Large department stores are located in Phuket Town and Patong, and a smaller one is in Thalang Town, they have a broad range of what is available in Thailand, both imported and domestic. Tailors’ shops are everywhere , labour costs are inexpensive so a handmade suit is an attractive purchase. Tailors supply the cloth, or you can select your own from one of the many cloth merchants on Thalang Rd., in Phuket Town. 

Department stores   

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Ocean Department Store on Thaweewong Rd., Patong.
Ocean Shopping Mall on Tilok-U-Thit Rd., Phuket Town.
Robinsons-Ocean on Tilok-Thit Rd., Phuket Town.
Phuket Shopping Center on Rasada Rd., Phuket Town.
Ocean Plaza on Soi Bangla, Patong. 
 

Souvenir  

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Pearls, baltiks, and pewter ware are Phuket’s best known products. Shops that specialize in these are found on Rasada Rd., Phang-nga Rd., Montri Rd., Yaowarat Rd., and Tilok Unit I Rd., in town and Tourist beaches such as Patong, Kata, Karon and Rawai.  

Phuket Vegetarian Festival 

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This annual event is held during the 9th Chinese calendar month in which the locals of Chinese ancestry undertake a ten-day vegetarian diet. Various rituals are performed at Chinese temples and there are processions of ascetic devotees performing remarkable feats such as fire-walking and climbing ladders with knife-edged rungs. 

Phuket King’s Cup Regatta

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This internationally popular regatta is held in the crystal blue waters of the Andaman Sea off Phuket. Competitors come from all over the world to vie for trophies that are awarded in several different categories. 

Laguna Phuket Triathlon  

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This internationally recognised sporting event comprising a 1800-metre swim, a 55-kilometre bike race and a 12—kilometre run attracts worId-class participants from all over the world. Qualifiers of the triathlon are able to enter the prestigious Hawaii lronman Triathlon. 

Patong Beach Carnival

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Being an internationally popular beach resort, it is only fitting that Phuket has a beach carnival as part of the variety of activities for tourists. Held at Patong Beach, this event features watersports competitions, traditional Thai foods and beverages, a Miss Andaman beauty pageant (foreign visitors only) and entertainment. 

Phuket’s best time of the year is between November and April when the weather is fine and the sea is most beautiful. While in Phuket, clothing should be casual T-shirt, shorts, and sandals for convenience in swimming and getting on and off the boat while visiting islands. You should set no less than 2-3 days for traveling Phuket and nearby islands.

Apart from Phuket Island, you may also visit other small islands nearby and take a boat to go fishing, diving, sailing, trekking and elephant riding.

If you finish traveling Phuket and still have time, you should take the opportunity to visit other nearby islands like Similan or Phi Phi which are 2-3 hours from Phuket. They are very beautiful and you shouldn’t miss them for your trip to the south of Thailand.

Phuket Island has a long recorderd history, and remains dating back to A.D. 1025 indicate that the island’s present day name derives in meaning from the Tamil manikram, or crystal mountain.

For most of history, however, it was known as Junk Ceylon, which, with variations, is the name found on old maps. The name is thought to have its roots in Ptolemy’s Geographia, written by the Alexandrian geographer in the Third Century A.D. He mentioned that in making a trip from Souwannapum to the Malay Peninsula it was neccesary to pass the cape of Jang Si Lang.
 
Phuket was a way station on the route between India and China where seafarers stopped to shelter. The island appears to have been part of the Shivite empire (called in Thai the Tam Porn Ling) that established itself on the Malay Peninsula during the first Millenium A.D. Later, as Muang Takua-Talang, it was part of the Srivichai and Siri Tahm empires. Governed as the eleventh in a constellation of?twelve cities, Phuket’s emblem, by which it was known to others in those largely pre-literate times, was the dog.

During the Sukothai Period Phuket was associated with Takua Pa in what is now Phang-nga Province, another area with vast tin reserves. The Dutch established a trading post during the Ayuthaya Period in the 16th Cent. The island’s northern and central regions then?were governed by the Thais, and the southern and western parts were given over to the tin trade, a concession in the hands of foreigners.

After Ayuthaya was sacked by the Burmese in 1767 there was a short interregnum in Thailand, ended by King Taksin, who drove out the? Burmese and re-unified the country. The Burmese, however, were anxious to return to the offensive. They outfitted a fleet to raid the southern provinces, and carry off the populations to slavery in Burma.

This led to Phuket’s most memorable hitoric event. A passing sea captain, Francis Light, sent word that the Burmese were en route to attack. Forces in Phuket were assembled led by the two heroines, Kunying Jan, wife of Phuket’s recently deceased governer, and her sister Mook, After a month’s siege the Burmese were forced to depart on 13 March, 1785. Kunying Jan and her sister were credited with the successful defense.  

In recognition King Rama I bestowed upon Kunying Jan the honorific Thao Thep Kasatri, a title of nobility usually reserved for royalty, by which she is known today. Her sister became Thao Sri Sunthon.

During the Nineteenth Century Chinese immigrants arrived in such numbers to work for the tin mines that the ethnic character of the island’s interior became predominantly Chinese, while the coastal settlements remained populated chiefly by Muslim fishermen.

In Rama V’s reign, Phuket became the administrative center of a group of? tin mining provinces called Monton Phuket, and in 1933, with the change in government from absolute monarchy to a parliamentary system, the island was established as a province by itself.

Ayutthaya was first defeated by the Burmese in 1569 , but 15 years later it was back to its glory agian by ” King Naresuan the Great “. Ayutthaya was peaceful again and enjoyed the activities in foreign affairs for about 118 years. It came to its peak until it was invaded and destroyed beyond repair by the Burmese in1767

The capital was moved to Thonburi by “King Taksin the Great” who had fought agianst the Burmese and depeated them. After 15 years of King Taksin’s reign , the capital was again moved to Bangkok by “King Rama the first“. The founder of the present Chakri Dynasty. 

Phuket, which is also known as the pearl of the Andaman, is the biggest island in Thailand. Located in Andaman Sea in the south, Phuket is 867 kilometers of Bangkok. There are only two seasons in Phuket. Raining season is during May to October. Summer, the best time for visiting, is from November to April.

In the past Phuket prospered from tin mines but now it becomes one of the world’s best known tourist sites, thanks to its fascinating beaches and abundant coral resources. Phuket is a tourist city fully facilitated with good roads, airport, and various hotels of all levels from average to five stars, restaurants, and many entertaining places.

Attractions in Phuket

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- Beaches        – Viewpoints          – Nearby Islands          – Temples
 – Forest & Waterfalls           – Museums           – Activities & Tours

Phrom Thep Cape

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 “Phrom” is Thai for Hindu “Brahma” signifying purity, and “Thep” means ‘God’. Phromthep is a headland stretching into the sea and forming the extreme south-end of Phuket. It has been prominent feature for mariners since of early seafarers from the sub-continent, remains of whose journey’s have been found all along the Malay-peninsula’s west coast.
Viewpoints 

Patong Beach

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This is Phuket’s central tourist and night time entertainment district. Over the years, Patong has turned from a fishing village into one of the island’s two cities.

The famous bay and 4 km. beach is know as a centre of entertainment with restaurants catering to every nationality. Live music can be found in most pubs and bars.

Accommodations range from budget to five-star. Shopping opportunities appear to be endless. In addition, there are many tour companies waiting to help visitors plan their vacations.
Beaches 

Raya Yai Island

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On the west coast of the island is a fine beach closed in by the hill that stretch away from it like to arms of a horseshoe called alternately Ao Tawan Tok or Ao Bungalow. Clean sandy beach and crystal clear waters of Raya Yai attract daytrippers from Phuket. From the top of the hill to the south of the bay is the viewpoint from which the whole island can be seen. On the east, at Ao Kon Kae Bay, is an excellent site for diving.
Islands