We had booked our minivan trip to Phuket in advance. A van picked us up around 11 AM in our hotel and took us to their terminal where we met with other passengers going to Phuket. There was delay in our departure time as we were only able to leave at about 12:30 pm. The terminal was hot and chaotic. There were irritated passengers who were waiting for too long. Operators were having some issues and shouting amongst each other.

It was a 4 hour drive going to Phuket. Along the way we passed by forest, mountains and plantation fields. We noticed quite a large number of vans also going to Phuket as it is known as one of the most popular beach destination in Asia

Phuket is Thailand's largest island and visitors would have to decide where to stay among its several stunning beaches. The most popular ones are Patong beach, Karon beach, Kata beach and Kamala beach to name a few. Nearby these beaches are shops, restaurants, convenience store and hotels. A lot of locals offer different activities like parasailing, jet skis and surfing. You could also opt for a relaxing massage along the shoreline.

Upon arriving at Phuket, we thought that the driver would drop us at our hotel. However, he just stopped somewhere in the central part of the city and gave us direction to reach our hotel. Good thing we brought along a map with us and we are able to figure out its location. We took a quick shower and then at about 5 PM, a van arrived to take us to the Phuket Fantasea show. We had also pre-booked this discounted show via AsiaWebDirect.com prior to coming here. I advise that you pick the package with hotel transfers as it seems to be hard to find taxi after watching the show.

Phuket FantaSea is one of Phuket's must visit attraction. Phuket Fantasea is the biggest, most overtly touristy attraction in Phuket. I probably don't need to explain what it is - a huge theme park with a huge stage show, a huge buffet restaurant and plenty of shops to tempt people into spending more than just the entry fee. Phuket Fantasea opened in 1998 and is certainly one of Phuket's main tourist attractions..

About the show:

With hundred of cast members, including trapeze artists, it combines an exotic storyline and local tradition in a fantastic set piece. What makes it very special is the performance of trained elephants and other animals doing wonderful stunts and choreography. Show starts at 9 PM, so before that we spent our free time to have a buffet dinner, visit the white tiger attraction and play arcade games in their amusement center. Unfortunately, picture taking is not allowed during the performance.  This is an overview from their website.

Instead, what we have are photos of the activities we had prior to the show.

About the Park:

The Phuket Fantasea park covers an amazing surface and appears even bigger once inside. The theme is a mix of Thai myths and legends and fancy variations of fun fair and traditional temples. It's impressive and your kids will love it... furthermore, all the classic fun fair games set in a fluorescent environment will give you the bragging rights of winning some stuffed animals. There are in fact only few games, but definitely a lot of tourist shops selling kids stuff or traditional artifacts, and not everything is made in Thailand but it's fun browsing while waiting for the show.

Passed the bright and utterly colorful buildings, you should come to the end which is Palace of the Elephants. This building is where the show is held. Our show starts at 9pm so we decided to have our dinner first.

Just opposite Palace of the Elephant is Golden Kinnaree. The building is like a temple where people can have their buffet dinner before the show starts.

Not to forget, you should also drop by Tiger Jungle Adventure. It takes visitors to a journey  through  a  theatrical  environment  of  12 exotic  and  mythical  scenes  inspired  by  timeless legends  and  ancient  folklore,  starring  many mythical animals and cutting-edge special audio and visual effects. For details of the different scenes and zones. Visit their fact sheet.