Getting there

Planes

30km from Phuket Town, Phuket International Airport (www.phuketairportonline.com) is Thailand’s second busiest after Bangkok, with charter flights connecting to dozens of destinations.

Trains

There are no trains to Phuket. Buses travel from the Southern Bus Terminal in Thonburi, Bangkok, but the journey is a back-straining 14 hours; it makes far more sense to hop on a one-hour no-frills flight.

Automobiles

Navigating Phuket by car is manageable with the help of a decent map. Roads can be treacherous though, so don’t scrimp on insurance. Motorbike rental is also a possibility, if you can stomach the statistics (10,000 accidents a year).