Мой полтинник на Пхукете My fifty dollars in Phuket

I really liked Kata Pool Side Hotel. Close to the beach. For a 3 star it's just perfect: great rooms, friendly staff. The hotel restaurant is good for breakfast. I don't recommend dining there. Had dinner there twice and was "disappointed". Kata beach is full of all sorts of restaurants. I liked the most "price / quality" restaurant MAI THAI, five minutes from the hotel towards Kata Noi beach.
I went from tour operator Pegasus. Upon arrival at Phuket, he was met by a representative of Pegasus, a young man of slender build. Let's intimidate right away:
- do not ride bikes - police, huge fines;
- order excursions only from Pegasus, otherwise the Thais will be deceived;
- don’t buy kebabs and other culinary delights from the stalls, they will poison you, etc…

In general, from his words it turned out that I should sit in a hotel, swim in the pool and go on excursions only with Pegasus. After such a lecture, as a sign of protest, I immediately wanted to get drunk on kebabs from the tray, although before that I didn’t seem to be going to do this.
Crochet, specifically for the rest.
My vacation time is November-December. Air: hot, but not stuffy. Humidity is low. Kata Beach is the open Adaman Sea, and the water is calm like in a lake. Transparency - even a ruble is visible at a depth of 30 meters. The sea and the beach are clean. However Kata-Noi and Karen are the same.
On excursions. Quietly take excursions on the street from the Thais. They cost less than Pegasovskih times in two. If you take several excursions, then feel free to bargain. Thais will drop the price by 20-40 percent or some real bonus will be forfeited. Nobody will deceive you. There is no such thing in the tourism industry. And the Thais are cool people. Representatives of the Celestial Empire lose to them in many ways. At the appointed time, they will pick you up, take you, bring you back, and feed you. Of course, they love money, but a good result is more important for them than money at any cost. The only thing you should pay attention to is that the tours are conducted by a Russian-speaking guide. Well, if everything is fine with English, then in general “on the green”.

By cost. Everything is about the same as in Russia. Well, what to do, Phuket is a resort island and prices are resort there. Taxis there are even more expensive than in Russia. You can’t catch a private trader, they are afraid of the “taxi driver mafia”. And public transport (buses) only work until 6 pm . . In my opinion, the local administration with taxi drivers in the share. To move around the island and get additional impressions, I recommend renting a bike. Cost 250 baht = 250 rubles. per day. You can also have a car, but it is much more expensive and the roads on the island are mostly two-lane. There are few parking spaces. Do not forget!! ! Driving on the left!! ! If you drive no more than 40 km / h and do not thump behind the wheel, then there should be no problems. I got the impression that the locals, incl. and the police are most concerned not with the presence of international rights of category “A”, but with the fact that the tourist has a good rest and “does not get into trouble”. Therefore, if you ride in a helmet and do not wear it, then no one cares about you - enjoy your vacation. By the way, the bike can be safely left on the street. Nobody steals there.
I was impressed with the toilets in Phuket. Whatever eatery you go to, there are toilets everywhere. All toilets are clean, without unpleasant odors and all with decent plumbing, with toilet paper, with liquid soap. Oddly enough, the only paid toilet that I came across in Phuket turned out to be the dirtiest.
Vacationing on this island is great. I advise.

Vitaly