going to Phuket on a budget 💵
Travelling to Phuket soon? Here is my itinerary and some tips to make your trip better! 🤓
For context, I went for a 4D3N in late February with just one friend, but we did bump into some other friends and did some activities together 👯♀️
Day 1:
We landed around 2PM, and checked into our airbnb at around 4PM. Our airbnb was at The Deck Condominium which is at Patong area 🏖️ We settled down and left around 7PM to…
1️⃣ Bangla Night Market - we just wanted to explore our area a bit and see what was interesting at this night market, it was a walking distance from our airbnb so we did up drinking and shopping here quite a few times ✨✨✨
2️⃣ Kudo beach club (around SGD20 for 2 pax, 2 mains and 2 drinks) - the food was 7/10 (we had pesto pasta and a margherita pizza) and drinks were 8/10 too~ it was super vibey and it was really nice to take photos here too hehe 📸📸
3️⃣ Drinking at Bangla Night Market (less than SGD20) - we met up with some friends and decided to go to 2 random bars to drink. It was quite affordable 💵 and quite fun to bar hop 🥰
Day 2:
1️⃣ Old Phuket Town - we ate at Campus Coffee Roasters (6.5/10, the coffee was alright and the food was okay too) Old Phuket Town was a nice tourist spot to walk around, with many stores selling similar items as souvenirs 🫣 We bought all our souvenirs here and our friends & family really liked them AND they were super affordable too 😋😋😋
2️⃣ Big Buddha - it was a calming walk around the area and we had to buy the clothing items to cover up ourselves because we were in shorts and tanks, but there were a lot of monkeys and one of them tried to steal my bag 😠😠😠
3️⃣ Chillva Night Market - we ate dinner here and did some thrifting. The food offered were affordable and a solid 8/10 🤤 The clothings being sold by both second hand sellers and normal popups had a wide variety and we managed to get quite a few items 🤑
4️⃣ Massage (less than SGD30) - we were looking for a nice massage place that didn’t look sleezy 😬 and luckily this was RIGHT BESIDE our airbnb 😙 The massage was so good that both me and my friend fell asleep, and it was super aesthetic as well 😆 They don’t have a proper name for their store, so here is the google maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Wphui36wE2euG379
Day 3:
1️⃣ Island hopping around Phi Phi island, Khai island and Maya Bay (SGD60+) - honestly a must-do activity if you come to Phuket‼️‼️‼️ because you really get to enjoy the beach and enjoy swimming in the sea without having to worry much because the guides are really experienced 💯 One bad thing is that the toilets around the island were quite nasty so it sort of discouraged me to pee…. 👎👎👎
We were so tired that we just ordered grab food for dinner, slept and went to our friend’s villa to drink and eat MOREEE 😅😅😅
Day 4:
We engaged a driver as we needed to check out and had luggages to carry around. Our friends recommended us this driver, and he was super friendly 😌 He can speak English and Chinese fluently, and gave us many recommendations based on the type of activities we wanted to do. This is his number to whatsapp him : +66 81 182 9838
1️⃣ Jungceylon mall - this is similar to Northpoint in SG, and we just walk around and shopped a bit 🥸
2️⃣ Central Phuket - Our driver told us that this mall is better that most malls in Phuket, and that we should try it out if we were unsure which mall we wanted to go, and he was right 💯 It is similar is Vivocity in SG. Solid 9/10, minus 1 point because the food wasn’t as nice as I thought 🙃 (it was more towards the sweet and bland side 🥲)
tips for a better experience 🫢
➡️ Use Bolt app instead of Grab
Bolt is easily half the price of Grab (most of the time) 🫣🫣🫣 and it really did help on reducing the transport cost. One thing to note is that I couldn’t get the OTP because I was using an esim, my friend used a physical sim card and she could get the OTP. It might be just me but yeah… 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
➡️ Stay somewhere accessible
tbh, me and my friend ate 7/11 and ordered grab food for most of our meals because we were too tired from the activities and the 7/11 was literally right next to our airbnb 😍😍😍 and can i just say the food was actually so good that we ate it 4 times 😅 Our friends stayed in some ulu part of Phuket and they had to travel 10 minutes on a bike to get food if they were hungry, which makes it quite tiring 😪 Staying somewhere accessible also makes it easy to get last minute items like shower items etc 👍
➡️ Dedicate one whole day to the malls
I did regret not allocation more time for the malls because the stores really do offer better style (in my opinion) and the prices are cheaper as well 😗😗😗 Me and my friend spent a lot of time in H&M and Watsons - specially the make up aisle, it’s super super worth and hard to find in SG too! ☺️
feel free to comment for any questions hehe, I really miss Phuket and hope to return soon 🥹
If you're planning a budget trip to Phuket, one thing I found incredibly useful was prioritizing convenience while keeping costs low. For instance, using the Bolt app instead of Grab saved me nearly half on transportation, which really helped stretch the budget. Also, staying near Patong’s central area made it super easy to grab affordable meals from 7/11, which surprisingly had tasty options perfect for quick bites after full days of exploring. Another tip to maximize your Phuket experience without overspending is dedicating an entire day just to visit the malls like Jungceylon and Central Phuket. They offer a wide variety of shops where you can find good deals on souvenirs, clothing, and cosmetics that are either unique or cheaper compared to what you get at home. Make sure to check out stores like H&M and Watsons, especially their makeup sections, which are hard to come by in some countries. For outdoors lovers on a budget, island hopping around Phi Phi, Khai Island, and Maya Bay is a must-do—even on a budget. The guides are experienced, ensuring a safe and smooth journey. Just be prepared for less-than-ideal restroom facilities on some islands! Lastly, massages are a great way to relax after busy days, and you don’t need to splurge for quality. I found a charming local massage spot right by my Airbnb for under SGD30; it was so good we both fell asleep during the session! Seek out places that look welcoming and check reviews when possible. Keep in mind crowd dynamics when visiting popular sites like Big Buddha—watch out for cheeky monkeys trying to snatch belongings! Over time, I realized that balancing tourist spots with less crowded areas made the trip more enjoyable and budget-friendly. Hope these insights help you enjoy Phuket thoroughly without stress on your wallet!
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