As far as things to do in Phuket go, it doesn’t get much better than golf, although it’s not cheap to play the best courses in Phuket. Red Mountain Golf Club is about 15mins away from Kamala Andara Resort and Villas Phuket so we gave that a go since the mother-in-law came along and could look after him. This is one of the better golf courses in Thailand I’ve played (and I’ve played over 100 courses in Thailand) and is a must-play if you’re a golfer and are in Phuket. It’s widely considered the best in Phuket and I’d probably agree with that, although when Blue Canyon Country Club is in good knick, that’s pretty tough to beat.
It was nice to see Red Mountain Golf Club managed so well, which is a trend these days for golf courses in Thailand. When I lived there you’d show up to a course and be greeted with confused faces. These days, lots of clubs, including Red Mountain Golf Club, greet you like would expect in the west. That’s not big deal to me, but it’s a nice touch. Anyway, the course is fabulous, there’s a mixture of some great golf holes, long and short, up and down, flat and otherwise, and it’s just a very, very nice way to spend the day on a golf course. The service in the clubhouse is excellent, professional but with that Thai touch. Even if you’re not a serious golfer, if you’re looking for things to do in Phuket, it’s worth playing just to have a walk around and see the views.
The caddies are excellent, equal to the best I’ve encountered anywhere in Thailand, they’ll make your round fun even you play like an absolute plonker and they helped out my wife who doesn’t play much. Give them a decent tip, 500 baht is average, 1000 baht if you thought they were good. And perhaps the best thing about Red Mountain Golf Club is that there was nobody playing there. Sure it’ll get busy weekends, but if you catch it on a weekday and are fortunate enough to not have a busload of Koreans show up, then you might just have the course to yourself. I don’t think we saw another group or other person the entire round. Of course, teeing off at 7a.m helps. It’s expensive for Thailand, but well worth the money.
Other than that, we spent an afternoon at the beach, but that wasn’t that crash shot. The pool at the resort was excellent, but again, there’s no real need to leave your own Villa because the pool is big enough to swim in. For other things to do in Phuket, I’ve included the most popular ones in Toucan’s Phuket Map, you can check them out or get in touch with us via email or twitter to ask any questions.