- Thailand Holidays
- Experiences
- Phuket Culinary Adventure Add-on
Welcome to Phuket, a culinary paradise and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Embark on a cultural and gastronomic journey as you explore the island's diverse wonders, from historic Sino-Portuguese architecture to the unique Phuket Baba cuisine. Stroll around Phuket Old Town, learn how to cook authentic Thai dishes, craft artisanal rum and visit the bustling hawker stalls.
Lunch
Upon arrival at Phuket International Airport, transfer to the hotel to check in. Today, explore the island's diverse culinary scene, starting with a stroll around Phuket Old Town. Enjoy brunch/lunch at Lock Tien Food Court, where you'll get a chance to sample classic Hokkien fried noodles. With appetites satisfied, venture off the tourist trail to discover the historic Sino-Portuguese architecture of the town, including a Chinese temple and colonial-style mansions from the tin mining boom era. Later, visit hawker stalls to sample more snacks, and then head to the Thaihua Museum to learn about the unique Phuket Baba cuisine, a fusion of spicy southern Thai, Malay, Indian, and Chinese dishes. After a day of cultural and culinary exploration, return to your hotel for a well-deserved rest.
Breakfast & Lunch
Today, learn how to cook authentic Thai cuisine at the Blue Elephant Restaurant, a magnificent establishment in the Governor's Mansion in Phuket Old Town. Head to the Blue Elephant Bar for a refreshing drink before visiting the morning market to source fresh ingredients for your cooking class. Under the guidance of the chef, learn how to prepare four courses of Thai dishes, using traditional techniques and locally sourced ingredients. Later, enjoy your creations in the elegant restaurant, and receive a branded apron, menu booklet, and certificate as souvenirs of your culinary adventure. In the afternoon, learn how to craft artisanal rum at Chalong Bay Rum Distillery. Tour the distillery and discover the secrets behind the rum, made from sustainably grown sugarcane. For those who still have energy, maybe visit the famous Night Market to browse for souvenirs and taste popular street foods.
Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Depending on the time of departure for your onward journey, meet your onward transfer or take some time to explore the local area independently. Depending on the season, a visit to a local market or a seafood farm to learn about the island's sustainable food practices can be arranged for an additional cost.
Important Information
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €342.20pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
A visa is not required before you travel to Thailand; you will be issued with a tourist visa valid for 60 days on arrival into the country. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity. You will be required to fill in a digital arrival card 3 days before arrival in Thailand. You can do this online here - https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/#/home
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0333 188 0407 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves climbing of steep stairs and getting on and off coaches, and vehicles. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). We recommend that you exchange you currency before you leave the UK, however cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.
You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any dinners where these are not mentioned on your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks.
Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion. We would recommend to tip approximately £2-3 per person per day/trip. Tips are accepted in the local currency.
We have no minimum number of passengers to run this holiday. If we are not able to operate your departure date for any other reason, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
Please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK.
Both Western and local meals are available.
Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way.
The three most important Buddhist holidays are Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day and Asahna Bucha Day. All three are public holidays in Thailand. During this time many shops and business close for the celebrations. Because they are such important religious occasions, there are temporary restrictions in place on alcohol sales with entertainment venues in some areas also closing.
If you visit Churches/Temples, please note both men and women need to wear long trousers or skirts to cover knees, tops with sleeves should be worn to cover shoulders.
On arrival, you will be met just after the Customs office by a representative from our local agent. The representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.
If you need to contact Asian Trails, during your stay the details are:
Address: 12th Floor, The regent house, 183 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Phone: +66 (0)6-5120-7183 (Dedicated English-Speaking Emergency Line)