Renting Cars and Drivers, Phuket

My family (4 adults, 2 kids) just came back from Phuket. We hired Mr Po Him for 4 days. His rates are reasonable and he is extremely friendly, cheerful and helpful. We were staying at Marriott Courtyard Kamala and he had problems with the taxi company (taxi mafia) next to the hotel who prohibited him to pick us up from the hotel. We sought the help of the Marriott staff to negotiate but they still refuse to budge. In the end, we have to take a taxi to Patong everyday and from there Mr Po Kim will pick us up. Mr Po Kim then deducted the fares that we have to pay to the taxi mafia from his own earnings. Although we a huge cut in his earnings, he's still very friendly and provided excellent service.

I think the taxi mafia is a real problem in Phuket, http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-taxi-thugs-attack-tour-driver-tourists-left-shaking-iron-bar-smashes-windscreen-14658/

We will definitely hire him again when we go Phuket!!

Just returned from a week in Phuket. I was wary about driving a rental car in Phuket so I decided to hire a car and a driver to avoid the hassels. I hired Po Him who was referred by a member in this form and I can say thathis service was excellent. He is friendly, on-the-ball punctual and very reasonably priced. He even took us to his wife's modest beef noodle stall (which was delicious, by the way). I would not hesitate to recommend him.

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For Muslim travellers to Phuket who are very concerned about food, there are several eateries selling halal food. We were fortunate that my daughter who had been to Phuket before, suggested that we engaged the services of Ibrahim (Po Him) to drive us to the hotel/airport. Our initial intention of going Phuket, was to relax by the beach throughout our 5 days stay. However, after we met Po Him, he told us about the good Halal food available in Phuket, that we changed our plan. Instead of spending our time at the beach, we spent time around the city of Phuket, eating and shopping driven by Po Him. Po Him also recommended to us an Island Tour and we booked the tour. The next day after the tour, we feedback to him that we were not satisfied because the speed boat was overloaded with passengers and due to this my hubby had to sit on the beverages box. Without delay, Po Him immediately called the Travel Agent and lodge a complaint on our behalf and assured that he will try to get a refund for us. When he fetched us from the Factory outlet, the minute we stepped into his car, he passed an envelope stating that it was from the Travel Agent. Inside the envelope contained a full refund for a child ticket and 200 THB discount each, together with an apology letter from the Travel Agent. Po Him has a smiley face, punctual, speaks Malay/English and always wants his customers to be happy. His transportation rate is reasonable. He is contactable at +66 0899742099.

I was lucky enough to be recommended a driver by my friend Tina, as I always like to use people that come recommended than just randomly hiring someone. It turned out that "Mr. Sydny" was fantastic and so I would also like to highly recommend him to any future travellers to Phuket.

He spoke very good english, his car was immaculate (a Toyota Forerunner), he was always punctual and on time and his charges were extremely reasonable. I was told by many that the 600bt fee he charged for airport pickup to central Patong was a great price, probably even cheaper than getting a taxi.

We also used Mr. Sydny to take us to Kok Chang Elephant Safari, to Phuket Fantasea and also on our return to the Airport. He also bought our Fantasea tickets at a reduced price.

Its a much nicer feeling knowing that you have a driver you can contact than just relying on the services of a random tuk tuk/taxi guy!!!!!

We found it most convenient to rent a driver for the day when we wanted to explore the island or go to different places. It is very reasonable and a much better value when you plan to be out all day. We used the services of Mr. Chay and he was very friendly and spoke good English. We used his services for two days while in Phuket and he was great! There are many private drivers and they usually only charge aorund THB1000 per day. Driving there can be a bit chaotic and stressful, so this worked out great!

Phuket FantaSea has coach/van rental services. However, as my friends and I were renting our own car, therefore we're not sure of the actual details on the rental services of Phuket FantaSea. If you need the service, try contact the park for further details.

you must drive to see the real phuket, not just the places the taxi drivers brings you. it gives you the freedom to stop anytime you see something intersting and it is not expensive if you have 3 to 4 people sharing the cost. the jeep i rent is 700 baht per day and driving all day cost for gas is about 400 baht. work out to be around 1100 baht for 4 people to travel.

I think it is better to rent a car for our own convenient. I paid 1,000 bath a day for 3 passengers, collected at the airport and delivered at the airport. I went around the whole island from north to south and west to east. I feel very much safe driving in Phuket and not so much different as in Malaysia and Singapore. I feel more secure driving there compared to Malaysia and Indonesia. Village people are very friendly and very helpful to guide us. For 3 days 2 night, I only fill in petrol for 1K bath.

Hiring a car in Phuket or at least from Patong beach only needs you to show your aussie licence. there are no hills or windy roads around phuket island except for the drive back to patong beach where you drop down a fairly decent descent into patong but nothing realy to mention. I have driven pretty much all around the world and this was probably the easiest and most relaxing drive that i have even done - next time we go we are going to hire the car for the entire time as we want to drive around to Krabi and the mainland.

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Sam is another recommended driver in Phuket. He is extremely helpful and very trustworthy.
Sam has a well cared for Toyota Altis and provides car & driver service, day trip's, overnight home stay's etc at very reasonable prices.

His mobile numbers are 087 281 8868 or 084 630 9334.
Sam speaks good English and you can contact him at the email address below for prices and more info.

E-mail : siam_intouch@yahoo.com
Get to Know Sam more at
http://samintouch.spaces.live.com
See Sam's Schedule at
http://calendar.yahoo.com/siam_intouch