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 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Phuket? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.