Introduction to Phuket

The beautiful island of Phuket lies in the crystal clear waters of the Andaman Sea, off the west coast of southern Thailand.  At approximately the same size as Singapore, Phuket is the largest, the wealthiest and the most popular island in Thailand, with an abundance of fantastic scenery and a first class infrastructure.

Phuket has for many years been at the centre of Thailand’s tourist industry and every year around three million holiday makers from all over the globe flock to the island to enjoy the pristine beaches, excellent diving and some of the world’s finest resorts and spas.

The best beaches and the majority of the holiday resorts are located on the west coast of the island - this area has also enjoyed the largest investment in infrastructure and offers the best services and facilities on the island.  Although devastated by the 2004 tsunami, the west coast has now fully recovered from the disaster, with the local infrastructure now firmly back in place and world class resorts and facilities opening on a regular basis.

The east coast of the island has fewer sandy beaches and less in the way of infrastructure, while the interior is mostly lush and mountainous.  In addition to tourism, the island’s main industries consist of rice paddies and rubber, coconut and pineapple plantations, which can be found dotted around the surrounding lowlands.

Although Phuket is around 900 kilometres south of Bangkok, the island enjoys excellent transport links, with an international airport servicing numerous domestic routes as well as international connections to regional and European destinations.  The island is connected to the Thai mainland by the Sarasin Bridge and there are frequent daily bus services from Bangkok and other major cities around Thailand.

The excellent facilities and services available, coupled with the high quality of life on offer, has established Phuket as a very popular choice with foreign property buyers.  The island enjoys some of the highest quality investment and development to be found anywhere in Thailand and numerous luxurious developments dot the island, offering buyers a wide range of quality properties, from beachfront condominiums to luxury state of the art villas.

There are few locations in Thailand that can match the combination of Phuket’s stunning natural beauty and excellent infrastructure.  The island is expected to continue to prosper and remain at the forefront of the Asian tourism and property markets for the foreseeable future, and beyond.

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