Phuket, Thailand’s largest and most visited island is a great place to consider investing in real estate, whether it’s buying a house to live in yourself or finding the perfect condo for sale or to then rent out. The 540 km sq land mass is as diverse as its size, offering something for everyone. Located in the Andaman Sea off the south west coast of Thailand, Phuket is slightly smaller than Singapore and is connected to the mainland by two bridges, making it highly accessible from neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi. With some of the most stunning beaches in all of Thailand, several busy downtown city areas and a lush mountainous interior, Phuket is an ideal place for all types of lifestyles. If you’re an expat looking to move to Thailand, renting or buying a property in Phuket may be exactly what you are looking for. Read on for an overview of the islands history, population, dining, activities and more.
Overview
Phuket is the most popular island in Thailand for a reason; it essentially takes all that Thailand has to offer and rolls it into one area. If you want stunning tropical beaches you can find them here, all you must do is decide whether you want peaceful or popular; Phuket has both. For your new home, you could choose to live in a seaside bungalow, on a secluded mountain house or a downtown condo on a bustling city street, surrounded by nightlife venues, street vendors, markets and music-bumping tuk-tuks. As the island now drives the majority of its income from tourism, it’s fairly westernized with international foods and theatres and English on just about every sign.
Population
Over 500,000 people are currently registered as residing in Phuket, the majority of whom are Thai, however this number may actually be significantly larger to that due to the fact that many foreigners extend their tourist visas to continue their stay in Thailand. Most of the Thais in Phuket as with the rest of Thailand are Buddhist, however there also exists a large Muslim population, making up nearly a third of the locals. During the high tourism season over a million people visit Phuket, coming mainly from the USA, England and Western Europe. The island is especially crowded over Christmas break.
History
Phuket’s location, half way to China and Europe has been an important port location for hundreds of years, so it is natural that the island is now the most developed in Thailand. The island became especially important in the late 1600’s when the Dutch, English and French realized that it was a hotbed for mining tin. Walking around Phuket today, especially in The Old Town it is evident the island has experienced a strong European influence. Shortly after the Europeans settled in, Chinese immigrants began working in the mines as well and Phuket quickly became the province with the highest percentage of Chinese. Today, Chinese is the highest foreign ethnicity in Thailand.
Phuket remained a place of mining tin for a couple hundred years. In fact, tin was such a big part of the Phuket economy and culture that blocks of pure tin were used as currency and were considered as legal tender to pay taxes in Phuket until the democratic revolution in 1932.
It wasn’t until some thirty years ago that Phuket started to see an influence of tourism, when the tin mining died out and landscape designers turned the torn and tattered areas from previous mining into scenic golf courses. The first golf course on the island opened in 1989, helping to spark the initial wave of tourism.
Food
The dining options in Phuket are fresh, delicious, convenient and cheap. Southern Thai food in general is unique as it is loaded with herbs and rich spices including turmeric, galangal, garlic, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves as well as fresh coconut cream from local sources. As Phuket is an island with many tropical and healthy creatures in its surrounding waters, seafood is widely used in many southern Thai dishes and is often grilled, sprinkled with coconut and served with sauce. Another unique thing about southern Thai food is that it has a strong Muslim influence, from the bordering country of Malaysia.
If you buy a condo or a house in Phuket you are by no means limited to southern Thai food. Phuket’s large international population has encouraged the opening of many different types of restaurants and eateries, so no matter what type of food you are looking for you can find it on Phuket. Price range is not a factor either in finding what you want, as there are many five star resorts and restaurants on the island as well as delicious street food vendors and everything in between.
Transport (airport, trains etc)
One unique thing about Thailand is that there are so many public transportation options. The international airport there happens to be Thailand’s second busiest airport. With dozens of flights every day, Phuket is easy to reach from anywhere within or beyond Thailand, making it one of the most convenient places to buy a house or condo. With two major bridges connecting Phuket to the mainland it’s also easy and affordable to drive straight into the island. airport, bus, tuk tuk busses, taxis, motorcycles.
Weather and climate
Located in the tropics, Phuket experiences warm and sunny weather most days of the year. Even through the rainy season, during September and October there are long intervals of sun between rains. In fact, the monsoon season between December and March is the island’s high season. This is generally considered the best time to go to Phuket, as the rain takes the humidity out of the air and the cool breezes make everything more comfortable. If you’re looking for hot weather, head to Phuket in April or May, when hot temperatures range from 27 to 36 degrees Celsius. For something in between (and a time that’s less crowded), the western world’s summer months are filled with a nice mix of sunshine and downpours and have less of a draw for tourism.
International Schools
Phuket is growing every year as a place of relocation for expats from all over the world. Because of this, the international schools are high in demand. If you’re worried about buying a house or condo nearby an international school, you will have an easy time finding English language curriculums for every year of school for your children on Phuket, from pre-school to high school graduation. To start, there are many preschools but one that’s all English is the ABC Nursery-International Childcare Centre which is owned and taught by British teachers. Buds Phuket Nursery and Preschool is a bilingual school, which is perfect for families who want their kids to be integrated into both cultures. For the older students, the British International School is the most famous school on the island with an English medium and is a co-educational, day and boarding school. There are several others to choose from though and a quick search will allow you to identify the perfect international or bilingual school for your children, no matter their age.
Family Attractions
Phuket is a great place for families to vacation together, as the island has many kid friendly activities and resorts. Many beach side resorts will be great to spend a day on, as they will offer a kids club to keep the little ones entertained all day while parents relax and enjoy their beautiful surroundings. The Splash Jungle Water Park is a fun way to beat the heat and stay active. There’s a national park and safari rides to see land animals in nature, and a nice aquarium to get a close up look at the exotic underwater animals from the area.
Sports and Leisure Facilities
If you’re looking for a more adventurous way to spend your time in Phuket, the island has many outdoor activities such as elephant rides, jungle trekking and white water rafting. You can go paintballing, snorkeling, play mini golf, ride ATVs through the jungle and more. Phuket is a very large and developed island thus has virtually everything you could need or want to make your time there as enjoyable as possible.