Jakarta, Indonesida; Phuket, Thailand - Jan 2025

Howard Chai
Feb 10
3 min read

Note: Trip.com was amost 3x cheaper than Expedia when booking this multi-city trip!

Jakarta

I really enjoyed the energy of the city as well as the excellent food. We took a 2 day trip to visit our Nanny, who retired last year after spending close to 10 years with our family.

Highlights from our trip:

Bandar Djakarta: Seafood mecca about 30 min from the city center. Also has a water park. https://maps.app.goo.gl/JNi7Ks9Y7ZbNMCQC9
Kaum Jakarta. Probably some of the best fried rice in my life. https://maps.app.goo.gl/y4a8KwUYR6mR2Unr6

Next time, I would like to try and explore Padang cuisine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padang_cuisine)

"In Padang food establishments, it is common to eat with one's hands. They usually provide kobokan, a bowl of tap water with a slice of lime in it to give a fresh scent. This water is used to wash one's hands before and after eating."

Phuket

The transfer from Jakarta to Phuket was pretty tiring. We had to transfer in Malaysia. Total travel time was pretty much a entire day. The downside to Phuket in general is the travel distance as there is no direct flight from Taiwan to Phuket. And the traffic in Phuket is pretty bad, so hotels past Patong on the East or Rawai in the South will take 1+ hr to get there. I think in the future I would recommend staying closer to Phuket Town for the food/culture/activities, and then take boat day trips to the truly magnificent beaches like Koh Hong Krabi or Phi Phi.

Did a good amount of research this time for our 4 day trip with the kids. Mid Jan is high season, so alot of hotels were full. Some of the research I did (but is now dated as I recommend staying near Phuket Town/West Side of the island closer to the marinas)

Kata

Kata is conveniently located to go across to the other side of the island, esp. if planning day trips to Phi Phi Island. We didn't stay here but I did some research for next time:

Boathouse. Luxury villas, right on Kata Beach. One of the few hotels with direct beach access.
Malisa. Luxury villas a couple minutes walk from the beach. Each villa has a private pool, but not next to the beach and no views. The rooms themselves look pretty nice though.

Nai Han Beach / Rawai

Located near the south of the island, we stayed at the Nai Harn Resort. In a nutshell, I would not recommend staying in this area of the island, nor would I recommend the Nai Harn Resort.

Transportation

Grab is pretty convenient, and we used this to get around most of the time.

When to go

Jan is the rainy season in Koh Samui, as well as Bali/Indonesia, which is why we decided to go to Phuket.

Restaurants

The stand outs from this trip:

Mor Mu Dong: Super local spot for traditional Thai food. Mostly Thais eating here so you know its legit

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8CdmoKpsSJYijAJCA

Chillva Night Market: Touristy but the food is good and we had a fun time

https://maps.app.goo.gl/776WdDKDgAh6ehQ57

Things to do

The highlights of our trip include:

Feeding crocodiles
Petting baby lions
Taking pictures with tigers
Yacht excursion to Koh Hong Krabi, which has probably one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Touristy but not so overcrowded you can't find a quiet spot on the beach to hang out all day