Blessed with cultural diversity, palm-fringed coves and balmy weather all year, Phuket attracts people in large numbers. Yet it’s not only vacationers who come for the sun, sand and sea. A growing community of digital nomads is discovering that the island is a full-on liveable resort, ideal for a workcation. A tourist visa in Thailand allows for an initial stay of 60 days, which can be extended for an additional 30 days at the discretion of an immigration officer. Aside from a reasonable cost of living, Phuket offers anything under the sun. Scrumptious food is available at every bend, and a dazzling array of organized co-working spaces helps you stay productive. Looking to blur the lines between work and a holiday? No sweat – laptop in and pack your bags. Here are the best places to find some beach and work balance in Phuket.
1. View Cafe
Fresh forest air, earth scents, and roaming hens prelude the calm as you approach View Cafe. Located on a hilltop away from the clamor of traffic, it offers bird’s-eye views of Chalong Bay, Koh Lon and Coral Island. Sitting in the spacious garden restaurant, you’ll hear a mix of songs from gray-winged blackbirds, Richard Freeman’s jazz tunes warbling softly, and the cicadas’ faint “beeeeeeeeep” in the distance. Interior-wise, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an eccentric jumble of rattan chairs, marble tables and silvery chandeliers reflecting in mirrors reminiscent of a hair salon. Exposed to nature amid torch lilies, monstera leaves, and bromeliads with rosettes of fleshy pink leaves, this is the perfect place to relax with a cup of joe.
2. Flamingo Restaurant & Bar
Snuggled into the bay of Ao Yon near Cape Panwa, Flamingo boasts the only beachfront co-working space on the island. Walk up the ligneous stairs along hemp ropes, and you’ll find the office kitted out with a printer, scanner, two computers and Internet working at lightning speed. Just as outstanding are Flamingo’s design values, from bamboo-woven lanterns and Burmese ironwood tables to cushioned rattan and leathered chairs. Want to lap up that swanky lounge vibe, listening to Manu Chao’s Me Gustas Tú with a mojito in hand? Slump into a beanbag amid swaying coco palms and evergreen brush cherry shrubs, or repose steps away from ocean waves rolling gently up the sand.
3. Courtyard by Marriott
Planted in the heart of Old Phuket Town near banks and the colorful mansions, Courtyard Phuket Town sits in a prime location. While anything in the city is within walking distance, there’s no need to leave Courtyard at all. You could spend the whole day at Kolae Pool Bar churning out copy at the work desk or meet business partners in the function spaces. The rustic-chic Talung Lounge, one of the hotel’s three restaurants, serves light meals and yummy salmon. They’re actually over-delivering the Courtyard here, as hotels in the Select tier usually have only one restaurant. Need some work-health balance? Chase the runner’s high on the gym’s treadmills and enjoy this fab workcation launchpad.
4. Hom Cafe
Keen to experience Thainess? The 39-year-old architect Berm runs Hom Cafe with his wife, who has a bakery background. From the second-hand timber façade you could easily mistake for brickwork down to the tiniest detail like the timber tray and golden spoon, Berm has given everything a personal touch. “Signature coffee with brown sugar jelly – only at Hom Cafe” is his specialty, while his wife creates out-of-this-world Thai desserts. Devouring bua loy, chewy balls made with rice flour, sweet potato, and pandan leaves stewed in homemade coconut milk, you’d make Winnie-the-Pooh envious in an instant. Hiding in the Choerngthale area on the way to Layan Beach amid mango, durian, and coconut trees, Hom Cafe is a rare find.
5. Saphan Hin Park
Saphan Hin Park, three kilometers southeast of Old Phuket Town, is a pleasant spot to wind down during off-hours or in the morning. If you arrive before noon, you’ll have the numerous copper benches lining the seaside walkway almost to yourself. They overlook Koh Sire and come with a backdrop of fragrant pines and frangipani. A nature retreat to gather your thoughts while blackbirds sing, Saphan Hin morphs into a lively get-together come late afternoon, with picnicking people and woodball players on the lawn. Complete with a tractor swing, exercise park, and Kio Thian Keng Shrine – where the gods go back to heaven on the final night of the Vegetarian Festival – this is a recreational haven you’ll want to visit.
6. Phuketique Coffee Bar
Phuketique is an old Phuket-style coffee bar with a chatty, somewhat speakeasy atmosphere. With its blue façade, it blends well with the Sino-colonial mansions surrounding it. Yui opened Phuketique in July 2013, and has grown fast in popularity. “We’re tiny, but we have products that people like.” Sizzling sounds and sweet smells of burned butter toast, the waitress Joy taking food orders, and a mixed crowd of Thais and foreigners sitting and standing between teak timber and oak furniture or on the pavement – it all happens within a few square meters. Open from 11am to 10pm daily except on Tuesdays, Phuketique is a great off-hour hangout with positive vibes and more space coming soon next door.
7. Kim’s Massage
Kicking back at a spa after work is a life-saver. Kidding aside, they treat you like royalty at Kim’s Massage, steps from Phuketique. Enter the eucalyptus-scented, air-conditioned room, and you’ll instantly relax in a leather armchair. Patting your face with a refreshing lemongrass-fragranced towel, enjoying a chilled pandan drink, you’ll notice Chinese craftsmanship. Black polished marble floors, rattan chairs, and reddish-brown mahogany furnishings add to the outward appeal. Yet the massages top it all. Whether you climb the carpeted stairs for an aromatic oil massage or let the therapist rub and knead your feet in the garden – you’ll come away with recharged batteries.
Ready for a getaway to Phuket? Fly directly to Phuket with Thai Airways and Thai Smile Airways.
