Falling Out of Love With Phuket

Such a shame the way Phuket is developing and turning Russian rather than Thai! It’s always sad when one’s favourite destinations start going downhill… You guys need to head to the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui/Koh Phangan/Koh Tao) if you haven’t already been – I think you would like it, especially the North of Phangan… I spent quite a bit of time there so get in touch if you want some info!

http://www.camilleinwonderlands.com

Can’t comment on Phuket as I have never been there and have no desire to go there either. Everything I have read or heard has just been validated in your article.

I don’t understand why the Thai government have let the Russians take over to the extent they have. Yes the answer is money but sooner or later it will ruin their tourist destinations. Pattaya is starting to go that way also.

My favourite beach is Railay Bay in Krabi. I went during the rainy season and loved it. Peaceful, tranquil, beautiful. Forever etched in my memories.

This is such a shame! One of my favourite beaches, Boracay in the Philippines, was a paradise five years ago too. Now, the Russian overtaking has occurred — signs, restaurants, hotels, even dive schools are now all Russian! And the prices are insane. Tragic. At least you got to experience Phuket before the beast that is rapid tourism devoured it whole!

Mel x
illumelation.com

[…] Read more about why we fell out of love with Phuket… […]

Wow, Thailand is definitely on our list. I will make sure to avoid Phuket and try some of the other places mentioned. Thanks for the informative post.

[…] For us, it is no competition. Krabi wins hands down. I’m sure you picked up on that after our last post on Phuket. The stunningly beautiful Krabi province just has so much to offer and a trip to Thailand […]

[…] Falling Out of Love With Phuket […]

Maybe u can pay visit to my lovely country – Malaysia, not far away from Phuket, there are many wonderful beaches from Kemaman to Kuala Terengganu than spans along 170km east cost line…it is peaceful, quiet, serene and not commercialized at all…

Phuket was on my list of places to rediscover. As is Thailand. I was there in February 1992 ! having travelled from Hong Kong , Bangkok and returned via Singapore to the UK it was beautiful as were the surrounding islands like Phi Phi which had 0 hotels I recall . I noticed from a recent trip to Sri Lanka in September last year the influx of Russian tourists Unfortunately those at my particular hotel I found to be quite rude and unfriendly . I guess it’s back for a forth trip to Mexico which I simply adore ❤️

We’ve just arrived in Phukt and the first thing we noticed was that everything is in Russian… I still don’t really understand why. Karon beach is pretty nice but the rest of it is nothing special from what we’ve seen.

And you forgot to mention the TuK TuK Mafia.
I too first fell in love with Thailand based on Phuket but later switched my favorite to Pattaya. It to has now been infested by Russians.

I returned from Phuket 5 days ago, it was our fourth time going there and I have to say we’re not in a huge rush to go back! We have seen a steady rise in the number of Russian tourists and prices had increased year on year. However this year was just ridiculous! The prices have gone up far too much that it didn’t make it much cheaper than eating/drinking here in the UK which was very surprising for us! A lot of the signs have changed to Russian and the amount of people that just assumed we were Russian was actually quite offensive but I guess that’s just what they’re used to! It’s such a shame to see a gorgeous place become as you say, Little Russia. It has completely lost its Thai characteristics and I hope one day it will return!

Have I ever fallen out of love with a destination? Well, sadly, a large amount of my favorites have disappointed me on return trips–I actually cried a couple times. Tourism, greed and globalization is and will continue to be the death knell to the remaining 3rd world cultures and the developing cultures in our world. I live in Isaan, the North Eastern rice basket of Thailand. NO tourists. But creeping Bangkok greed and globalization are here. I do not begrudge the “kebab seller” his price increase from 50 B to 100 B. He both needs and deserves the extra income. I DO begrudge the profits made by a Bangkok Investor group as they sell out another condo to 1/2 Thai growing middle class and 1/2 visitors. I simply cannot believe that the current, globalized price of rice is 14 B a kilo!!! The Military will now be forced to prop up the price…or choose not to so the haves and have-nots continue their respective positions in Thai Society. (If you are curious about what globalization does to farmers read what happened to Jamaica–one of my many favorite destinations.)
I have been immeasurably fortunate in my life. I was 14 years old and living in Rome, Italy when my parents gave me permission to fly or train anywhere in Europe or the Med I wished! They paid any and all travel and expected me to be on a backpacker budget while traveling on school holidays. They taught me well: I am 57 now and although I am not on a backpacker budget, and I pay all costs, I have never stopped wandering.
Another unhappy reason I cannot go to my some of my favorites is Religion. The first country I visited after my parents gave me the freedom was Tunisia. The reasons I went to a North African Arab country are multiple and considering the current uneducated beliefs about Muslims I will not be telling you why Tunisia is MY FAVORITE destination. I also spent a lot of time in Egypt. An utterly amazing country and culture. (One visit I went into the big central pyramid with a candle and NO guide and NO tourists!)
And on and on. Never STOP traveling. The smallest memory can stay with you forever. (Reminded of a good tip: learn when, where, why and how to bribe officials of every kind. Similar tip: Pre-Tipping works wonders in ensuring quality service.)

Hello. I agree with you about Phuket now. I’m here and its just awful. I was wondering about the minibus you got TO the airport. I cant find anything about it. If you could share any information in regards to this, that would be great. Thank you.

I guess everyone has their own opinion but I totally disagree with this article.
I absolutely LOVE Phuket, and have spent the last 8 summers there. I go for a full 2 months at a time and really get a feel for the place. It’s very very affordable. For example, I rent a 3 room condo right on the beach with an amazing sea view for about 2500 USD/month. Sure, there are cheaper places in the world but when you compare what I would get in Nice, Barcelona, or Sorrento its really a bargain. Also, the Russians are a very welcome addition! To say you don’t like a place because of a nationality is very rude and racist. I am from the UK but its crazy how would you feel if someone else wrote that a place was ruined because of all the Brits there?!?! The Russian girls are unbelievably beautiful and fun to party with. I actually met wife while here. So I invite all the tourists of the world to come to Phuket and have an amazing party!

I first went to phuket as well as koh phi phi in 1999, at a time when mass tourism from China, korea, japan and the middle east didn’t exist nor had the hysteria for teenagers just looking to get high or drunk in paradise (although there were still some pretty nice parties going on although more “low key” and respectful in my opinion). Those were the days. Nowadays it’s just ruined I think.

You sound very ignorant although it’s a typical perception of someone who has barely visited a country. You are not fit to judge it. Sorry to say. I lived in Thailand for 14 years. Some lived for a lot longer. We are fit to judge it. I suspect most of your complaints are about Patong which is only good for partying, etc. Phuket has amazing Thai culture and we prefer Phuket Town as it has great food and no problems like Patong. Same thing for all your other complaints. You really don’t know Thailand. Lots of places like Ubon, Korat, etc. are just amazing, perhaps even more than Phuket. Real Thailand is amazing and Patong is not it. As for Russians, they are the future of Phuket and Pattaya and even Koh Chang, so get used to it. Sure, many are rude, etc., but Thais only care about money. No money, no honey. So Russians are here to stay and so anyone else who pays, including aliens in spaceships if they got the cash. Phuket has amazing beaches. Eating in local restaurants is still affordable. You are just hanging out in wrong areas – tourist traps, really. I don’t even know what to say, you just appear to be young and ignorant. You need to get out more before writing up selective and incomplete reports. Try going up North for a change, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rain, Sukhothai, etc. Thailand is a great country, probably one of the best ever. You are basically criticizing some few selected bad areas, really red light areas like Patong. LOL. Red light Patong is NOT Thailand. OK? OK.

Charlie and Brittany are as complicit and as much an integral part in the degradation of Phuket as I or the Russians are…How many daily flights into Phuket? How many people per flight? How many people on any given flight will determine not to return home to try to live/work/retire there or even, God forbid, ‘open a restaurant’ The first back packer who crested Patong hill and looked down upon the bay and told his or her friends of a secret paradise…as culpable as Charlie, Brittany, the Russians or I.

Phuket 40 years ago, the lowland forests long logged out to make way for hectares of rubber plantation, the hinterland of most beaches looking like they had been bombed, tin mining tailings piling everywhere. the sea horribly polluted by offshore mining, entire reef systems devastated within just a few years. Now the seas are azure the tailings grassed over the open cast pits, lagoons. I often wonder if the mass tourism you complain of is any worse than what may have continued unabated had it not been for the advent of that aforementioned ‘cheap mass tourism’.

You say ‘go to Krabi’, ‘Go to Ao Nang’ and people go… it becomes Phuket all over again…. then you say ‘Krabi’s not what it used to be Go to Trang, lovely beaches’ eventually you’ve tipped everyone off the edge of the world, maybe your still blaming it on the Russians the Chinese or the greed of the Thais… but in the end when there’s nowhere else to go you might reflect on the fact that you AND I and everyone else who lauded its beauty (whether 4 or 40 years ago) also contributed to the supposed despoliation of Phuket….

This article is dead on. Phuket is a shit hole, if I wanted to go to Russia I would have booked a ticket there. The infiltration of rude and inconsiderate Russians has ruined this place for the worse. Phuket used to be an ideal destination, now it is this over commercialized cess pool of human excrement. Can’t wait to get the Hell! out of here.

Well, we Visited phuket in 1993. I found it disappointing back then. Also Phi Phi ( which was very Dirty) und Ao Nang. We stayed there for a few days and flew to Koh Samui. This was a paradise in those days. Bangkok Air had only one flight per day. Can you Imagine? There are a few gems left in Thailand. unfortunately everybody is blogging about those secret places. I guess I will keep those memories. Though I‘m still in Love with this Country. Best Cornelia

I first went to Phuket in 1981 and it really was paradise. For the next few years I went back to Thailand for a few months each year but went to the east, usually Samui. I started going back in 2002 and went back to Phuket, which had commercialised significantly but was still lovely, I continued going for the next six or seven years and each year it had changed for the worst, until In 2010 I decided I would never go back. I’ve had reports from my friends of how it had become awful, overrun with Russians and the Russian mob, with the Thai police were worse than ever. The Thai police are the most corrupt I’ve ever met anywhere and are frightening to say the least. I am going back to Thailand next year, as I have family (Thai wife) and intend to go to Krabi after Bangkok. I’m just hopeful Krabi hasn’t been overrun with Russians by then. I fully intended to retire to Thailand but that is unlikely to happen now and I feel disgust at the Thai government for allowing this to happen but most of all I feel sorry for the Thai people, who’ve been betrayed by their own government, all for filthy roubles.

Omg, I’m moving to Phuket shortly to start a work contract. I’m going to be living in Kathu, and now I’m vaguely terrified. I’m black British, the Guardian has led me to believe Russians are not a fan of either. God preserve me and where the devil did I leave that Magnolia paint. 🙂

I just stumbled across this website tonight and have enjoyed reading the comments. Ive been to phuket four times 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2012.
My First three trips there were just awesome! thai culture, beaches the food atmosphere etc i didnt wana leave. However returning in 2012 i was like WAAAAAAAAAAAAT the FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK. Russians everywhere, massive malls and resorts built all over the place. It didnt feel good at all and was actually quite scarey.
Still enjoyed it tho I stayed in Phuket town. I would hate to think what its like now 2018. I dont have a desire to go back phuket.

Hi everyone,
Reading lots of Quora recently and stumbled upon the conversations here. There is no doubt that Phuket has changed. There is no doubt that Thailand has changed. No country stays the same. No country’s tourists stay the same. Every thing goes in cycles. All foreigners have no rights to complain about other foreigners in Thailand. You are a guest in Thailand. You are the foreigner. It is your responsibility to learn some basic Thai, smile, do the “wai” when saying thank you (palms together, hands just under or in front of your nose), take your shoes off if you see shoes outside etc. All nationalities have taken their turn as the ‘bad’ tourists, first it was the Japanese with their cameras and V for victory sign, then the British in Spain and Greece, the Australians in Bali, the Americans in Italy, the Chinese around the world and now it’s time for the Russians to take some heat. Having just returned from Kata and Karon (did not venture to the cess pit they call Patong) I can indeed state that there are plenty of Russians. However, the signs are in 3 languages, not, as someone reported only in Russian. There are menus in English, Russian and Chinese. Yes, there are Russian nationals sitting outside tour agencies and real estate agencies. Russians are on the beach, walking around and eating in restaurants, doing what tourists do. According to my hairdresser, Russians don’t want to learn to speak to you in Thai or English, only Russian. They don’t try to use translating apps like the Chinese do. As soon as they know you don’t speak Russian, they give up and move on. Reminds me of the English attitude and expecting the Spanish to speak English when they retire to Mallorca and Malaga. Yes, English is the lingua franca of the world, but you’re in Thailand, so learn a bit of Thai. Even if the accent is wrong and the intonation is bad, Thai people will appreciate your ‘farang’ attempt at their language in their country. Back in the day, when Thailand was my home for a year, Phuket was still Phuket. It had beaches, it had sand, it had clean waters, it had 5 star hotels, it had mangoes for sale, it had banana pancakes, it had unfinished pavements, it had foul smelling waterways and drains, particularly after a storm! The majority of tourists then, were Europeans, Australians, Singaporeans and Hong Kongers. Some of them didn’t smile, didn’t walk one abreast on the narrow pavements when an opposing couple were coming, demanded loud discounts, got drunk and stumbled around, forgot to take off their shoes at salons and spas, threw up in a taxi, took pictures where they weren’t supposed to, pointed their feet at buddha statues, touched monks and smoked when there were no smoking signs. It’s not a uniquely Russian problem. It’s a tourist problem. There just happens to be a majority of Russian tourists at the moment and for the last 8 to 10 years in Phuket. We have all contributed to the change of Phuket, just by going there and telling our friends who tell their friends and then the place changes. There will be more and more places to fall out of love with, the more we travel and think the destination is just for us and it should remain the way it was, when we first visited. This can never happen if countries want to develop their tourism industry, so accept that in this age of global tourism, you’re going to meet and live for two weeks with people from around the world. That’s modern tourism. If you love Thai food and that’s why I love Thailand then try Samui, which is more cosmopolitan. As I overheard a Danish woman say, all the Scandinavians are going to Krabi to escape the rude Russians, so maybe there. Personally, we didn’t find them any more annoying than any other nationality. If you’re still convinced Russians have ruined Phuket then try Indonesia’s beautiful islands. Visit our website https://only1invillage.com/uncategorized/top-10-things-to-do-in-java/ for tips on when to go, how to avoid taxi scams at the airport and what to see. Read about fascinating Java, Lombok, Lembongan, Penida and Bali. No Russians here, but on Bali, you’ll be surrounded by Australians.

Agreed, and whoever says otherwise in these comments is either making money off of Russian business or russians himself, especially Alex who commented here, o bet my left arm you are russian.
They contribute nothing to the culture and the government will wake up one day to take care of it and it wont be preety

Hey mate, I’m from Russia and I couldn’t agree more.
Have been staying in phuket for the past couple weeks and it feels like I’m in Sochi. Karon is more or less ok, but Patong is a total mess. Overall the place does not feel authentic at all.
I’ve been to Koh phangan for a week as well and it’s been much better. Planning to go back there soon

[…] In mid-2017, I traveled to Asia for the very first time for a one-month trip in Thailand and Cambodia (here’s the itinerary). The trip was an incredible experience, but there are some things I would’ve done differently. One of my biggest regrets was going to the island of Phuket. […]

Hi there. In my opinion, its not tourists that kill places, its local and national governments. If you dont regulate number of tourists, where and where not to build, make hotels everywhere, dont protect the local people then occurs what happened to Phuket, Mallorca, Ibiza and many other places.

We just returned from two weeks in Phuket. I had no idea that Phuket was not “little Russia”. I have been all over mainland Thailand and Krabi in the past. My BF and I needed a relaxing beach get away to reconnect and I fell in love with Thailand when I visited previously, so Phuket seemed a perfect spot. I was really disappointed by the influence of Russian culture (as you say- if I wanted to go to Russia, I would have gone to Russia). We even saw borscht on more than one menu! We spent our first week in Karon-Kata and thought we loved the beaches, the water, hiking in the jungle, and visiting various temples, I never dreamed that there would be aggressive competition for our business, something I did not experience in any way when in Thailand previously. I also noted a influx of things like shooting ranges- the sprituality of the country just wasn’t there. For then next leg of our vacation we went up North. The beaches weren’t as white- but the water was lovely, the street vendors were legitimate, and the people were the happy, spiritual Thai people I remembered. I still am in love with Thailand, including Phuket, but next time will visit the mainland instead.

I can’t disagree with most of what you say here, except for the bit about kebabs. It seems to me that kebabs are one of the most expensive street foods in Thailand. The 100 baht price you quoted is not anything out of the ordinary. Perfectly ordinary kebab stands in Bangkok (ie nothing obviously scammy), charge this rate. In fact, I have never seen a kebab sold for the quoted price of 50 baht. Maybe because kebabs are something clearly aimed for the foreign tourist market? Also that the target market comes from rich countries (Gulf tourists) and these tourists are structurally limited in what they can eat, due to dietary requirements?

I have been going to. Thailand since 1972 when I was first stationed there and it has been ruined the minute Gen M found it , it went downhill. Overbearing young guys with little money and big attitudes, Russians and Koreans acting boorish and rude (their spoiled kids even worse). Thailand was a sleepy little paradise now its has been turned into a snobby I ll act rich though I am not destination.

I was just in Phuket, and the difference between pre and post COVID is staggering to say the least.. I managed to book a seaside resort room at Kata for a ridiculously cheap rate, stupid cheap, and even then I was the only one staying there, same with the beach, no one there aside from a few expats doing the morning stroll. Everything was boarded up, 7’s closed, no where to eat… the only place close was a noodle stand and some Auntie doing krapow or hmoo gob and rice and that was 4-5 minutes by motorbike on the main drag going into Kata. A far cry from where I was first there over 7 years ago, and the place was heaving, bars going all night, tuk tuks everywhere, never escaping the doof doof kick drum anywhere.
I’ve been living in Chiang Mai for 7 years now, and it’s a shadow of itself as well, although nowhere like Phuket or Pattaya.
That was a mother thing about Phuket that got to me, signs everywhere, it seemed, either in Cyrillic or simplified Chinese, rather than Thai, I think the only place I really got away from it was in Old Phuket.. It tells you how a place has developed when I would go in to say, a 7 or Big C and speak Thai to the staff, some looked either shocked or returned speaking very good English, try that in Chiang Mai, you’d just get a blank stare or weak nervous smile…
For all the lack of tourists, the prices didn’t seem that cheap aside from the ludicrously cheap beachside room I booked at Kata, and even then I was the only one there.
Motorbike hire 300 baht a day..
Everywhere was bolted shut in Kata, Karon, Patong and Kamala beaches, everywhere looked a wasteland and deserted .. I think I got one come from a massage girl along the beach drag at Patong, otherwise closed up, out of the 7’s were gone as well, which is a daunting sign, I only know of one that closed in Chiang Mai, near Thapae gate.
The disturbing thing to me is more that so many invested so much into the tourism thing in Phuket, Samui and Pattaya and are now destitute or homeless, a lot will have gone home and hope to wait it out, but all those shops, restaurants even food salengs are idle, as are the masses of taxis and songthaews. When I flew in and got out of the airport, of course the minivan wasn’t running, “maybe in three hours or so” and they tried to hit me up for 700 to go to Kata.. Taxi mafia trying it on so I asked this Somchai looking hopeful, if he’d take a 1000, there and back, and snagged a ride with him in his new ute. He didn’t care that the might have a problem later with the mafia, he needed money, end of story and was grateful to get what he could. Smart guy, when he picked me up to go to the airport, he had his small daughter with him, of course I had to give him a big tip for “nong noi” … I didn’t mind he was a decent bloke.
In saying all this, my Thai wife and I are leaving Chiang Mai, we’ve had enough of the four months of the year being unbreathable air from the local burning and the break neck speed of development here, the General vowed to make CM the Bangkok of the North , and it’s well own it’s way.. We are going south, probably somewhere between Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan… Phuket is not on the cards at all, although we may visit again before the hordes come back, I reckon at least another 18 months, although the General is adamant of open earlier by vaccinating Phuket island first and making it a travel bubble, he’s dreaming, he really is…

Stay well guys!