An Exotic Escape to Phuket, Thailand

After the hustle and bustle of Bangkok‘s fast-paced energy, we felt the need for a true, relaxing vacation. So, we caught a flight to Phuket, where we discovered a completely different side of Thailand.

It’s a world away from the concrete jungle of the capital. Here, time seems to stand still, and people truly take a moment to connect with nature. If Bangkok was all about non-stop movement and checking off sights against the clock, Phuket was purely about relaxation and landscapes so spectacular they made you want to stop at every turn just to take them in.

Not that we just sat around in Phuket, even if the vibe was much more laid-back. We picked our experiences carefully, wanting to soak in as much of the area’s natural beauty as possible, while still throwing a little adrenaline into the mix.

Here is what we got up to:

In Search of the Famous Rock: James Bond Island

As a huge James Bond fan, I couldn’t miss James Bond Island and its famous rock rising straight out of the water. So, we hopped on the yacht – not our personal one, obviously 😅 – and set sail in search of the iconic rock formation 😁. We enjoyed a breezy, relaxing ride, soaked up the sun, ate fresh fruit, and didn’t have a single moment to get bored because we reached our destination pretty fast. Of course, the place was packed with tourists, everyone eager to capture the perfect shot. We snapped a few photos ourselves and then headed off to our next experience.

The itinerary listed “1.5 hours of canoeing.” Honestly, I was pretty worried about this part since I’m not really a fan of open water or such tiny boats. Paradoxically, though, it turned out to be the coolest and most delightful activity of the entire day.

We arrived at Hong Island (or well, near the island, since we didn’t actually pull up to the shore). Right away, the canoes approached us, each guided by its own “driver”. We boarded two by two and headed toward some cliffs – more like a wall of rock 😁. At first, there was no clear entrance in sight; we just watched the boats ahead of us “disappear” one by one. Once we got close enough, we noticed a narrow opening we had to pass through. The space was so tight that we were told to lie completely flat on our backs so we wouldn’t get hit. My anxiety spiked a little, but once we made it to the other side, it felt like we had stepped into a whole different dimension of time and space.

The incredibly clear water, the lush green jungle all around us, and a silence so profound you could actually hear your own thoughts – the entire place radiated an unbelievable sense of calm. Instantly, I forgot all about my anxieties, phobias, and every single worry in the world. We were simply soaking in nature in its purest form.

On the way back, we savored a Thai dinner while watching a gorgeous sunset. But the adventure didn’t end there. With about half an hour left before reaching the harbor, a spectacular storm broke out at sea. It was my first time experiencing anything like it: everything around us turned pitch black, it was pouring buckets, and the sky was lit only by flashes of lightning on the horizon. The whole thing was a bit scary, but the exact second the yacht touched the shore, the rain stopped abruptly, leaving behind a calm atmosphere, as if nothing had ever happened.

A Day at the Elephant Sanctuary

After a day off, which we fully spent soaking up the sun and relaxing on the beach, it was time for a new adventure: visiting an elephant sanctuary. As I’ve mentioned before, I am completely fascinated by these animals, and whenever I get the chance, I choose to spend time around them. In Thailand, elephant activities are extremely common, and you can even see them on the streets. However, I felt that a sanctuary was the only ideal place to see them, feed them, and play with them. There, I know for sure they aren’t being exploited; instead, they live in their natural habitat and follow their daily routine, while we are just simple observers.

Once we arrived at their “home,” we were given a brief briefing on how to behave around them to avoid any incidents, and then we set off with a few of these giants for a walk to the sea. The plan was to bathe with them, though “bathing” is a bit of an overstatement, as the main activity was actually covering them in mud – which is, in fact, their natural SPF. Because of a slight fear that one of these giants might sit on me, I preferred not to get into the water with them and chose to admire them from a safe distance instead. Even so, I wasn’t left alone on the beach; I was in the company of an incredibly gentle and well-behaved “lady” elephant, who showed amazing patience posing for photos with us and receiving plenty of hugs.

This was my very first experience being so personal and up close with them – close enough to pet, stroke, and hug them as much as I wanted. I loved it 😁.

After we headed back to the camp, we had to wash them before lunch. I mean, they couldn’t just eat covered in mud, right? 🙂 We went to the designated shower area and scrubbed them down thoroughly until every last trace of mud was gone. This turned into yet another playful moment. The mahouts – their caretakers – already had a secret language with them, and every now and then, the giants would spray us with water straight from their trunks, to everyone’s amusement.

At the end, it was time for their reward: we fed them bananas and sugarcane. We also got to play a bit with the baby of the family, a 7-year-old “baby” elephant who was bursting with energy and wanted to interact with everyone. I left the camp with the biggest smile on my face and the feeling that this was one of the coolest, most authentic experiences ever.

An Adrenaline Rush: ATVing and Ziplining

The plan for the next day was to get our hearts racing with an adrenaline-packed activity. For some reason, back when I was planning the trip, it felt like a wonderful idea to visit an adventure park, go ziplining through the treetops, and take an ATV ride. It’s pretty funny because I’ve never done anything like this back home, even though Brasov offers plenty of options for it. At the time, it just sounded super fun. However, I completely ignored the minor details that I am absolutely terrified of heights and not exactly what you’d call an outdoorsy person.

Once we arrived at the location, we were given a very brief safety briefing while being quickly geared up with helmets and harnesses. And, in a bit of a rush, we were whisked away to start the “fun.” Yeeeey! At the first zipline, I didn’t even have time to feel afraid because I didn’t have time to think. But as we kept going and climbing higher and higher, panic started to set in. When I looked down, the ground was nowhere to be seen – only dense jungle – and the course just kept taking us higher.

We had 10 ziplines to clear. By the fourth one, as soon as I reached the platform, I hugged the tree trunk and declared that I wasn’t moving another inch, someone had to come and get me down. Everyone was amused by my reaction, and looking back, I’m sure it was a pretty funny sight from the outside, but I was simply terrified. One of the instructors managed to trick convince me to keep going, but he rode tandem with me. I remember him telling me to let go of the ropes and feel as free as a bird, while I just kept my eyes squeezed shut and my hands death-gripped on the harness strap. I just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible. It was a cool experience to check off my bucket list, but definitely not for me. Never again!

The second part of the adventure was the ATV ride through the jungle. This part was actually nice because *le husband drove, while I sat in the back like a princess and just enjoyed the scenery. We stopped here and there to take in the views, and at one of the viewpoints, we found a giant swing that launched you straight into thin air 😂. Obviously, I passed on that instantly; I hadn’t even recovered from my zipline trauma yet, and I felt much safer with my feet firmly on the ground rather than dangling in the air. On the other hand, *le husband thoroughly enjoyed the experience and concluded it wasn’t scary at all.

Exploring the Phi Phi and Bamboo Islands

We took another day off, during which we also switched hotels to explore and experience a different area of Phuket, and then we set off on a new adventure on the water toward the Phi Phi and Bamboo Islands. This time, we didn’t go by yacht, but by speedboat, so we could hit multiple spots in a single day.

Our first stop was the famous Maya Bay, a spot made legendary by the movie “The Beach”. The rules here are strict to protect the ecosystem, so you are only allowed to step into the water up to your knees. We took photos, admired the spectacular scenery, and then headed to Monkey Beach, where we watched the monkeys from a safe distance (I must admit, I am not a fan at all).

Afterward, we reached the main island of Phi Phi, where we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. There were activities like swimming, diving, and snorkeling, but I skipped them since water and I aren’t exactly on friendly terms. Instead, I simply soaked in the views – I couldn’t get enough of staring at the cliffs, which looked as if they had been sculpted by the water, and the vivid colors of the jungle. Everything there felt incredibly vibrant.

Our last stop of the day was Bamboo Island, an absolutely gorgeous place, famous for its wild beach with fine, powdery white sand and picture-perfect turquoise water. Here, we enjoyed an hour of pure, uninterrupted relaxation on the beach.

All in all, this entire day was quite exhausting for an introvert like me. The spots are highly commercial and packed with crowds, but even with all the hustle and bustle, the landscapes are so spectacular that every single moment of fatigue was absolutely worth it.

Strolling Through Phuket Old Town

A few days of total relaxation followed, with no strict itineraries to check off. The only thing we still desperately wanted to do was take a stroll through Phuket Old Town to discover that colorful, cosmopolitan vibe we had heard so much about.

So, to *le husband’s absolute delight, we headed to the mall for a bit of shopping and to get our dose of air conditioning 😁. Afterward, cooled down and fully recharged, we set off on foot through Phuket Old Town in search of the perfect dessert. We did find one that was picture-perfect in terms of looks, but not quite perfect in terms of taste (I know, my standards are pretty high 😁).

Celebrating Loy Krathong in Phuket

We were incredibly lucky to experience the famous traditional Thai festival, Loy Krathong, which takes place once a year in November during the full moon. Our hotel hosted a special event dedicated to the celebration, giving us the chance to take part in the local ritual. We were given beautiful, glowing baskets adorned with flowers and candles, which we set afloat on the water. Tradition has it that as these little boats drift away, they carry with them all your worries and negative energy, making room for new wishes.

My Phuket Vacation: Takeaways

What we loved:

1. The Locals: Just like in Bangkok, the people are incredibly warm, welcoming, and friendly.
2. The Traditional Food: We had absolutely excellent meals everywhere we went; Thai cuisine never fails to deliver.
3. The Landscapes: Every single place we visited looked as if it were straight out of a painting. The colors have an almost unreal intensity.
4. The Vibe & Energy: Life moves at a completely different pace over there, much more grounded and relaxed compared to the daily hustle back home.

What we didn’t like:

1. Infrastructure & Traffic: Even though distances looked incredibly short on the map, it took us at least an hour to drive just 10 to 15 kilometers. Not knowing this detail beforehand, we didn’t account for the time wasted commuting between our hotel and the sights, so we unfortunately ended up spending quite a few hours stuck in traffic.

Where we stayed:

We split our vacation between two different hotels for two very simple reasons: first, we couldn’t decide between them at all, and second, we thought it would be much more interesting to switch up the scenery and explore another part of the island.

For the first part of our trip, we stayed at Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach. What we loved most here was that they had several restaurants with different cuisines, so we always had a great variety of food to choose from. Since the resort is located right on the beach, we enjoyed evening strolls on the sand, though we had to watch our step so a crab wouldn’t pinch our toes! 😂

For the second part of our journey, we chose Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort. Here, we absolutely loved the fact that the hotel was built on a hillside, offering spectacular, panoramic views.

The Tours We Booked via GetYourGuide:

1. James Bond Island Phang Nga Bay Premium Yacht Tour
2. Lily Elephant Half day Trip on the Beach with lunch
3. ATV and Zipline Panoramic Adventure
4. Maya, Phi Phi, and Bamboo Island with Buffet Lunch