Are you in a dilemma of choosing between Phuket & Maldives to visit during holidays? Let’s go through a brief details about the two places & what they offer individually.
The Republic of Maldives is an Indian Ocean island state. It is consisted of 1,190 islands. Among them 200 are inhabited. The weather is tropical & mild. Male is the capital city of the state & Hulhule International Airport is located just 2 Kms away from the city.
Main landmark of the city is the Presidential Palace (Theemuge). Many stalls & small shops are located in the outskirts of the city. You can visit the city Fish Market. Near this there is a market where you can find each & every article of Maldives.
Main attractions for the visitors in Maldives are the beaches, restaurants, cafes, tea houses & theme parks. Exquisite local & continental dishes are available at the beach side restaurants.
Ferry excursions are popular among tourists. You can go to the airport berth via a ferry trip at the Boduthakurufaanu embankment.
Tourists prefer seaplanes to move to & fro to other islands. Another mode of transportation is motor boats or Dhoni boats. But they are relatively slower in speed. That’s why they are mostly used for diving cruises.
Phuket is the largest island of Thailand, located in the Indian Ocean. Most comfortable season to visit the island is from the months of November to March. At this point of the year the island is dry & sunny. Pristine & picturesque beaches hold the major attraction.
Visit the enchanting local rivers & beaches. Here there are white sandy beaches & water is so crystal clear that you can see upto a depth of 30 mts.
Taste excellent Thai cuisines at beach side restaurants. The west coast of Phuket welcome you with La Vegas styled nightlife at notorious beach resort of Patong. Other colorful beach resorts are Surin, Karon & Kata while Kamala is more tranquil version of beach life.
If I was in your place & had to choose between Phuket & Maldives I would opt for the former. The reasons are given below.
- Maldives is extremely expensive & if you are a student you may not be able to afford it. Villas in Phuket come within the reach of a middle class tourist. Resort, apartments, villas in Phuket are concentrated in the western part of the island. Numerous villas, apartments & condominiums are available here.
- Phuket & her inhabitants are extremely friendly. You can befriend with many lovely people. While the people of Maldives are of more sombre nature. They offer you the right service but they are not into making casual friends.
- Phuket offers you a huge range of recreational activities. But in Maldives you can only dine, dive & lounge at the beaches. Phuket offers her visitors with an ample scope of entertainment & highlights of Thai heritage. This includes elephant safari tours, elephant shows, orchid parks, Thai dance dramas, Buddhist pagodas & the processions of monks around the convents. One of the most popular attractions in Phuket is the participation of tourists in water sports activities like diving, snorkelling, water skiing, sailing, hang gliding etc.
- Transportation between islands in Maldives are made possible through seaplanes & they are really costly. While in Phuket you can move between islands on ferries & boats & they are really cheap.
- Visa norms are relaxed in Thailand in comparison to Maldives. You are entitled for a visa in Maldives if you have a valid return ticket. While no such restriction is there in Thailand. A tourist is entitled for visa in Thailand if he/she has a valid passport of 6 months beyond their intended stay in Thailand. While a thirty days free visa is available for people of all nationalities in Maldives. On expiry of this time frame people are removed from there. But you can extend your visa 6 months beyond your intended date of return from Phuket. People belonging to specific 48 countries are offered a tourist visa exemption in Thailand while norms are equal for all nationals in Maldives.
On the basis of above mentioned points, visiting Phuket will be more alluring than visiting Maldives & I would have certainly opted for Phuket before anything.
Image Courtesy: http://bit.ly/1xYQ1fx
