Review / How to immerse yourself in local Thai culture in Phuket: the island is about more than pad thai, night markets and luxury pool villas – as Banyan Tree’s Stay for Good initiative and tour shows

Feb 22, 2024

Banyan Tree Phuket’s Stay for Good programme offers a more immersive cultural experience to travellers. Photos: Christina Ko

The Singapore-based luxury group launched its Stay for Good global initiative last year to connect its properties around the world with their local communities

From watching purveyors cook up coconut crepes, making Thai rice with locally sourced herbs, to climbing a hill for panoramic views of Phuket, here are our highlights from the tour

It’s easy to fall into a routine as a tourist in Phuket: hole up in your pool villa ordering club sandwiches and pad thais, leaving only for a visit to the night market in Phuket Town.

And so, for a change of pace, the Banyan Tree Phuket – one of the town’s stalwart luxury resorts, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year – has put together a quaint initiative that allows its guests to see a different side of Phuket: the island that has been around long before the hospitality brands mushroomed and tourism took off.

The luxury group Banyan Tree launched its Stay for Good initiative last year to encourage immersion with local culture