Phuket
You're flying out of Phuket Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Phuket Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Phuket's airports.
Old Town · $$
Cocktail bar inside a heritage Sino-Portuguese shophouse.
Cherng Talay · $$$$
Heritage Thailand 50 Best beach club at Surin Beach.
Patong · $$$
Beachfront cocktail terrace with sunset views over the Andaman.
Kata · $$$
Restaurant-bar with a tight cocktail menu and a Modern Thai food programme.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Phuket proper at the end.
Plays for Phuket Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Phuket? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.