Sawadee Tour

Sawadee Tour are a coach company who provide direct bus transfers between Pattaya and Phuket as well as some other destinations in the southern Thailand.

Pattaya–Phuket

Sawadee Tour offer one departure on a daily basis (at 5pm) from Pattaya to Phuket by comfortable and air conditioned coach.

Departures in Pattaya leave from the Pattaya Sawasde Tour Office, and you must arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure time to check in and get your baggage stowed on the coach. Most departures are on time, so be sure to arrive promptly to ensure you don’t miss your coach.

In Phuket, the coach will arrive at Phuket Bus Terminal, which is a convenient location from which to arrange onward travel to your hotel or hostel.

It’s a fairly lengthy journey to travel between the two locations, and usually takes around 15-16 hours in total, although this can vary depending on traffic and other variables. The coach will have at least one stop for a toilet break and food break, so you may like to bring some extra snacks for the journey.

As it’s a night bus, be sure to bring along plenty of layers so you can be as comfortable and get as much sleep as possible.

Sawadee Tour are the only company who offer this direct route and even though it operates on a daily basis it can get very busy and booked up, so be sure to book as far in advance as possible to ensure you secure your seat.

Tip If your date is full, you can always connect via Bangkok: there are a lot of Phuket-bound departures from Bangkok.

The ticket price varies depending on what kind of seat you want, and generally is between THB900 and THB1190. As it’s a long journey, we’d suggest investing in the most comfortable seat you can afford.

The positives of this service are that it’s the only direct coach operating on this route and is the cheapest and most convenient way to reach Phuket from Pattaya if you want to travel by bus and don’t want to fly.

It’s a fairly comfortable option as coaches in Thailand go, and the staff have a reputation for being friendly and helpful, and try their best to ensure people have a good journey with them.

Sawadee Travel provides a bottle of water and a blanket and they definitely provide a cost effective way to travel between these two places by coach.

Some of the negatives that you might want to consider before booking include the length of the journey as it is a long distance to cover by coach and people may find flying a more comfortable way to travel.

If you’re happy to take such a long journey be prepared for very cold air conditioning. Temperatures on the coach can be very low overnight and if you don’t have plenty of warm clothing and layers you might find this uncomfortable and struggle to sleep.

The coaches are reasonably well maintained although some people find the on board bathroom unpleasant and it may be worth waiting for the stop before using the toilet.

Most reviews of the service are generally positive, and it’s clearly a budget friendly options so as long as you don’t have unreasonably high expectations of what the standard of night buses in Thailand is going to be then you’re not likely to be disappointed.

For the price and the length of journey it’s a convenient way to travel this route without investing in an expensive flight. Having friendly staff who do their best to make you comfortable is another added bonus to using Sawadee coaches to travel between Pattaya and Phuket.