Returning to Phuket: 14 Years Later, Does the Michelin Hype Match the Reality?

After three peaceful and slow-paced days in Koh Yao Noi, it was time to liven things up and head to our next destination, Phuket!

If we are being completely honest, Phuket wasn’t originally at the top of our list of places to return to, and we sometimes cautioned people from visiting when asked about destinations in Thailand (we often recommended Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, and will now be recommending Koh Yao Noi!). We first visited back in 2010, and while the island was already heavily visited back then, it left us feeling a bit uninspired. During that first trip, we stayed at the Westin Siray Bay. The hotel itself was beautiful as a newly built Westin (ahhh…those great SPG days!), but the isolated location with not much of a beach left us feeling like we did not get the experience we were hoping for. Back in 2010, travel was just more difficult in general: smartphones and cheap data plans were not the norm, and those convenient modern ride sharing options didn’t exist, so we spent our time navigating long walks or relying on restrictive hotel shuttles just to avoid the headache of dealing with local taxi drivers. We only managed to see Old Phuket Town and a local market once or twice before moving on.

But 14 years is a long time and we have both come a long way in terms of travel acumen, so heading back on this trip, we decided to give Phuket another try.

Phuket has grown exponentially since our last visit. As our flight arrived and we drove to the boat pier, we immediately noticed the shifts: larger roads, massive shopping malls, and an endless stream of tour buses competing with the sea of scooters and cars.

The Reality of Using Grab, A Local Welcome, and the “Fat Son” Chronicles

For this trip, we chose the Kamala Beach area as our home base for the six nights we would be spending in Phuket. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Phuket Town and has some interesting hotel options we wanted to try.

Generally speaking, Grab worked incredibly well and was very affordable for exploring the island. The majority of the cars were in pristine condition, and most were actually EVs.

However, we did experience an annoying driver delay a couple of times (similar to an issue we faced in Goa using Goa Miles). Drivers would accept our ride request, but instead of coming to get us, they would park somewhere along the way or sit in a mall parking lot, seemingly waiting for us to cancel so they could collect a cancellation fee. On one occasion, we watched a driver sit in a mall lot for 15 minutes. Refusing to lose the game of chicken we were embattled in, we used a translator app to message them in Thai, politely asking when they were coming. Realizing we weren’t backing down, the driver finally canceled the ride themselves, and we promptly reported them to Grab (…we will have another Grab story, but that is in our Koh Samui post…!).

After arriving in Phuket from Koh Yao Noi and before checking into our first hotel, we used Grab to head to a local, family-run Thai restaurant, Peang Prai Restaurant, nestled right up against some beautiful hills and nature. When we arrived, we were the only people there and worried we may have made a bad choice, but within minutes, the place was packed with locals enjoying a leisurely lunch, pouring cold beer over ice cubes in short glass cups. As the only two farangs (foreigners) in the place, we secretly wished they would take pity on us and invite us over to share their table. We happily would have brought our three dishes over if it meant getting to sample things from their expansive spread of food!

With full stomachs, we called another Grab to head to our resort. Our driver turned out to be quite a chatty character. While expertly navigating Phuket’s traffic during a thunderstorm, he proudly showed us photos of his son and wife. He spent the entire ride complaining about how much his son eats and his weight, nudging us to confirm his son needed to eat less and spend less time playing games on his phone. Before we knew it, we were pulling up to our hotel’s check-in area and were ready to explore Kamala Beach! Thanks to Grab, we got to do so much at very reasonable prices with minimal inconvenience along the way.

Thoughts on scooter rentals to get around: While some tourists do rent scooters to get around, we found the roads very busy and hilly, making it a little stressfull unless you have lots of experience in this type of traffic. We also noticed a few police checkpoints with tourists pulled over to ensure they were wearing helmets and had the correct documentation to drive around (International Driving Permit).

The Luxury Hotel Showdown: InterContinental vs. Keemala

Because we wanted to see what modern Phuket luxury looked like, we split our stay between two highly rated resorts in Kamala. Here are our completely unsponsored mini-reviews.

1. InterContinental Phuket Resort

Located right at the end of Kamala Beach, this massive property is split on both sides of the main highway and connected via an underground pedestrian tunnel. Visually, it has everything you would expect from a resort of this caliber: beautiful aesthetics, a great fitness center, a kids’ club, dedicated beach chairs, and a few onsite dining options. Below if a brief review and you can read our full review here.

The Good: The location is fantastic. The beach itself is lovely and excellent for swimming, and it is an easy, flat walk straight into town whenever you want to access local restaurants, drinks, groceries, or shopping. The gym was also really nice, with lots of space and modern equipment. The rooms themselves were very nice and luxurious.
The Room for Improvement: The property was quite noisy during our stay due to ongoing villa construction nearby. For us, the biggest letdown was the pools. They were unusually warm during our stay, making them feel less than refreshing in the tropical heat. The main pool by the beach was visually lovely, but it functioned almost like a hot tub and was frequently overrun by loud kids. To escape the romper room atmosphere, we tried the rooftop infinity pool, which is designated adults-only. Unfortunately, guests kept bringing their children up there anyway, and staff didn’t actively enforce the rule during our visits.

2. Keemala

Perched high up in the hills overlooking Kamala, Keemala is famous for its unique, whimsical architecture and holds prestigious Michelin Key accolades. Every single villa here features its own private pool and spa-style bathroom. The resort also features a main pool, a restaurant, a bar, a spa, and a very small gym. Below if a brief review and you can read our full review here.

The Good: The villas themselves were very nice, spacious, and comfortable. Housekeeping was impeccable throughout our stay, and the fresh coffee setup with the hand-crank grinder was a really cute, unique detail. They also provide a complimentary mini-bar with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks that are replenished daily. Both the indoor and outdoor showers were fantastic, boasting excellent water pressure and perfect temperature control, and the bath salts provided for the tub were a great addition. While overall service felt inconsistent, some staff members we encountered were genuinely helpful and friendly. Additionally, the breakfast, though small was high quality and offered lovely outdoor seating with a great view. The shared pool was also nice, offering comfortable sun loungers and a serene setting with a second-level waterfall pool. They also offer a happy hour during the afternoon, which was convenient.
The Room for Improvement: In our opinion, the resort felt a bit overhyped relative to its price point and marketing promises. The promotional imagery creates an impression of complete seclusion that didn’t quite match our experience there. In reality, the villas sit close together, leaving you with direct lines of sight to your neighbors’ patios and pools. Our own patio had limited, less-than-comfortable lounge furniture. Furthermore, our stay was impacted by nearby construction noise and maintenance work on surrounding units. For a luxury resort charging upwards of $500 USD per night, we felt the service was lacking. Logistics were also frustrating: the hotel shuttle into Kamala was awkwardly scheduled, and the information on our welcome handout was out of date. A five minute ride into town shouldn’t be this difficult to coordinate, though thankfully, we were able to walk to and from town easily (the hills can be steep, but it is a good workout!).

The Michelin Factor: Behind the Curtains of Phuket’s Glossy Accolades

During our stay, we couldn’t help but notice how heavily the “Michelin” stamp of approval is pushed here; there are signs everywhere! Our research led us to see that Phuket has a list of around 60 restaurant recommendations in the guide, including one restaurant on the entire island that holds a Michelin Star. On top of that, Michelin recently launched its “Michelin Keys” system for hotels. The Michelin Guide Phuket Hotel Selection covers 40 “curated properties,” with Keemala holding an elite 3 Key status and the InterContinental holding 2 Keys.

Having stayed at both, we felt the reality fell short of these high accolades. Why is that? Are our expectations too high, or is there a heavy dose of PR spin on the Michelin program for hotels?

Although Michelin prides itself on using anonymous, independent inspectors who pay for their own experiences, the system gets complicated when you look at how the guide operates globally. It is common knowledge that some tourism boards around the world pay marketing partnership fees to bring the guide into the country.

Furthermore, while hotels cannot directly “buy” a Michelin Key, the guide now functions as a premium booking platform. Featured hotels pay a steep 10% to 15% commission to Michelin for every reservation processed through their site. Even if their editorial and sales teams operate independently, it’s hard not to look at the sudden explosion of “recommended” spots on the island and wonder if commercial incentives are inflating the hype. It certainly felt that way to us at times.

To be fair, this is the same commercial model unfolding everywhere and if Michelin’s presence helps more travelers have positive, memorable experiences in new places, that is certainly something to celebrate. This should be appreciated in a way, as it has made travel much easier for people who want to explore a little more independently.

That being said, we personally find ourselves turning more toward independent, grassroots creators like YouTube’s OTR (OTR Food & History). Channels like theirs document regional dishes, local history, and culinary traditions authentically and independently without relying on glossy corporate forumals (We recommend watching the OTR “The Hidden Cusine of Thailand’s Tourist Island” video to get inspired for your trip!). Ultimately, this shift highlights a growing dilemma in modern travel: where does genuine editorial curation end and commercial promotion begin? At which point is all travel related information too corporate?

Exploring the Island: Where to Go (and Where to Avoid)

Using Kamala Beach as our launching pad, we took several day trips to see how the rest of Phuket has evolved.

Old Phuket Town: This was a massive highlight. It was incredibly fun to visit based on what little we could remember from 2010. It has grown into a trendy, highly tourist-friendly spot. The historic Sino-Portuguese streets are now lined with boutique hotels, excellent restaurants, and great shopping. There is definitely more here than when we previously visited, though it did get very crowded at times. It was also fun for us to run into a family from England we met at our hotel on Koh Yao Noi! Some highlights include: ice cream at Torry’s, lunch at Thai Mueang, and an early dinner at Local Canteen (their miang bites may have been our favorite bite of the trip: we regret not getting a second order!!). The top thing that would bring us back to Phuket would be a stay at one of the boutique hotels in the town to enjoy all the small city has to offer!
Boat Avenue: The area around Boat Avenue is absolutely worth a visit. It has a few supermarkets around, including a fancy Tops Supermarket (the Whole Foods of Thailand!) with a great restaurant and patio, a bustling night market, and a food truck complex. Fun fact: because of the massive influx of Eastern European expats over the last few years, Phuket now has a booming scene of Georgian restaurants. If you are at the right place at the right time, definitely stop to try some authentic Georgian food! There are a few around Boat Avenue.
Patong Beach: We decided to check out Patong just to see it, and yeah… we can safely say it is not our scene. The party stretch is exactly what you would expect: loud, chaotic, and heavily driven by nightlife, aggressive street touts, and many different forms of adult entertainment. That being said, if you just need to do some mall shopping or want familiar food options, the conveniences are there. Certain less-congested stretches of the beach walk were actually quite nice for swimming, and it was pleasant to walk along the coast during quieter hours.
Kamala Beach: Kamala Beach feels more like other classic beach towns across Southeast Asia. The area is lined with bars, restaurants, and cafes offering a mix of Western and local food, alongside plenty of massage parlors where you can get a budget-friendly massage right on the beach or in a more formal indoor setting. Tacky tourist shops dot the streets, and the beach itself is decent for swimming and lounging, complete with plenty of chair and umbrella rentals and easy drink options. While there are a few beach clubs that stay open late, the vibe here is much quieter than nearby Patong, offering a nice balance of both luxury and casual options.

Final Thoughts: Is Phuket Worth It?

Everything in Phuket is incredibly spread out. For instance, there was a local beer festival (Grove Brewfest) we really wanted to check out, but the sheer size of the island meant it would have required a one-hour Grab ride each way just to get there.

Overall, we did enjoy our time in Phuket. Seeing it through the eyes of more experienced travelers allowed us to appreciate its conveniences and vibrant food scene. However, you should go in knowing that it feels busy and is noticeably more expensive than some other spots in Thailand. It is an easy place to visit, though, due to all the modern tourist infrastructure if you are looking for a convenient beach getaway.

Would we come back? Maybe! It would depend on the circumstances. As an add-on for a quick trip from Bangkok, it makes sense. We think smaller islands like Koh Yao Noi are more to our liking, and we personally enjoyed Koh Samui more than Phuket. Thailand has so much to explore, and this is just one small piece to the puzzle!