Koh Sirey

The second biggest island in Phuket

Koh Sirey (or Ko Sire) is a small (20 square km land area) island off the east coast of Phuket Town. It’s attached by a short bridge from Phuket Town. So really it doesn’t feel like an island, more a part of Phuket. Technically though it’s the second most populous island in Phuket province, after Koh Phuket.

Sirey has been slow to embrace tourism although some speedboats depart from the island to Phi Phi and Koh Khai. The Westin Sirey Bay resort is also on Koh Sirey. A few large villas have been built, they are a sharp contrast the Chao Lay (sea gypsy) community in the Laem Tukkae area of the island.

Koh Sirey is not a place that tourists go out of their way to visit, there are no “must see” sights. It’s more of a laid back place that offers a break from Phuket, locals like to lunch at seafood restaurants there on weekends. The road that loops the whole island is nice to ride a bike around. There are some viewpoints, like at the temple with the reclining Buddha statue.

At the entrance to the channel between Phuket and Sirey is Rassada port, where ferries depart to Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta). Further inside the channel are Phuket’s shipyards, and berths for fishing boats.

After you cross the bridge onto Koh Sirey a platform has being built next to the road where long tailed macaques come out of the mangroves because they are fed bananas and nuts. You can buy bananas there.