The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (May 7-10)

Chef Daniel Franco puts a deliberate spin on a very British ritual at Sinae Phuket, swapping out Earl Grey, string quartets and scones for Ceylon tea and Indian-rooted cuisine. The Dilmah Tea Champion – and 2019 winner of the Dilmah Tea Inspiration for the 21st-Century Competition – treats tea as the main event, building flavour through spice, milk and careful pairings. Head to Hilltop Cafe in Koh Sirey for a daytime session centred on masala chai – black tea, milk and warm spices, served with polished precision – or return the following evening for an intimate omakase dinner at Sai Bistro, where Andaman views come as part of the deal.

May 7. Free. Dilmah Tea Experience, Hilltop Cafe – Sinae Phuket. 2pm-6.30pm

Benja (Jesse Mak) arrives from the Netherlands – a country better known for peak-BPM EDM – with a sound that sits firmly on the deeper end of afro-house. Expect organic grooves and melodic techno edges that build rather than hit. His breakout track Yamore has carried him from Amsterdam’s Loveland Festival to Ibiza’s Circoloco parties at DC10, and this set at Café del Mar Phuket follows that same arc: unhurried, but locked in.

May 8. B500. Cafe del Mar Phuket. 10pm-3am

Perricone – once pushed to the brink by phylloxera – has made a quiet comeback, and this session at My Beach Resort Phuket puts it front and centre. Also known as Pignatello, the grape takes its character from Sicily’s red clay soils, and export manager Giacomo Marchione walks you through it alongside tapas and estate-grown wines. The format moves quickly – you’ve got 90 minutes to get through it – so this is one to show up on time for.

May 8. Free. Peri Peri Wine Tasting, My Beach Resort Phuket, Cape Panwa. 6.30pm-8pm

Molly’s Tavern hosts this weekly meetup just off Soi Bangla, pulling in a mixed crowd of locals, expats and travellers with no real agenda beyond conversation. Guinness is poured cold, Jenga blocks do their part to break the ice, and the pub menu – steaks, pizzas, burgers – keeps things grounded while sports play in the background. You can register online, but most just turn up, find the group and ease in.

May 8 (weekly). Free. Molly’s Tavern Irish Bar & Restaurant. 7pm-10pm

Aperol Spritz Day lands at Casuarina Beach Club on Bangtao Beach with a simple draw: sunset, sea air and free-flow drinks. Pink skies and soft surf set the tone, whether you’re stretched out on a beanbag or settled in at a table. Fire spinners kick things off, then DJs take over with deep house and soulful sets, but the pace stays relaxed enough to drift through the night.

May 12. B790. Aperol Spritz Day, Casuarina Beach Club. 6pm-9pm

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