Is Phuket safe?

[fleetz]

We are booked to come to Phuket in late June. The Australian government have travel advisory on Phuket and other parts of Thailand.

What is the current situation there as far a safety and travelling around. I know the Thai goverment have been very proactive in containing the Muslim insurgents but what is the general feel of the place.

What can you do and what should you do from travelling around Phuket? I was thinking of hiring a car but the advisory warns against travelling on the roads.

Look forward to peoples comments especially who just have been there.

Cherrs,

Fleetz

[CJE]

Originally Posted by fleetz

We are booked to come to Phuket in late June. The Australian government have travel advisory on Phuket and other parts of Thailand.

What is the current situation there as far a safety and travelling around. I know the Thai goverment have been very proactive in containing the Muslim insurgents but what is the general feel of the place.

What can you do and what should you do from travelling around Phuket? I was thinking of hiring a car but the advisory warns against travelling on the roads.

Look forward to peoples comments especially who just have been there.

Cherrs,

Fleetz

Have lived in Asia for 15 years - Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. I find that most governments and media want to sensationalize the news and make things seem worse than they are. I have been going to Thailand for 20 years and must say that I have NEVER experienced a problem. I went to Bali for many years and feel the same way in spite of the past bombing. I am going to LOS in 2 days for another trip. You should not have a problem with hiring a car and enjoying the roads. I will send another report after the trip but use your common sense when travelling. If you do you should not have any problems. Hope you enjoy your trip

[fleetz]

Originally Posted by CJE

Have lived in Asia for 15 years - Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. I find that most governments and media want to sensationalize the news and make things seem worse than they are. I have been going to Thailand for 20 years and must say that I have NEVER experienced a problem. I went to Bali for many years and feel the same way in spite of the past bombing. I am going to LOS in 2 days for another trip. You should not have a problem with hiring a car and enjoying the roads. I will send another report after the trip but use your common sense when travelling. If you do you should not have any problems. Hope you enjoy your trip

Thanks for that look forward to hearing back after your trip

Regards,

Fleetz

[stevem]

The Oz government issue travel advisories at the drop of a hat, as they got caught out by the unfortunate Bali incident. Phuket is as safe as anywhere, go and enjoy yourself.

[river]

Stay off the motorbikes and it's as safe as back home otherwise you probably have a 50% survival chance less if you're a drinker.

[Jaws]

The Australian Government is just covering it's ass after the **** up with Bali.

[eric-the-viking]

is it safe ?
hmmm NO its full of man eaters hmmmmmm yummy

[andy50]

i hired a big bike, a cruiser,and rode around,the island,no probs, but I'm an experienced biker,ive ridden a m/cycle most of my life here in the UK,.its unwise (imho)to hire a bike in Thailand if your not familiar with riding them,if you do hire one its very unlikely that you will be covered by your trav insurance, so i would advise to get a separate insurance to cover yourself just in case!- better still hire one of those bl**dy great jeeps !

[Jack]

What's all this tosh and nonsense about Phuket being safe?

We never lock our door. Actually the island is the safest place that I have ever been stationed.

The above doesn't apply to moter cycle riders. In fact, I gave that up a few years ago after seeing all the bodies and parts arriving below my window when billeted in a Phuket Town hospital.

[Paddy]

Hire a car for a few days. It's safer! Plus you get to see so much more of the beautiful island. The girls love a day out in the car as well, so take at least one with you. They'll show you all the nice, quiet beaches and great places to stop and eat.

[stevem]

Originally Posted by Jack

What's all this tosh and nonsense about Phuket being safe?

I dont see where anyone has said that it wasnt safe, only some tongue in cheek remarks about motorbikes and the girls.

[butterflyblonde]

Originally Posted by andy50

i hired a big bike, a cruiser,and rode around,the island,no probs, but I'm an experienced biker,ive ridden a m/cycle most of my life here in the UK,.its unwise (imho)to hire a bike in Thailand if your not familiar with riding them,if you do hire one its very unlikely that you will be covered by your trav insurance, so i would advise to get a separate insurance to cover yourself just in case!- better still hire one of those bl**dy great jeeps !

Dont think just because you are experienced in your own country , that it will make you safer than anyone else , a guy i know who runs a bar in patong told me not long ago one of his best friends died in phuket , this guy was a professional , used to race ducatti's and had done so for more than a decade , im not experienced in the UK on bikes but i think i (maybe)as safe as you (in thailand) due to the fact i have very good knowledge of how the thai's drive and i think im probably better there then here , the main skill is to anticpation of what the others around you are thinking and doing (not easy where thai drivers are concerned) Im not saying i aint gonna have an accident though as it can catch us all out at any time , personally i stick to some common sense rules , i only hire the small 125cc bikes because you dont need something big (waste of time given the amount of traffic in your way) take it slow , take it easy , avoid night drivind whenever possible due to the crazyness of thai's at night (no lights , increase in speed etcc...) and NEVER drink ...ever ,
however i do agree that hiring a jeep is going to be a lot safer all round
ps..dont think im disrespecting your obvious skills and knowledge gained over many years riding , its just to point out nobody is exempt from accidents in a country where driving skills/tuition seem non existent

[andy50]

i agree with your post,bfb,i went out with a bar girl in karon, she asked me if i wanted to go to town ,but i couldnt go, im glad i didnt, when i saw her that evening, she told me of a fatal crash between 2 m/cycles that happened right near to her ,the thing about hiring the shadow though-i asked the g/f to go hire a bike, so off she trotts, half an hour later she returns back ,with a 50cc moped!-well i weigh about 18 stone, and sheis quite big as well, so off we go ,her in charge,me on the back,we got to that steep hill on our way to karon, and the blo*dy thing expired half way up !!i ended up walking a fair way ,so the next day i hired the biggest bike they had !

[eric-the-viking]

When i was a kid (yes i know thats a long way back so dont remind me)
i used to ride trial bikes etc, i have been driving cars ,vans & trucks etc for 19 years ,
But when im In LOS , i NEVER hire a self drive vehicle, i will always let some one else drive or i will do a deal with a tuk tuk or motorcycle taxi,
main reasons
1)i can have a drink
2)i can see the passing country side
and
3)i do not have to take the risk of learning to drive Thai style
ok call me a girly coward but im still here and for what the cost is to hire a tuk tuk for the day compared to all the hassle of hiring a motor and agro if you so much as scratch it ,for me its worth it

[mikegb]

Every tour of duty I have ALWAYS hired a motorbike. I hired a moped once, because my friend wasnt experienced on them, and thought we would go around together at the same speed. NEVER again. The mopeds are bloody dangerous. You dont have the power to get yourself OUT of trouble.

I totally agree that driving in the towns is like the Wacky Races. I have done it many times, and you have to have eyes in the back of your head, but some of the best days i have ever had in Thailand have revolved around getting out of the towns and exploring the country. I have done this in Phuket, Pattaya, Samui and Chiang Mai. The smells and scenery are fantstic, plus you get that lovely warm wind brushing across your face. Added with this you have somebody wrapped around you who you have just been fcuking that morning and it adds up to a great combination !

I always hire a big bike so you have the power should you need it.
The roads are generally very good outside the town centres.
If you ride a bike at home, I would suggest you hire a decent bike.
Don't go racing, be careful of dogs at night time and NEVER drive if you have had a drink.

The closest I have came to a motorcycle accident was one time when I was WALKING along the pavement and the police where chasing a thai man on a moped. He mounted the pavement and if it hadnt been for the ladyboy I was with pulling me out the way he would have smashed right into me.

Safe? You aint safe on the roads, the pavement, or even your hotel bed if your BG has got a disease

If I die of old age, then I havent tried hard enough to enjoy myself in life !

[butterflyblonde]

Originally Posted by andy50

i agree with your post,bfb,i went out with a bar girl in karon, she asked me if i wanted to go to town ,but i couldnt go, im glad i didnt, when i saw her that evening, she told me of a fatal crash between 2 m/cycles that happened right near to her ,the thing about hiring the shadow though-i asked the g/f to go hire a bike, so off she trotts, half an hour later she returns back ,with a 50cc moped!-well i weigh about 18 stone, and sheis quite big as well, so off we go ,her in charge,me on the back,we got to that steep hill on our way to karon, and the blo*dy thing expired half way up !!i ended up walking a fair way ,so the next day i hired the biggest bike they had !

I can see your point at 18 stone it will be a nightmare on small bikes and 50cc ?? waste of time for anyone even if they are 10 stone .
Good point well made ETV cant fault you there m8te
Also good points my Mike too , i do understand what you mean about having power to get out of situations but that only works well on roads ''more open'' in the towns you are always going to have crazy thais crossing over the centre of the road into your path (nutters!)
I have to do the opposite of you on my 125cc , try to use advanced driving type skills like you see on those videos from the UK police and read everything up ahead,behind, from the side , and reduce speed to counter act those crazy thais and their general lack of understanding on how to ride in a safe and orderly manner .
Ps ...you look so dashing on that bike mike

[Scotty41]

So Mike,

How much can we expect to pay for a bike like the one your pictured in?

Looking to hire for like 10 days.....what's the general daily rate, and the rate for hiring for a period such as 10 days....roughly..

Cheers

[mikegb]

Hi Scotty,

I have hired Honda Blackbird, R1, Honda VTR Firestorm (numerous times), ZX-9, Fireblade, GSXR 1100 and a Suzuki Nifty 125cc

For all the big bikes, I pay about 1,000 baht per day. The R1 was the most expensive at 1,300 baht per day for a three day rental.
For a 10 day rental I would want the bike for less than 1,000 baht.

The Blackbird was the best bike I hired. I have hired it on 3 seperate occasions. It was a UK import but the owner of the bike shop (an old english guy) has closed the business so I havent seen it in Patong. I had 175 mph (270km/h) out of that baby. It was sweet as a nut.
Unless you plan to go off the island (which I totally recommend), then there arent that many places where you can open them up, and for this reason the VTR is always a good choice. Good quick grunty acceleration around town and comfy. You should be able to get a VTR for around 800 baht for 1 day hire, so if you take it for longer expect to pay 6-7,000 baht for 10 days.

Sometimes what I have done is take a bike for a couple of days, then trade it in for another one with the same guy. Obviously you pay a bit more for doing this, but you get to try out different bikes.

In the UK, it would cost you around 7,000 baht PER DAY to hire a bike.

Ride a Honda during the day, and a Thai during the night!

Have fun!

[Scotty41]

Cheers for that info mate,

I'll be in Phuket in 6 days (Woohoo!) Can't wait, although I'm a Phuket virgin, it's my 5th trip to LOS. (Pattaya has been my previous watering hole)

I'll go your advise on the VTR.

Any recomendations on the best shop/vendor to pick one up without hassles, and on the 6-7000 baht mark?

Thanks Mike

[IRISH JONNY]

Originally Posted by mikegb

Ride a Honda during the day, and a Thai during the night!

Have fun!

HE HE MIKEE.....I SEE YOU DIDNT SAY WHAT KIND OF THAI HE SHOULD RIDE DURING THE NITE !!!!!
JONNY................

[butterflyblonde]

Originally Posted by IRISH JONNY

HE HE MIKEE.....I SEE YOU DIDNT SAY WHAT KIND OF THAI HE SHOULD RIDE DURING THE NITE !!!!!
JONNY................

Or quote the hiring prices !!!

[mikegb]

Hi Scotty,

They are all a bunch of sharks. I use one on the beach front about 100m past McDonalds as you go away from Bangla Road.
I honestly dont believe there is a good one. Remember you are in deep shit financially if it gets broken (even if it is not your fault) and they have your passport.

Dont even ask me about insurance. As far as I know, there isnt any.

Knowing all this, will I hire one next holiday? Of course I will. Im daft.

[onlocation62]

It is safe as Aus...you will enjoy...