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Old Phuket Town: Vintage Charm

Drop the word Phuket during a conversation with backpackers who haven’t been to Thailand and there’s a high probability that you’ll get dreamy stares backed up with oohs and aahs from sun worshippers amongst the group. Phuket is indeed synonymous to tropical island cliches: Swaying coconut trees, white powdery sand, and lagoons from cyan to royal blue.

Thalang Road, old commercial center of Phuket Town. Gracefully aging shop houses lined the street.

But if you’re like us who became peculiarly jaded of paradise after backpacking for five weeks around Southeast Asia, you might also be on the hunt for underrated gems, overshadowed by destinations heavily marketed by travel agencies. Like us, you’re prolly browsing blogs by indie travelers and joining a Phuket forum to dig up something different.

A cafe decorated with interesting antique pieces.

And what a vintage charm we found! Our Phuket Town visit left us enchanted. We were lured to stay a day longer than planned. A stroll along Thalang, Dibuk and Krabi Road made us travel back in time when the Portuguese and British were in town not as soul searching travelers but as traders. The tin boom provided riches to merchants, locals and foreigner alike, hence people were able to afford European inspired mansions and shop houses more than a century ago.

Today admission to these structures are free. A lot of them are still shophouses, while some were converted to theme cafes, galleries and museums. The streets are far from bustling and are waiting for you, the off-the-beaten path traveler, to trudge on them soon.

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Gay Mitra
When not backpacking, she teaches her daughter sight words and belly dancing (even if she's not good at it). She's currently eating her way around some hippie town in Australia. She loves talking about herself in the third person.

18 thoughts on “Old Phuket Town: Vintage Charm

  1. I’ve been to Bangkok but I believe are a lot of places in Thailand that is better. Phuket would be a nice place to visit on my next trip in Thailand.

  2. I have been to Bangkok but never Phuket, and like you first stated in this blog, i was indeed just interested and knowledgeable about their beautiful beaches. This is exactly why I love your blog! I always learn about a new place that I never even knew existed 🙂

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