With 17 beach clubs and 19 rooftop bars, Phuket maintains its reputation as a buzzy nightlife destination appealing to young adult and LGBTQIA+ travelers. However, those more interested in sophisticated scenes or experiences reflecting Southern Thailand’s character will also find plenty to their liking.

PHOTO:
© ELYSE GLICKMAN

Night markets always succeed as a go-to for jump-starting an evening or vacation, and Phuket boasts 10 of them, starting around 5 p.m. The Sunday-only Phuket Town Sunday Walking Street Market is regarded as the definitive local market thanks to its historic Sino-Portuguese backdrop. The Bangla Walking Street in Patong offers another nice option, with its lively array of cafés interspersed with late-night shopping. Kata Night Market and Patong’s Malin Plaza Market operate daily, while Karon Temple Market runs Tuesday and Friday nights.

Although it is often said the best bites come from small, family- owned businesses, Phuket also offers upscale restaurants with beautifully plated dishes and stylish backdrops ideal for date nights or gatherings with business associates. In Patong Beach, The Surface Restaurant & Bar on La Flora Resort & Spa’s rooftop provides a front-row seat to Andaman Sea views and sunsets, along with a creative menu of Eastern and Western influences, a 40-plus selection wine list and impressive zero-proof cocktails.

Other places following a similar formula include the intimate Baba Nest at Sri Panwa Resort (noted for its Baba Lychee cocktail and zero-proof drinks) and speakeasy-inspired The Library Phuket and Dibuk House. Zimplex Mixology Laboratory, a modern counterpart to those two bars, features bartenders sporting lab coats and mixing complex cocktails and shots with laboratory equipment. Quip Sky Bar, Phuket Town’s first rooftop club atop a hotel, boasts playful signature cocktails, a lobster- heavy menu, and a lounge encircled with an ornamental pond and hammock-style seating.

Located 90 minutes north by car, Khao Lak offers a quieter destination said to harken back to the Phuket of a few decades ago. Here, several Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated restaurants amaze both ambience- driven diners and Thai cuisine purists. Nai Muang Khao Lak is an indoor-outdoor establishment with festive boho-chic artwork and an easy-to-read menu highlighting its Michelin Guide winners such as yellow curry with pork and nitta beans. Spicy dishes abound at Baan Khao Lak Seafood, including deep-fried mullet fish with turmeric, and spicy shrimp salad coconut milk soup with miang vegetables.

The 69-room Devasom Khao Lak Beach Resort & Villas proves an evocative destination with an aesthetic inspired by the Spice Road in the sixth and seventh centuries. Menus at Takola, its three-time Michelin Bib Gourmand white tablecloth restaurant, shine with Southern Thai spins on pan-Thailand favorites such as gaeng pu bai cha-phlu (crab meat in curry) and gaeng massaman with chicken (a massaman peanut curry with coconut milk) with roti.