Phuket: Nikki Style
Quick trip down to Phuket for my close friend’s birthday? Down. Day trip on her family catamaran? Down. Lots of drinks, both classy and trashy? Down, down and down. Here’s what we did.
This will be a bit shorter of a post, but essentially, we flew down for my friend Nikki’s birthday, and were fortunate enough to stay with her at her family villa on the beach down on the southern end of the island. We spent the first night that we got there catching up and drinking in the villa before getting up nice and early for our boat ride up to a small island near Phuket - also on her family boat. So neither of these can I recommend to you unless you are lucky enough to know the wonderful Nikki (check out her music, name is Kessari, songs are hype). But, I can recommend these:
Breakfast, bros, boats and the Bronx Bombers?
Thanks to its location on top of a peninsula, there are amazing photo opportunities in every direction!
Grab a drink at the Baba Nest in the Sri Panwa Resort
This is one of the best hotels on the island, located on a dramatic peninsula on Phuket’s southern tip. The sunset views here are insane, and this outdoor bar, perched about a reflection pool and surrounding by a moat, has drinks and views to match. There is a minimum spend of about $35, which meant a couple drinks and an appetizer for us, and it was a stunning night. The seating is well spaced bean bags and low tables, and the music was beautiful, all adding to the spectacular vibe of the bar. Plus, we made friends with a Thai woman who was casually drinking three Dom Perignon’s on her own, which she gladly shared, and that was cool.
Go to Bangla Road
This is the nightlife capital of the island, and one of the most wild places to go out anywhere in the world. I think I’ve written about it before, because the last time I was here in 2017, I woke up on a grass lawn. So yeah. It’s wild. The main place to go out is Illuzion, which shivers my bones just typing, but its a great time. Just be careful here as a foreigner for people trying to scam or take advantage of you, or even frame you. Always check your pockets and cover your drinks.
I mean, come on. This is the best bar in Thailand. It wins the Thriving Award.
Honestly, that’s it. We roamed around Old Town which is super nice, but we really did not do very much else at all. We spent most our time drinking or recovering from drinking on this trip, and it was a blast. Shoutout Nikki.
Love the colorful colonial architectural fabric of Phuket’s old town.