The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (May 21-24)

Fancy a pigeon? We kid you not. The high-end French dining establishment Bisou Phuket boasts pigeon on the menu – imported from France, naturally. Not the city-square pigeon you might be thinking of; we’re talking farm-raised, fat-bodied babies with tender meat, a delicacy in French gastronomy. While people pop into the sister restaurant of the Michelin-recommended restaurant Bisou Bangkok for dinner only, Bisou Thursdays shift the energy beyond dinner service. This week, the Phuket-based DJ Nicha spins melodic deep house to help you ease into the night. Rock up early to get a table, stay late to shake a leg.

May 21. Free (entry only). Bisou Phuket. 8pm-1am

Built around deep grooves, afro-house beats and amapiano affairs, BOA Club Phuket gears up for a high-energy night wrapped in house music, with Sami Galetto and Junior at the forefront. Sami, a Thailand-based house DJ who does crazy pieces of art for vinyl, is the founder of the multi-day, marathon-like Baba Loop events in Natai, Phang-Nga. And Junior Dejchakthip (@junior.nwo)? Locally known simply as JR, the Bangkok-based figure is part of the Monkey Business Creative Crew, a music collective, and frequently works alongside luminary DJs at venues across the Thai Kingdom. The result? An intoxicating dose of feel-good house music.

May 22. Free. Sami Galetto and Junior, BOA Club Phuket. 9pm-2am

People love Sunday brunches, but Azzurra Phuket bucks that trend and rolls breakfast and lunch into one on a Saturday, and not without fair reason. Beat the Sunday crowds and get into the weekend mood with morning tipples and a whole day ahead of you. Right, Italy doesn’t traditionally do brunch (sleeping in and hovering above the kitchen is more like it), but it has embraced the brunch format in its own way. Azzurra’s lavish feast leans into all things meat, pasta, pizza and slow living – a sun-kissed table by the sea, a glass of limoncello and a belly-pleasing spread of burrata, cold cuts and slowly roasted porchetta. Recover from your food coma on site after scooping up tiramisu (four-hour room stays B1,800) and turn the weekend ritual into a full-day escape.

May 23. From B1,690++ (food only). Saturday Italian Feast, Azzurra Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket. 11am-3.30pm

Into tipples? Experimental libations, say? Then follow your nose and imbibe at Sipping Tiger this Saturday. InterContinental’s hotel bar rolls out Mixology Unleashed | Native and Analogue Initiative, a one-night-only collaboration series that sees shifts by bartenders from trailblazing Singaporean cocktail bars – renowned for the vibes of those illicit watering holes of America’s 1920s Prohibition era. In fact, Singaporean mixology and culture, as seen in sustainably crafted, research-led cocktails packed with Asian flavours, play a massive role. Take Nicholas Leong from Native, the 35th-best bar on Asia’s 50 Best 2024 list. His recipes of fun, wit and superhuman mixing talent are backed by a plant-forward ethos. Visit for bold flavour exploration that pushes the boundaries of modern bar culture – the likes of mezcal, scotch and rum are surely on the drinks list.

May 23. Free. Mixology Unleashed | Native and Analogue Initiative, Sipping Tiger Bar, InterContinental Phuket Resort. 8pm-midnight

Originally from Porto and inspired by the afro-house movement, DJ-producer AVÖ has set off on a musical journey. Pit-stopping at Café del Mar Phuket to helm the booth, AVÖ’s set to show that he’s rightly supported by Keinemusik and DJ heavyweights like Shimza. While you can’t box his style into one genre, his sets lean heavily into afro-house with a melodic build. And that translates into a frenzy driven not least by Only You, a proper Afro-house anthem. The percussion-heavy four-on-the-floor rhythm and layered African polyrhythms might drag you onto the dancefloor, but it’s the atmosphere AVÖ creates that lingers long after the set ends.

May 22. B500 (free for women with a ladies pass until 00.30am). AVÖ, Café del Mar Phuket. 10pm-late

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

Ladies, Thursdays in Bang Tao just got a little more glamorous. Dolly’s Night at Maya Beach Club is your weekly excuse to lean into refined beachside energy with a night dedicated to feminine vibes. Start off at sunset, with deep-house rhythms and an ultra-glam dress-code to match Phuket’s beautiful golden hour. By 7pm, things shift to smooth sophistication with DJ Marcella curating a soundtrack and a troupe of pink-cladded acrobats who take you from dinner to dancefloor in one fell swoop. If you’re skipping the food, get there before 9pm to make the most of free-flow Prosecco and catch up with those already a bottle or two deep. 

Every Thursday. Free for women, B1,000 for men. Maya Beach Club. 7pm-late