The six of us hired a van and driver today to see what Phuket was all about. Even if it had not been a rainy, overcast day we agreed there were much better resort areas a lot closer to USA. We decided mostly people from much closer were the main visitors.
What we saw, with exceptions like the Meridian resort near Patong Beach, was like a very poor Carribean island without the benefit of white sandy beaches and clear coral filled water. Trash everywhere, and the cab stories made us wary of that mode of travel.
However, our hired van and driver, Tony, whom we only met and arranged as we left the ship, could not have been a better way to see things. For a 10 AM to 3:30 PM trip around the island, with multiple stops, we paid what we agreed was a very fair $20 per person. We also had a very nice Thai lunch of fresh shrimp stir-fried with sauces, fried rice, dumplings and green currey. The seafood was billed per gram, and the minimum order was 400g per plate. At 180 bhat per 100g, it was not cheap, but so good it didn't matter.
We stopped at the cashew factory, the shell museum, Patong beach, and had lunch at Phuket Town, before returning to the ship.
After expecting a class resort area, I was very disappointed, and certainly would not fly 1/2 way around the world to visit.
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