Drive from Chiang Mai to Phuket (Part 2)

Fueled with the excitement of our destination, we checked out of Talay Hotel and Villa at 5.30am (who in the right mind does that?). Though the early morning, we went on to drive for hours without any stops, other than the occasional toilet breaks. From Chiang Mai to Phuket, here we go!

At lunch time, we were at the province of Chai Ya, and we visited a popular cafe over there called The Loft.

We had the Cashew Nut Chicken rice and Baked Pasta, and spent around 300 baht. Even though slightly pricy, the quality of the food makes up for it. We highly recommend their Cashew Nut Chicken.

Trying to avoid driving at night, we left soon after we had our food, and drove the remaining 4 hours till we reached our destination. We are still enjoying our drive from Chiang Mai to Phuket!

The transport infrastructure in Phuket is very developed and we enjoyed the drive through the island to the southern part of Phuket, where we arrived at our first destination. We chose Baan Krating Resort for its private beach and serene environment. It’s the perfect beach for snorkelling, with the corals situated so close by to the shoreline, and it’s relatively well-protected flora and fauna. Towards the end of the drive, we had to navigate our way through narrow roads in the forest before we can reach the resort. Even though the narrow roads can be quite a put-off, but the destination and experience are definitely worth it.

We arrived in our room at 6pm, with just enough time to go for a short dip in the beach before sundown. The drive was adventurous and fun, but also tiring, so we decided to rest earlier for the night. As we continued our holidays here in the next few days, we grow in thankfulness of our decision to drive. Having our own car to travel around the island is way more fun! We save car rental costs, and we drive with less stress of causing damage to the car. In the grand scheme of things, we also saved on expensive flight and additional luggage cost.

It’s definitely worth it to make a drive down especially if you are staying for a longer period of time in Phuket, and that you enjoy the adventure of a long drive! So, if you are still considering if this option is for you, use these factors to help you make a decision: Length of holiday in Phuket, how many drivers are you travelling with to take turns, interest level in an adventurous road trip across Thailand, and confidence in your own driving skills. The roads are not hard to drive at all, but the long hours can stretch the focus of any seasoned driver, so it’s good to have at least a buddy to share the driving!

Here you go! We’re done here with sharing about our experience driving 1,500 KM across Thailand. We hope that this can give you some context if you do plan to make similar plans. To read more about our stay in Baan Krating Resort, My Beach Phuket, and many other fun experiences we have, check out our full itinerary here!

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