Food on Phuket: cooking yourself or eating out

Cooking yourself pays off and feels more natural on longer stays — a week and beyond, especially with kids; for a short trip under a week, eating out is simpler and saves time on groceries and cleanup. The real factor isn’t budget, it’s whether the apartment has a proper kitchen.

How much do people actually cook on Phuket

Short answer: even guests who planned “no cooking at all” usually end up making coffee, breakfast, and snacks — three restaurant meals a day gets old fast.

Food outside the home on Phuket is excellent in both quality and variety — Thai, European, something for every taste. But eating out for every meal becomes tiring within days: sometimes you just want to boil an egg or reheat leftovers. Kids are rarely happy with spicy food three times a day either — more on that in Phuket with kids.

At what point does cooking become necessary

Short answer: the line sits around one to two weeks — shorter, you can skip cooking; longer, not having it gets inconvenient.

Under a week is vacation mode: restaurants, cafes, delivery, minimal chores. From one to two weeks, eating out every meal starts to feel repetitive and you want to cook something simple. From two weeks and on a winter stay, a kitchen becomes a hard requirement when choosing a place, same as a washing machine — covered in Apartments with kitchen and washing machine.

What to check in a listing

Short answer: “kitchen” in listings can mean a full kitchen with a stove and cookware, or just a kettle and a fridge — the difference matters.

If you plan to cook even occasionally, confirm the setup in advance: a stove, a fridge of decent size, pots and utensils for actual cooking, not just reheating. Every unit in the Mida Grande Resort complex on Surin comes with a fully equipped kitchen as standard — in every category, from Deluxe Pool View to two-bedroom apartments.

Where to buy groceries near Surin

Short answer: shops and markets near the complex cover everyday groceries — milk, vegetables, staples — without a long trip.

That removes the main objection to cooking: the fear that finding groceries is a hassle. In practice, grocery runs are quick, and cooking at home saves both money and effort on a longer stay — especially with young kids who have a set diet.

Cooking and eating out at the same time is normal

Short answer: most guests don’t pick one or the other — breakfast at home, lunch or dinner out.

Having a kitchen doesn’t mean you have to cook every day; it’s an option that saves money and time when you need it and stays out of the way when you don’t. Remote work from the apartment, where making lunch yourself between calls beats going out, is its own topic — see Working remotely from Phuket.

In short

For a short trip, eating out is easier and you lose nothing. From a week or two onward, a proper kitchen in the apartment saves money, time, and nerves — especially with kids. Every category at Mida Grande Resort comes with a fully equipped kitchen, so the only question left is how much you want to cook, not whether you can.

Questions about apartment amenities — Telegram @MidaGrandePhuket24.

Updated: 2026-10-16