Asian hotspot: Phuket

by | Aug 15, 2017 | Aug - Sept 2017, Phuket

Once a backpacker haven with dazzling beaches and cheap food, Phuket has been a fixture on Asia’s tourist trail for decades.

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”10″][vc_custom_heading text=”Benny’s American Bar & Grill”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-page”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
Once a backpacker haven with dazzling beaches and cheap food, Phuket has been a fixture on Asia’s tourist trail for decades. Today, its many high-end villas and luxury hotels are attracting new travellers in search of fine food, great cocktails and new experiences. Here’s a look at what’s new for visitors to Phuket.

 Catch Beach Club by Twinpalms on Bangtao beach

Catch Beach Club by Twinpalms on Bangtao beach

EAT

An eccentric newcomer to Phuket’s restaurant scene is HOME Kitchen, Bar & Bed, just north of Patong in a hangar sized space cleverly renovated by the new owners, the Underwood family, into an intimate restaurant with waterfront views, warm lighting, cosy couches and quirky home fixtures. HOME doubles as an art space with an upstairs gallery featuring local artists, while dishing up international cuisine like Wagyu steaks, chocolate lava cake and signature cocktails. Go on Tuesday evening to dine at the chef’s table with a set menu under 1,000 baht. If you appreciate their decor, check out the Underwood’s design studio located near IKEA in the centre of the island.

Couples seeking a more romantic night should try Benny’s American Bar & Grill, located on a quiet road between Surin and Bangtao near the luxurious Amanpuri resort. This hotspot serving up excellent cocktails, ribs and other casual fare was founded by longtime Phuket resident Benedikt De Bellis, an Italian who earned his chops among Phuket expats by managing established icons like Catch Beach Club and Siam Supper Club.

Subscribe to the latest edition now by clicking here.

 

If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on World Travel Magazine, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

And if you liked this story, subscribe to our bi-monthly World Travel Magazine, a handpicked selection of editorial features and stories from Global Destinations, Inspire Me, Insider, Style File, Wellness & Travel, City Travel, Suite Life, At Leisure, Short Breaks and much more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Tags :Thailand

World Travel Magazine Edition

Newsletter

Where to Go for Diwali 2026: Five Advisors Answer

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November. Five advisors on where their best clients are spending the festive week, what they booked, and why it was done in July.

From Dubai, Watching India Outgrow the Room

From a Dubai vantage point, the Editor-in-Chief on how Indian and Southeast Asian travellers quietly became the most fluent guests in the room.

Saudi Red Sea Resorts 2026: What’s Open and When to Go

Eleven resorts open, a dozen more coming. World Travel Magazine’s honest audit of Saudi’s Red Sea: what’s open, what’s still rendering, and exactly when to go.

Unmapped: The Coast That Hasn’t Decided What It Is

Somewhere in Southeast Asia right now, a shoreline is having the conversation Phuket had thirty years ago. Christine Lee went to Sumba’s west coast to listen.

7 Luxury Trips to Book Now for October to January

This is the page World Travel Magazine keeps for the...

Five Things That Died This Summer

Some things deserve to die. Not people. Formats. This...

Luxury Travel’s Next Trend: From Access to Authorship

TAKEOFF: THE SEASON OF MAKING. For two decades the...

Yucatán Haciendas and the Buried Feast of Pib

The Slow Table of the Yucatán. It begins with a hole in...

Perito Moreno Glacier and Argentine Patagonia’s Asado

The Glacier Calves While the Lamb Turns. The first sound...

Sri Lanka Leopard Safari: The Luxury Camps Insiders Book

The Leopard Hour. Everyone who loves this island keeps the...

Related Articles