Cheap Phuket Tours
 

Finishing up our 3 week SE Asia trip, and I thought I would give a tip on a cheap(er) Phuket tour company bookable online since I had such a great experience with them. The tour guide was super nice and really explained stuff nicely. Everything was as promised on the website, and we were initially scared to book since they were much cheaper than other tour operators found off of tripadvisor.

http://www.phukettoursdirect.com/

All in all, I was really surprised by Phuket after reading some reviews from other members on here. We decided to stay at a cheaper place in Karon Beach as we had lowered our expectations. It turned out that for $35 USD a night, it was the best deal of our trip, and we loved Phuket and the surrounding islands much more than our much more expensive 5 star resort Bali stay. Our hotel had numerous Thai restaurants to choose from, several Thai massage places reasonably priced, and the beach across the street. Other than the taxi's being a ride from hell at a rip off price(comparatively speaking), it was great.

Video of our room at the Grand Sunset

http://youtu.be/ushOAs2aDME

Thanks for sharing. I was planning to visit phuket next month :)

My recommendation with Phuket tours is wait until you get there and book in person rather than in advance online. You usually get much better prices by negotiating directly with the operators or through the many agents especially out of the peak season.

Good idea.

Here's a price reference on the most popular tickets we book.

Phi Phi Island minibus & ferry ticket one way 350THB per person or (open) round trip 700THB per person

Phi Phi Island 1 day tour, includes hotel pickup/dropoff, boat, snorkeling/swimming time, cafeteria style buffet lunch, beach time, and a bit of walking time in the village on Phi Phi
Big Boat (meaning ferry) appx 1,000THB per person
Speed Boat (also stops at monkey beach, Maya bay, maybe 1 more swimming spot appx 1,300 - 1,600THB per person

Khao Lak 1 day tour, includes hotel pickup/dropoff, long tailboat, James Bond island, lunch and a few other stops appx 1,000THB per person

IF YOU PAY MORE, YOU ARE PAYING TOO MUCH!!!! These can be bought at HUNDREDS of tour counters across Phuket.

We did both. Sometimes people like the peace of mind of planning ahead and having their tours booked before leaving their homes. I'm not saying either way is better than the other, but the prices on the link I posted are pretty much in line with what seanthepilot posted.

You must click the link on each tour for their actual, discounted price.

It's always interesting to hear what others on your tour have paid as the prices vary widely. Often those who had paid the most had booked through their hotel - which always a bad idea. As you say, there are hundreds of counters so if you don't get a good price then walk to the next one.

Out of season, I've had whole day trips for BHT500 or less which is a bargain considering the general costs of everything else on Phuket.

Wow - interesting thread. I am glad I found it and since we are staying at the Marriott for our 2 week Phuket stay in November - I will be sure not to book at the hotel.

However, where are these "counters" located where you can book these tours for significantly less located? SOrry for the stupid question - our first trip to Thailand.

The travel agent counters and shops are literally everywhere. Apart from bars they are probably the second most common business.