Car Hire Phuket - Airport, Thailand

Any time you book your affordable car hire with ArgusRentals.com you can be positive that you are receiving the cheapest prices for car hire in Phuket. Argus Rentals searches and examines the rates of 550 well-known and private Phuket car hire agents to help you pick-up the cheapest car rental Phuket deals whenever you visit.

We pride ourselves on providing value for money car rental deals without compromising on customer care levels. Car hire Phuket rates include absolutely no invisible fees or undisclosed fees. For your assurance, you can expect 24/7 customer support via webchat, email as well as our call centre.

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First time visiting Phuket? We want you to make the most out of your car rental Phuket experience. For this reason, we have enlisted the assistance of a local travel expert to help to get you on your way. Follow these useful travel tips and enjoy the very best that Phuket can give.

See: Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, around 50km long and 20km wide, so if you want to see more than your resort, you need to hire a car. If you’re keen to see the beaches that Phuket is famous for, explore the west coast, starting from Nai Yang in the northwest at the entrance to Sirinat National Park, passing laidback Kamala and Surin Beach, lined with casuarina trees, where you’ll find good Thai food stalls, all the way down to hedonistic party-town Patong, and the splendid beaches of Kata. From Chalong Bay, in the southeast, you can take a boat to Phang Nga Bay for its striking limestone rock formations that poke dramatically out of the sea and famous ‘James Bond Island’. A warning though, it’s very touristy, with the beaches crowded with trinket sellers. The provincial capital, Phuket Town, warrants a visit for atmospheric ‘Old Phuket’, its Chinese heritage, atmospheric old shop-houses, and superb shopping. In the hilly, agricultural interior, the densely forested Khao Phra Thaew National Park is worth a visit to see the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Bang Pae Waterfall.

Videos of Phuket

Shop: Although you’ll find beautiful shops all over the island and plenty of beachside stalls selling tourist trinkets, Phuket Town has the largest concentration of shops selling quality Thai handicrafts, textiles, and interior décor items, such as silk cushion covers, table runners, ceramics, paper lanterns, wicker baskets, laquerware, silver cutlery, Buddha images, and faux Chinese antiques. Some of the standout stores are Aubergine  (115 Phang Nga Road) and sister-shop Island Paradise (8 Phang Nga Road), Radsada Handmade (29 Radsada Road) and adjoining Oriental Pleasure (27 Radsada Road), and Ban Boran Textiles (51 Yaowarat Road). Thalang Road in Chinatown is dotted with shops and requires a browse. On weekends, there’s a busy tourist market along Wirat Hong Yok Road, with plenty of stalls selling handicrafts, souvenirs, cheap clothes, and counterfeit goods, as well as the Indie Market, a flea market that’s popular with local Thai hipsters. A good source of information is Art and Culture Asia, which has an excellent directory and map. At Surin, The Plaza is a chic shopping mall with funky boutiques, art galleries and fine antique shops, such as Soul of Asia and Ginger, which sells all sorts of colourful homeware, jewellery, and accessories.

Eat: Phuket has something for everyone from fiery street food at beachside stalls to refined, modern Thai cuisine in stylish restaurants. At Kalim Beach, Lim’s fits into the latter category, with a tangy, tasty ModThai menu served up in a boxy, polished concrete dining space with the Thai artist-owner’s abstract paintings on the walls. In an elegant room at Banyan Tree, Saffron goes a step further, serving up creative, contemporary Thai cuisine – curry ice cream, anyone? – while Silk, at Andara Resort, keeps the Thai flavours traditional but the presentation thoroughly modern. Offering traditional Thai, along with international food, Lotus is well regarded for its quality seafood and seaside location, on the sand at Bang Tao Beach. In Phuket Town, laidback Ka Jok See (26 Takuapa SRd) has long been a popular place for its late night entertainment as much as its Thai food, while charming China Inn Café (20 Thalang Rd), in a restored old shop-house is a fantastic spot for a casual Thai meal, sandwich, or simply a pot of tea.

Drink: If you’re after little more than an icy cold beer by the sea, you’ll find plenty of simple beach bars all over the island. For a good glass of wine or a heady cocktail, the bars at the beach resorts are best and there are some fabulous drinking spots dotted around the island, many attached to restaurants. Savour the sunset as you sip wine at Vanilla Sky at Cape Sienna Hotel, which has rattan chairs and tables on a terrace boasting endless ocean views. The all-white Joe’s Downstairs is a restaurant serving international food (anything from hamburgers to tacos) with sublime sea views, but the terrace bar is a terrific spot for sundowners. White Box is an Asian fusion restaurant at Patong in a striking minimalist building on the beach, but the alfresco rooftop lounge is a glam place to sip cocktails while taking in the spectacular bay views. On Surin Beach StereoLab is both a bar and club with DJs. There’s a beach bar with comfy sofas on the sand that is quiet early in the evening, but after 10pm, especially on a weekend, the place heaves.

Stay: Phuket must be home to more luxury resorts than any other South East Asian island and their specialty is spas, so make sure you schedule some pampering time. The most heavenly is the exclusive Amanpuri, set on a headland overlooking a white sand beach and the Andaman Sea, shaded by coconut palms. The Trisara is on a larger scale and therefore less intimate, yet equally luxurious, with a mix of accommodation, from hotel rooms to family-sized villas. The Banyan Tree Phuket is quintessentially Thai with elegant Thai pavilions with private plunge pools, and one of Thailand’s best and most beautiful spas. The industrial-chic design of eco-friendly Indigo Pearl with its handful of funky bars and restaurants is a good choice for city slickers who want some urban-cool by the sea.

Photos of Phuket

Walk: The best place for a walk on Phuket Island is the beach, any beach, but your best bet is one that is long and sandy, and the prime time is early in the morning or just before sunset when it’s not too hot. Good strolling beaches include sprawling Bang Tao beach, which at 6km long is one of Phuket’s longest beaches and is mostly deserted; Karon Beach, which is around 5km long and has squeaky white sand; and nearby Kata Beach, which while only 1.5km long, with creamy soft sand, is very picturesque.

Get Out: And about! Don’t simply laze on the sand, as lovely as that can be. Hop on a bike to ride beach paths and mountain tracks with Bike Tours Thailand or climb on top of an elephant for a spot of mahout training with Kalim Elephant Trekking. Do a four-wheel-drive nature tour with Siam Safari, which might take in anything from canoeing to jungle trekking, depending on what you choose. Learn to Kite Surf or even swing a golf club. When you’re done, you’ve got a good excuse to relax at a spa. Try Twin Palms, Hideaway Day Spa or, my favourite, the Evason Six Senses Spa.

Listen: To the sound of the waves. Who needs music when you’re beside the sea? If you must, then go the whole hog and hit Phuket’s clubs for beats by international DJs. Famous has a dance club where DJs from around the world spin their stuff, as well as a more chilled-out rooftop beach club with day-beds and cabanas, while Seduction has Hed Kandi nights and bikini parties.

Avoid: Spending all your time at the resort, as tempting as that can be. Phuket has more diverse landscapes and beaches than other Thai islands, as well as great eating, drinking and shopping opportunities.