Phuket, Thailand- Old Phuket Town and Sea Gypsy Village

Phuket, Thailand has more to offer than just beaches. Yes, the beaches in Phuket are the main attraction for a lot of tourists, but have you ever considered checking out the Old Town? Well, Old Phuket Town , even though it’s not far from the beaches, gives off a way different vibe than the little beach towns.

To be honest, when we were told that we would be staying in Old Phuket Town, we were really disappointed. We just didn’t understand why you’d choose not to stay in a beachfront hotel instead. Well, we were surprised at how much Old Phuket Town has to offer. Old Phuket Town has old world charm courtesy of its well preserved Sino-Portuguese buildings and colourful Chinese shop houses. The town has many boutique hotels that have preserved the colonial style of the buildings, it also has cafes and restaurants that offer traditional southern Thai dishes.

We think the best thing to do, aside from admiring all the historical buildings that line the roads of Old Phuket Town, is to people watch. One early morning, we decided to visit a coffee shop right across from the Old Market and it was quite something to see all the hustle and bustle that built up as the morning progressed. We saw people offering alms to monks, shop owners setting up for the day, old buses filling up with people heading all over the city and people going in and out of the market shopping for the day’s meals. If you are tired of the beaches, we recommended heading over to Old Phuket Town and check out all that it has to offer.

Another trip we liked in Phuket was visiting the Sea Gypsy Village by Rawai Pier. The village has plenty of shops offering a variety of fresh fish, shellfish, and other seafood. You can buy any type of seafood you fancy and have any restaurant across the shops to cook it for you. After lunch, we recommend you stroll down the beach and watch the children and dogs play in the water and walk around the village houses to get a sense of the Sea Gypsies’ daily life.