What to Do in Phuket? Eat Your Way Through the City and Relax

Gone are the days when Phuket was an “impregnable jungle full of tigers, wild elephants, and rhinoceros,” as early travelers noted. Today, the island is a tourist draw, and rightly so. Sino-colonial mansions nodding to tin mining times, palm trees lining the shores, and feathers and sequins glittering in the night are reasons why Phuket is Thailand’s most popular island. Besides visiting the beaches, enjoying island-hopping, and thrilling water activities, you can take it easy. Mix with Phuketians, feast on local food, and pamper yourself with spa treatments. Here’s TAGTHAi’s perfect answer to what to do in Phuket when you’re done sightseeing.

Get a Pick-Me-Up at Sugar Dark Cafe

Do you need coffee and treats to get going? You’re not alone. If you travel to Thailand, you’ll quickly notice that Thai people are into sweets. It’s no surprise that Phuket is bristling with cafes, many of which are centrally located.

Opposite the Surakul Stadium near the Central shopping mall, Sugar Dark Cafe is a coffee and dessert expert. One of the many benefits you’ll get with the Phuket City Pass, it’s an inviting place with plenty of wood that makes Sugar Dark Cafe feel homey. Guests love the waffle towers and Korean-inspired Bingsu, an iced dessert with sweet toppings, chopped fruits like durian, syrup, condensed milk, and red beans.

Other flavored shaved ice like mango or chocolate, odd vanilla snow with loads of toppings, or irresistible brownies and honey toast are just as delicious. Pick any of those treats, and you’ll hear your sweet tooth say kop khun kap (thank you).

Choose from various sets, show the friendly staff the reservation you’ve made in the TAGTHAi app, and Sugar Dark Cafe is yours.

Enjoy a Sansabai Head, Neck, Back, and Shoulder Massage

Clean, comfy, and professional, the Thai massage spa Sansabai sits opposite Jungceylon Shopping Mall in the lively Patong area. Step inside, and you’ll catch the scents of fresh Thai herbs. Hot stone and herbal compress massages are available, but having your head, neck, shoulder, and back worked on while sitting on a leather chair is equally relaxing.

The therapists typically use light to medium pressure, but you can request deeper pressure. All therapists are experienced and can customize the massage to your personal preferences.

If you make a reservation in the TAGTHAi app, you can also get a Thai massage at Sansabai, aside from the head, neck, back, and shoulder treatments. The benefits of Thai massage are excellent in many ways. Do you experience tension headaches or suffer from migraines? This rubbing and kneading does wonders. A Thai massage can also reduce back pain, relieve joint stiffness, and ease anxiety in the bargain.

One thing is for sure: you’ll leave the place with recharged batteries.

Eat Local Food at Kopi de Phuket Cafe & Restaurant

If you wonder what to do in Phuket Town, explore the colorful buildings telling the story of tin barons. Once your stomach rumbles, you can head for KOPI, which sits right in the heart of the Old Town, close to the Hotel Sino Imperial and the Clock Tower. It’s a pretty little cafe and eatery blending well with its Sino-colonial surroundings. 

Setting foot on the premises, you’ll instantly perceive the Phuket Old Town charm that permeates the outdoor area. Brickwork and round Chinese paper lanterns create a cozy atmosphere. Inside, vintage furniture, wooden elements, and a chandelier add retro appeal. It feels very local, and the food reinforces that. 

You can choose from three sets with the TAGTHAi app on your cell phone. Book Set A if chicken curry with roti is what you’re after. Many Thai people like roti; it’s a yummy pan-fried bread that can be salty or sweet. Surefire winners are also the cafe’s secret recipe for iced milk or lemon tea – the latter is included in all three sets you can book with TAGTHAi.

Whatever your preference, you’ll find that KOPI is one of the best restaurants in Phuket.

 

Pamper Yourself some More at The Raintree Spa

Set in a garden sprawling with vegetation, The Raintree Spa is rooted in nature, relaxing you before you’ve even opened the door. Purple orchids and green, heart-shaped leaves catch your eye, giant Jamjuree trees provide shade, and sweet aromas of white frangipani shrubs waft on the breeze.

The hospitable staff welcomes you with their palms pressed together in a prayer-like manner, the wai. They’ll motion for you to sit in the open-air foyer on a cushioned bench, give you a refreshing towel, and serve cold, Chinese fruit tea. Listening to exotic birds piping up in the trees, you’ll no longer be thinking about what to do in Phuket.

The Raintree Spa is downtown, yet it feels a world away from the crowds. The foot massage rooms are designed for three people only, ensuring the chitchat never gets loud, and private rooms with soothing music and lighting complete this perfect spa. You can choose from so many good massages and treatments here – like herbal steams and jacuzzi tubs – you’re spoiled for choice. 

You can book three sets on TAGTHAi. Choose Set B – a two-hour Thai massage and foot reflexology – and your jet lag will be gone after that targeted, pressure-point massage restoring your body’s energy flow. Set C includes two-hour Thai aromatherapy with essential oils from plants renowned for their therapeutic properties. Applying the oil in a flowing momentum, the experienced therapist uses medium-pressure sweeps, promoting health and relieving tension.

 

Devour Halal Food at Yum Saab Ver

Is your stomach rumbling after hours of relaxation? What about some salmon salad or spicy som tam papaya salad? In front of Rajabhat University, next to the fence, Yum Saab Ver is a small, authentic Thai eatery for about 20 people, one of the best Phuket restaurants. The interior is modest, furnished with artificial grass mats, brown sofas, and round, cushioned containers for people to sit on, epitomizing simplicity. It’s a jumbled mix with a chandelier adding eccentricity. 

Aside from Yum Saab Ver, which translates to very delicious salads, you can also choose something from the a la carte menu, like fried salmon belly. Whatever your belly fancies, finding the answer to what to do in Phuket has never been easier. You can now get your money’s worth with TAGTHAi’s City Pass and impregnate that former jungle full of tigers, wild elephants, and rhinoceros.