more or insist on taking you elsewhere.

I presume you mean from the airport to your hotel? if so yes it is very easy,i would say get a "limo" rather than the std taxi and probably only be around 600 baht to your hotel and would be cheaper than travel agent will charge you.
You can arrange with the driver for the return journey also if you wish.
Ted

I would suggest to use a little caution with the lomo drivers as hinted in my earlier post.

Some limo drivers will insist on taking you to other destinations enroute. (jewellry stores etc).

A metered taxi will take you direct to your hotel for the cheapest rate. A picture of the taxis andd the airport booth can be found here Bob and Janette's Travel Adventures

Getting back from the hotel to airport can be a little more difficult due to the tuk tuk mafia that operates in Patong. In this case you may need to get your hotel to arrange a cab.

I ended up booking via Phuket Shuttle | Door to Door Airport Shuttle -Ground transfer Phuket it cost DH & I $24 AUD from the airport to the Hotel in Patong...... We are going to book from Hotel to Airport when we are over there.

Not having been there before and arriving at 8:45pm I didnt want to be in unfamiliar territory queing up with heaps of other ppl...... I wanted piece of mind....

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Thanks for your response :)

get a hire car from david car rental - it will save a hell of a lot of money whilst there - and its easy to find patong

Driving in Phuket is not for the faint hearted as the traffic can be very unpredictable. Accidents do happen and often.

First class vehicle insurance should be taken out and although an International Driver's Permit (IDP) is never asked for when renting a car or scooter, one is required by Thai law.

Without an IDP any accident or insurance claims may be void.

which is why I reccomended david car rental - I have no interests in it apart from the fact through expeience have rented there about 7/8 times now and insurance - checking of licence etc is tip top - the cars are great a lot more than you would expect for the price -and really driving in phuket is not for the faint hearted - try bangkok - then phuket is a piece of cake - I have - but then again I am a driving instuctor

If it is just the 2 of you then go by meter taxi, like has already been said, turn right when you exit the arrivals hall, go to the taxi stand and pay 100baht, then to Patong it will cost about another 300 baht.

Some of the meter taxis will pull over at a tour selling place on the way just insist they keep going, we have had this happen twice now with meter taxis, but the majority do not stop!

Cathy

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