Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Phuket Town
POP 94,325
Long before tourist T-shirts or flip-flops, Phuket was an island of rubber trees, tin mines
and cash-hungry merchants. Attracting entrepreneurs from as far away as the Arabian
Peninsula, China, India and Portugal, Phuket Town was a colourful blend of cultural in-
fluences, cobbled together by tentative compromise and cooperation. Today the city is
proof of the island's historical soul. Wander down streets clogged with Sino-Portuguese
architecture housing arty coffee shops, galleries, wonderful inexpensive restaurants and
hip little guesthouses; peek down alleyways to find Chinese Taoist shrines shrouded in
incense smoke.
But it's not just some lost-in-time cultural archive. Bubbling up throughout the emer-
ging Old Town is an infusion of current art, music and food that attracts a very hip
crowd, most of it Thai. Investors have finally caught on that culture, not just slinky
beaches and girly bars, is a commodity. Old shophouses and homes, once left to rot, are
being bought up and restored, resulting in flash-forward gentrification.
Despite inflated real estate prices, if you're on a budget, Phuket Town has the best
lodging bargains on the island. From here you can hop on regular
sŏrng·tăa·ou
to any of
Phuket's beaches (which will take between 30 minutes and 1½ hours).
