Phuket Airport to Hotel Transport

Personal opinion:  if there are two major negatives about Phuket - one of them is the transportation "mafia" that seems to control the transport around the island.  The other are the touts for timeshares that seem to inhabit the street corners of Patong - although that seems to wax and wane each year.  Some years, the touts are numerous and other years, you can go days without running in to one.  The transportation mafia, alas, never seems to have gotten better.   

 From TedKarma (Tripadvisor expert for Phuket)'s website:  The "taxi mafia" has an interest in the continued use of negotiated rates as they can charge uninformed tourists much more for their transportation.  This gives Phuket a bad reputation - and can leave a bad taste in the mouth of our valued tourists.    Personal opinion - there's one place in Thailand where the "taxi mafia" seems to be worse and that's the island of Koh Samui.

From the Phuket International Airport, there are multiple options for getting to your hotel in Phuket - we've taken all 3 of these options and there's nothing wrong with any one of them - all of them get you to your hotel.   I personally advocate trying to support an alternative to the arranged transportation cartel and will try to take a metered taxi since they are trying to offer a more honest alternative to the fixed price transportation cartel that runs the island.

• Pre-arranged hotel pickup    Most hotels offer this service at an extra charge.  You can contact the hotel directly prior to your arrival and inquire as to whether or not the hotel will pick you up and take you to your hotel.   Charges for this range from 500-1200 baht depending on the hotel and the destination.    You'll provide the hotel with your arrival time and flight information and once you collect your baggage, you exit the airport doors, there is an area where a driver will be holding up a sign with your name on it.

• Metered taxi:    The airport is one of the few places you can pick up a legitimate metered taxi where you can be sure not to get ripped off.    Beware the the "taxi mafia" have made it difficult for the unsuspecting visitor to even find this option.  Here are the directions to get a metered taxi to your hotel:

Walk out of the arrivals hall and head straight back through the parking lot about 40-50 meters.  You'll see the metered taxi stand off to the left side - with a big sign - difficult to miss it.  They will charge you a B100 "airport tax" that is a legitimate fee.  Transportation to everywhere on the island will be cheaper with these taxis - and you are encouraging their growth on the island.  We hope they will replace all the negotiated rates taxis - soon!  Transport to the furthest point on the island should be in the vicinity of B550 total. Some recent examples of fares from the airport including the B100 "airport tax":  to Kamala Bay B350; to Karon Beach B450


• "Limousine service"    Right as you come through the doors after you pick up the luggage, you'll see several counters where you can get "negotiated limousine" service to your hotel.  You'll see placards with the rates.   Basically, this is the controlled transportation mafia that runs these counters.     If you decide to use one of these services, you'll pay for your transportation and be handed a receipt and one of the sales people will walk you out to the curb and you'll hand the receipt over to the driver.   Beware that some of the drivers evidently run the "your hotel is closed" routine or will try to get you to take detours to some gem factory on the way there (they get a commission for every person they deliver).   Just be firm that you aren't interested in any side trips and that you want to be taken to YOUR hotel, not some other hotel where he can get a "great deal".  
  
• Shared mini van  This is probably the cheapest choice if you are a couple or travelling alone. Otherwise a metered taxi may be more cost effective. Basically this is a mini van that holds up to 10 passengers. Once full, the van will drop off passengers directly at their hotel, but not before stopping at a travel agency in order to "confirm"  your final destination. In reality this is merely a ploy to  attempt selling you a hotel or tour package, but is easily ignored. This is a popular option with backpackers and budget oriented travellers. You buy your ticket at a counter as you exit baggage claim. A typical fare, for example to Karon, is B180 per passenger.