Phuket

The dry season, from November to April, brings sunshine, calm seas on the west coast and the best conditions for swimming, snorkelling and boat trips; December to February is the most comfortable and the busiest, with higher prices. March and April are the hottest months. The south-west monsoon, from roughly May to October, brings heavy showers, humid days and big swells on the west coast, with red flags flying on many beaches for weeks at a time. The rain usually comes in bursts rather than all day, prices fall and the island is greener, but some boat trips are cancelled and the Similan Islands are closed. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, in the ninth lunar month (usually late September or October), fills the old town with processions and strict vegan food stalls.

Phuket has no railway or metro, and the island is bigger than many visitors expect: the drive from the airport in the north to the southern beaches can take an hour or more in traffic. The air-conditioned Phuket Smart Bus runs from the airport down the west coast through Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon and Kata to Rawai, and other lines link Patong with the bus terminal in Phuket Town; check the timetable and live tracking online, as times vary with traffic. Traditional blue wooden songthaew buses run from Phuket Town to the main beaches during the day. Within the old town, the free Dragon Line electric shuttle runs a loop of stops. Grab and Bolt work across the island and are usually cheaper than taxis and tuk-tuks, which charge fixed, often high, fares; agree the price first. Many visitors rent scooters, but roads are busy and hilly, and accidents are common; ride only if you are experienced, licensed and insured, and always wear a helmet. Boats to the islands leave from Rassada Pier near Phuket Town and Chalong Pier in the south.

• Complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online before arriving.
• Obey red flags on the beach; they mean no swimming, and they are there for good reasons.
• Check whether a scooter rental includes insurance, and keep your passport rather than leaving it as a deposit.
• Carry small notes for songthaews, markets and national park fees.
• Dress modestly at temples, covering shoulders and knees.
• Book licensed boat operators with life jackets, and check the weather before island trips.
• Drink bottled or filtered water, and use plenty of sunscreen.
• Expect afternoon traffic jams over the hills between the beaches and town.

Phuket's food reflects its Hokkien Chinese, Peranakan, Malay and Thai heritage, and the island is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Try mee hokkien, thick yellow noodles fried with seafood and pork; moo hong, pork belly braised with black pepper and garlic; oh tao, a fried oyster and taro omelette; and khanom jeen, rice noodles served with fiery southern curries for breakfast. Dim sum shops in the old town open early, and Phuket pineapples are famously sweet. The beach towns have seafood restaurants of every price; choose places where you can see the fish on ice and ask the price by weight before ordering.

Kata and Karon suit families and those who want a beach with some life but not too much. Kata Noi, Nai Harn and Rawai in the south are quieter, with Rawai good for longer stays. Patong is for nightlife and convenience. Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao, further north, are calmer, with many larger resorts. Mai Khao and Nai Yang are near the airport and peaceful, while Phuket Town offers boutique hotels in old shophouses, good food and lower prices, but no beach.

Phuket grew rich on tin. From the nineteenth century, thousands of migrants, many of them Hokkien Chinese from Penang and southern China, came to work the mines, and the wealthiest merchants built the shophouses and mansions of the old town in the Sino-Portuguese style seen across the Straits settlements. Intermarriage with local Thais and Malays created the Baba, or Peranakan, culture, still visible in the island's dress, festivals and food. Earlier, in 1785, the island was the scene of a famous defence against a Burmese invasion led by two sisters, Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon, honoured by the Heroines Monument on the road to the airport. Tourism replaced tin as the island's economy from the 1970s.

Every year, swimmers drown off Phuket's west-coast beaches, mostly during the south-west monsoon, when strong surf creates rip currents, narrow channels of fast water flowing out to sea. Karon, Kata, Patong, Surin, Kamala, Nai Harn and Nai Yang can all be affected, and many victims entered the water while red flags were flying. Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, stay between the flags, and stay out entirely when the red flag is up. If you are caught in a rip, don't swim against it: float, stay calm, raise an arm for help, and swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Alcohol and night swimming are a dangerous combination at any time of year.

Elephant rides and shows were once a fixture of Phuket tourism, and some camps still offer them. Training elephants to carry riders or perform involves harsh treatment, and the animals are often kept chained. If you want to see elephants, choose a sanctuary where they are watched from a distance and free to roam, with no riding, shows, bathing with tourists or performances, and read recent independent reviews before booking. The same applies to tiger and monkey attractions and to photos with wild animals such as slow lorises, gibbons or iguanas on the beach, which are illegal and cruel.

Phuket's rapid growth has put pressure on its water supply, coral reefs and beaches. Use reef-safe sunscreen, don't touch or stand on coral, never feed fish, and choose boat operators that respect national park rules and moor on buoys rather than anchoring on reefs. Take your rubbish with you, refuse single-use plastics where you can, and keep well away from nesting turtles at Mai Khao. Be respectful in temples and in the island's Muslim villages, dressing modestly away from the beach.