The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (November 12-15)

Does a plate of smoked picanha topped with charred onion and roasted garlic get your mouth watering? SŌL Phuket’s Friday Fire Steak Night serves 300g of slow-cooked beef with a choice of onion gravy or peppercorn sauce. Sides include shoestring chips and the SŌL Cos Salad, its take on a Caesar. Add Thai nam jim jaew for a tangy kick or chimichurri for a herby one. Chef Pongcharn “Top” Russell is behind the grill, while local DJ Saint Teresa supplies the Afro beats. Book by 6pm on Thursday and you’ll get a complimentary glass of red wine. A decent excuse to get Friday started early.

Nov 13 (weekly). B980. Fire SŌL Steak Night,  SŌL Phuket, 5pm-11pm

You don’t have to be a triathlete to enjoy the 32nd Laguna Phuket Triathlon. The signature race on Sunday starts with a 1.8km swim – 1.3km in the Andaman Sea followed by 500m in a freshwater lagoon – before a 50km bike ride and 12km run. Elite competitors and age-group athletes share the course, with sprint, relay and duathlon events also on the programme. Saturday brings open-water swims of 1km, 2km and 5km, a 1.5km team swim and a 6km charity fun run. For spectators, the start at SAii Laguna Phuket beach and the finish at Laguna Grove are the places to soak up the atmosphere. Expect plenty of cheering as competitors chase personal bests.

Nov 14-15. Free to watch. Saturday: open-water swim starts 7am, 7.30am, 8am and 8.30am at SAii Laguna Phuket beach; charity fun run starts 4.30pm at Laguna Grove. Sunday: main triathlon starts from 6.30am at SAii Laguna Phuket beach; finish at Laguna Grove. Competitor entry fees vary; online registration closed Nov 8

A seaside table, four courses and five Italian wines: Friday’s dinner at ECHO has the makings of a fine evening. At Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach, the spotlight falls on Abruzzo producer Cantina Tollo and its Insetti Organic and Orapiena collections. Alessandro Mazzocco, the winery’s Asia business development manager and a certified Italian sommelier, will talk diners through the grapes, winemaking and pairings. Expect a chance to get better acquainted with Italian reds and whites without having to leave the sound of the surf behind.

Nov 13. B2,500++ per person, including four courses and five wines. Cantina Tollo Wine Dinner at ECHO, Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach. 6-10pm

KANT is the stage name of Danish DJ-producer Joachim Schaarup, whose sound leans towards deep, melodic house. The name means ‘edge’ in Danish, which is a fair introduction to his dancefloor instincts. His productions and remixes have attracted attention from Pete Tong, and his CV includes releases on Armada and sets at clubs far beyond Denmark. On Friday he takes over ZHU Club for its Dirty Laundry night. Come for the basslines; stay until your feet decide otherwise.

Friday, Nov 13. B500, including one drink. Dirty Laundry presents KANT, ZHU Club. 9pm-3am

Sam’s Steaks & Grill has been a Patong fixture since 1991, but it’s changing things up for two nights. Guest chef Jeriko Van Der Wolf, co-founder of LOVA Hospitality and former executive chef of Cocotte Bangkok, joins the team for a five-course dinner drawing on his experience in a three-Michelin-starred kitchen. The emphasis is on bold flavours and polished technique, with a menu devised for the occasion. The full line-up of dishes isn’t specified in the hotel’s announcement, so ask when booking if you want to know what’s coming. With only two evenings on offer, reserving ahead makes sense.

Nov 13-14. B2,290++ per person, book here. Sam’s Steaks & Grill, Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, 52 Thaweewong Road, Patong. From 6pm

Into spirits? The drinkable kind? Head to The Distillery Phuket for an insider look at how Chalong Bay Rum and other small-batch tipples are made, from raw sugarcane to snifter cup. This is no backstreet operation – this is a proper guided tour through the working distillery, with stops for tasting along the way. Sure, you can sip Chalong Bay at many bars along the beach, but sampling yet-to-be-bottled rums, gins and vodkas while learning the basics behind distilling and cocktail-making adds new ‘depth’ to the glass. Plenty of swirling and sipping happens here, and maybe a few ‘just one more’ moments to be found as well. 

 Daily. B1,290. The Distillery Phuket. 11am-10pm