Phuket Blog 2026

The AURA blog about Phuket: beaches, island trips, prices and trip budget, weather month by month, travelling with kids and the property market.

• Best Phuket tours 2026: islands, elephants, yachts and adrenaline — Top Phuket tours for 2026: Phi Phi and James Bond, ethical elephant sanctuaries, Racha and Coral, jet-ski safaris and sunset yachts. What to pick.
• Phuket property investment 2026: yields, formats, risks — Phuket property market 2026: rental yields, freehold for foreigners, ready apartments and villas, legal support and how to assess a unit.
• Phuket with kids 2026: beaches, stays, healthcare, logistics — A 2026 family guide to Phuket: safe beaches, villas with pools, kids’ food, a 24/7 house-call doctor, insurance and easy transfers.
• Phuket beaches 2026: which one to pick for fun, family or quiet — A 2026 guide to Phuket beaches: Patong, Kata, Karon, Bang Tao, Surin, Kamala, Nai Harn, Naithon and Freedom. Who each suits, where it is quiet, where waves are and how to read the flags.
• What a Phuket trip costs in 2026: real prices and a week’s budget — Phuket prices in 2026: stays, food, transport, tours, connectivity and massage. Three ready weekly budgets — budget, comfort and premium — plus how to save without losing quality.
• When to visit Phuket: month-by-month weather and 2026 seasons — Phuket weather month by month in 2026: high and green season, rain, sea and swell, prices and crowds. Which month suits beaches, diving, saving money or travelling with kids.
• Yacht charter in Phuket 2026: motorboat, sailboat or catamaran — how to choose — A guide to chartering a yacht in Phuket: day boat vs sailing yacht vs catamaran, what is included in the price, which islands you can reach, and how not to overpay.
• Spa and Thai massage in Phuket 2026: how to pick a salon without overpaying — The real difference between a budget massage salon and a hotel spa, actual Phuket price bands, which massage styles to pick, and what to check before choosing a place.
• Diving in Phuket for beginners 2026: prices, dive sites and certification — What a first dive on Phuket costs, how a trial dive differs from an Open Water course, where beginners should go, and what is included in the price.
• A wedding in Phuket 2026: formats, cost and how to plan it — What a wedding ceremony in Phuket costs — from a minimalist beach format to a traditional Thai ceremony — what a planner’s package includes, and how to pick a venue.
• Travel medical insurance for Thailand 2026: how to buy it and what it covers — Why you need medical insurance in Phuket, what coverage amount to choose, what a policy absolutely must include, and what to do if you actually need care.
• Villa or condo in Phuket 2026: what to choose for living and for investment — Villa vs condominium in Phuket: rental and upkeep cost, privacy versus service, what rents out better, and what suits full-time living.
• Phuket for remote work 2026: coworking, housing and cost of living — What to know before moving to Phuket to work remotely: internet and coworking, real cost of living, where to live, and which visa routes to look at.
• VIP concierge in Phuket 2026: airport Fast Track and what actually saves time — What a personal concierge service in Phuket actually covers, how legitimate airport Fast Track works, and how it differs from questionable offers online.
• A website and business automation in Phuket 2026: what it actually costs — What it costs to build a website or AI agent for a business in Phuket, how process automation helps a small business, and what to check when picking a contractor.
• Home cleaning and maintenance in Phuket 2026: cost and how often you need it — What cleaning and AC servicing cost in Phuket, how often a villa needs maintenance in a tropical climate, and what to check when choosing a provider.
• Where to eat in Phuket 2026: a guide by area and cuisine — How to pick a restaurant in Phuket by area, cuisine and budget — from street food to fine dining, and why area matters as much as the star rating.
• Healthcare in Phuket 2026: clinics, house-call doctors and dental care — How healthcare works in Phuket for tourists and residents: private clinics versus public hospitals, house-call doctors, and what to know about medical tourism and dental care.
• Muay Thai in Phuket 2026: drop-in sessions and camps for beginners — What a Muay Thai session in Phuket costs, how a drop-in class differs from a training camp, and how to pick a gym if you have never trained Thai boxing before.
• Fishing in Phuket 2026: sunrise tours and deep-sea charters — Sea fishing formats in Phuket — from a budget sunrise tour to a private charter, what you can actually catch in the Andaman Sea, and what it costs.
• ATVs and jungle safari in Phuket 2026: what to bring — What an ATV jungle ride in Phuket looks like, what a combo tour with rafting and elephants usually includes, and what to wear so you do not regret it afterwards.
• A Thai driving licence 2026: how to get one in Phuket — Why get a Thai driving licence if you already have an international one, what the test requires, and what help with the paperwork costs in Phuket.
• Kitesurfing in Phuket 2026: wind season and where to learn — When the wind blows for kitesurfing in Phuket, what certified instruction costs, and why the island is trickier for beginners than other Thai kite spots.
• Golf in Phuket 2026: the island’s best courses and green fee prices — Phuket is one of Southeast Asia’s best golf destinations: here are the island’s well-known courses, real green fee prices, and what to check when booking a tee time.
• Active group leisure in Phuket 2026: karting, airsoft and more — What to do with a large group on Phuket beyond the beach: karting, airsoft, trampoline parks and other active-leisure formats that work in any weather.
• Freehold vs leasehold in Phuket 2026: how a foreigner can buy property — The difference between freehold and leasehold in Thailand, why a foreigner cannot own land directly, and how the 49% condominium foreign-ownership quota works.
• Best areas to live in Phuket 2026: Rawai, Chalong, Bang Tao, Patong — Phuket’s areas broken down by lifestyle: where it is calm and family-friendly, where the nightlife and tourists are, where the infrastructure suits long-term residents.
• International schools in Phuket 2026: curricula and tuition costs — What international school tuition costs in Phuket, which curricula local schools follow, and what to check when choosing one before relocating with kids.
• A Thai bank account in 2026: what you need to open one — What visa you need to open a Thai bank account, what documents are required, and why it cannot be done remotely.
• Scenic flights over Phuket 2026: an island view from above — What a scenic plane flight over Phuket looks like, what you can see from above, and what it costs to see the archipelago in a way no beach ever will.
• Songkran and Loy Krathong in Phuket 2026: when and how they are celebrated — The dates and meaning of Thailand’s two biggest festivals, how Phuket’s version differs from Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and what a visitor should know before travelling.
• Surfing in Phuket 2026: season, beaches and schools — Why Phuket’s surf season runs on the monsoon from May to October, which beach suits a beginner versus an experienced surfer, and what to look for in a surf school.
• Similan Islands from Phuket 2026: season, prices and what to bring — When the Similan Islands national park is open, how an early-bird tour differs from the standard one, and how much a day on one of Thailand’s cleanest archipelagos costs.
• James Bond Island 2026: how to get there and what to see — How the famous Khao Phing Kan rock from a James Bond film became the icon of Phang Nga Bay, and how to plan a trip there from Phuket.
• Ethical elephant sanctuary in Phuket 2026: no riding — How a no-riding sanctuary differs from a classic elephant camp, what actually happens on a bathing-and-feeding programme, and how to spot a genuinely ethical project.
• ED student visa in Phuket 2026: how to get one and why — What an ED student visa is, how it differs from a tourist visa, who can get one through a language school, and what full support actually includes.
• Visa extension in Phuket 2026: the 90-day report and the 30-day extension — How the 90-day report differs from a visa extension, how much a 30-day extension costs, and what happens if you miss the deadline — explained without the legal jargon.
• A private chef at your Phuket villa in 2026: how it works — Why book a private chef at your villa instead of a restaurant, what a typical dinner with a private chef looks like, and what to check before booking — from the menu to kitchen equipment.
• Villa and pool maintenance in Phuket 2026: what you actually need — Which household services are actually worth paying for on a long-term rental in Phuket — from deep aircon cleaning to regular housekeeping — and what they really cost.
• Christmas and New Year in Phuket 2026: how the island celebrates — How an island with no Christmas tradition of its own celebrates the year’s end, where to find a festive dinner, and why December in Phuket is also peak high season.
• Yoga retreats in Phuket 2026: how to choose the right format — How a multi-day retreat differs from drop-in classes, what practice formats you will find on the island, and what to check before paying for a programme.
• Phuket night markets 2026: Lard Yai, Chillva and Naka — How the Sunday market in Phuket Town differs from the shipping-container Chillva and the huge Naka market, which days they run, and what to try at each.