Perhaps you’re facing the same dilemma – the difficulty to choose between these two destinations for a short getaway. Bali is mysterious, mesmerizing, and… somewhat difficult. Phuket is all about beaches or so, it seems? Relaxing –– easy. Perhaps a bit too easy. Don’t we love it when travel gets a bit uncomfortable?
Why Phuket Makes A Good Alternative To Bali
I’ll give you a few reasons why Phuket will make a good option when compared with Bali.
Transport in Phuket is generally So Much Easier.
I really like Bali, especially Ubud – it’s magical.
But, transport in Ubud is such a bitch. Grab is basically banned by the local taxi-drivers in Ubud. Uber does not exist at all in the world of Southeast Asia. There’s the Indonesian company Gojek with their taxi-scooters in Bali, but, I’m definitely not keen to take scooter taxis overseas.
Honestly, this transport reason was the top reason that once again, I decided to give up planning a solo trip to Bali, and headed to Phuket for a full week instead.
If I’m travelling by myself, hiring a personal driver for a full day or a few days will not make economic sense. Obviously I’m not going to walk everywhere. This meant that when I was in Ubud (in 2016) for a DIY yoga retreat, I had to be super careful in choosing accommodation options in Ubud. It had to be somewhere that can let me walk to places I want to go, such as yoga studios, or for a morning hike at Campuhan Ridge.
Unless you can ride a bike/scooter and would rent one in Bali to get around places, otherwise, you’re going to find trouble getting around in Bali, or Ubud, at least. The hassle starts already from Denpasar Airport when you land in Bali, from my last memory of being in Bali. You’ll feel like you’re doing a dangerous thing for even daring to take Grab from the airport. Oh well, or, you can use Klook to book your airport pickup from Denpasar!
I just want an easy & safe way to get around places. Without feeling like I’m at the mercy of come who may, or else get harrassed.
Phuket has Grab (very expensive), and two more ride-hailing apps called Bolt, and IN-Driver. Most of my rides between places were through IN-Driver, followed by Bolt. I didn’t use Grab at all in Phuket.
So yep, Bali. Guess I won’t be visiting you as a solo traveller anytime soon, unless the transport part gets worked out.
There’s virtually NO Co-veet restrictions in Phuket!
This might even come across as borderline unbelievable (if you’re living in Singapore where you’re always bombarded with how scary Cvd is and will be with new x/y/z variants and increased re-infections and the threat of re-implementing mandates and also the advertising of yet more shots even for babies as young as 6 months old).
Thailand has displayed practical wisdom in how they’ve dealt with Coweed times. Previously, they had implemented a Sandbox project, then a Thailand Pass system which they scrapped in July 2022.
When I visited Phuket in Sept 2022, they still had airport staff verify my vaccination status (a screenshot on my phone sufficed), before allowing me to proceed to the immigration counter. (Non-fully-vaxxed will need to produce negative test results to enter.)
Now, you do not need to be jabbed or tested to enter Thailand!
From 1 October 2022, Thailand eliminated all vaccine and test requirements. Non-vaxxed tourists do not even need to do any pre-entry tests. This is super awesome.
| Read: How to Reinforce Your Health After the Pokes |
Meanwhile, Indonesia requires a minimum of some shots in order to enter their country. Up till now, I can’t decipher Indonesia’s official websites’ wording on whether Indonesia requires a primary dosage, or primary plus booster. If you know, do leave a comment.
There is NO mask policy in Thailand!
Masks are totally not required in Thailand! If you see someone masked up in Phuket, they’re either Thai staff at work. If not.. extremely worried/concerned/afraid travellers. If you see masked people at the beach (yes I really saw!), They Are Definitely Tourists.
I spent a full week in Phuket without having a mask on at any time (my mask was already off since Singapore Changi Airport onwards). It was SUPER REFRESHING to constantly breathe properly.
It seems Indonesia currently only allows masks off in outdoor settings.
Thai food can be enjoyed every day, while Indonesian food tends to be too heavy for me.
Thai food can be quite similar to Chinese food, so it suits my palette very well.
Even if you can’t take Thai food everyday, the restaurants in Phuket, near the more popular areas also cater to a wide range of foreigners. You won’t have trouble finding places that sell pasta, or burgers, etc.
In Bali, Indonesian cuisine tends to be too strong &/or salty in flavour for me.
| Read all my Bali posts here! |
Even if many cafes in Bali commonly offer what’s popular among Caucasians since there are a lot of Caucasians in Bali, such as salad bowls or whatever bowls that comprise a lot of fruits or raw veggies, they don’t sit well with me, especially since adopting a TCM-led lifestyle.
Bali is famous for beaches, but Phuket also has a lot of beautiful beaches.
Well I didn’t go many beaches in Phuket (just Kata and Patong), but Kata Beach at Phuket was pretty. Nice sand, lovely sea waves. Rent a beach chair for 100baht and sit there for as long as you want.
There are also many other beaches that require a bit more effort to get there. Or you can just buy island-hopping day trips on Klook! I visited Phi Phi island etc when I was young, and also tried all the parasailing at either Phuket or Pattaya.
Klook.comThere is no lack of massage / spa places in Phuket.
I went Let’s Relax Spa at Patong 2nd Street, Let’s Relax Spa at The Sis Hotel Kata (very new outlet), NARA Massage at Kata area. Compared to street massage shops’ prices, these places are relatively more expensive. My favorite was foot reflexology at Let’s Relax at Patong 2nd Street.
Foot massage, aroma massage, Thai massage, body scrubs, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
The energy field in Phuket is generally ‘brighter’, compared to Bali.
Not sure if you feel anything different, but to me, compared with Bali, Phuket feels ‘brighter’, with a lot of hot sun (monsoon seasons do exist), the beaches are always near.
Phuket genuinely welcomes everyone!
Travelling solo? Or a couple? In a group of friends? With family? Man visiting with wife? Man on honeymoon with LGBT male partner? Young? Old? Elderly Caucasian with a young Asian? Matured lady with young man?
No matter which, Phuket doesn’t judge, and welcomes everyone. I went from one hotel where majority of hotel guests are solo travellers, to another where I didn’t spot any solo hotel guest. Never at any time in Phuket did I feel discriminated by the locals. Massage places, restaurants, food courts, cafes patronized by locals – all made me feel welcome! It was great!
Travel Tips to Know Before You Fly to Phuket!
1. Arrange for airport transfer on your own instead of using hotels’.
Klook offers very reasonable rates (the trip to my hotel took an hour and it was just S$24.95 per trip). Klook only sent me the confirmation, with no pickup details, but no worries. All airport pickup drivers will be waiting at the pickup area (after exiting the custom, at the main airport terminal, turn right and walk straight towards the exit).
2. For transport between places, download IN-Driver and Bolt before you go.
Private transport is not exactly cheap in Phuket, especially if you’re bearing all the costs on your own as a solo traveller. IN-Driver was the most reasonable to me. The app auto keys in a suggested rate for your ride, you can key in the rate or offer something high. No matter which, a few drivers will start offering either that price or slightly higher, for you to choose. A typical ride 10+min ride cost me below 200 baht.
Bolt is a fixed price via the app. I took it just one time, I believe. It was THB200 for a 14min ride from Kata Beach (KIRI Burger near the beginning of the beach) to Nara Massage.
I used cash all the time in Phuket.
3. You can get mobile data simcards at Phuket’s airport.
The counters are right outside the customs. I usually always buy simcards when I go Bangkok, but this time, I couldn’t find enough research for Phuket’s airport before my trip, so I rented a router from Singapore’s Changi Recommends instead. Which cost a lot more than a data simcard =\
3. Food isn’t cheap in Phuket.
Here are some sample prices:
• Meals at first hotel (CC’s Hideaway): Mushroom omelette (THB 240 (S$9)), caramel macchiato THB 110 (S$4), Tomyum Goong (THB 240 (S$9))
• Local eatery @ Kata: stir-fried flat noodles (THB 70), minced pork Thai salad (yum woon sen) (THB 120)
• A Blanket & A Pilllow cliff cafe: Tequila (THB 160)
• The Coffee Club, Kata Beach: bacon pasta (THB 220 before tax)
• Malika Sky Terrace at Kalima Resort: Passionfruit Highball (THB 180)
Cocktail prices are great (if you live in Singapore where alcohol costs an arm & a leg). It’s a good idea to just keep drinking hard liquor in Phuket 🤣
Are you planning a trip soon? Find hotels for Phuket or Bali on Agoda!
Visited: Sept 2022
More Thai posts next!
- 10 Useful Bangkok Travel Tips for Your Next Trip
- Hotel Review: Marriott’s Vacation Club at Mai Khao, Phuket
- 6 Tips & What to Do for Your First Time to Chiang Mai!
- Waterfalls & Hiking at Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai
Bali posts too:
- How to DIY Your Own Yoga Retreat in Bali
- Hiking Campuhan Ridge Walk at Ubud
- Why I’ll Never Hike Mt Batur Again
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