Patong

Patong is the place that everyone associates with all of Phuket. It's got the bars, cheap little shops, and the tourists. It's also got a few nice restaurants, some nice places to hang out and play pool, and a few discotheques that range from beers bars with louder music to pretentious upscale venues.

If you’re looking for bars, there's really not that much to know. All you need is to take a walk down to Soi Bangla and you'll find anything you want within about five minutes. Of course, it takes less than a minute to find plenty you don’t want, so there’s a bit of work separating the wheat from the chaff.

Patong is actually in the midst of a transformation as Phuket in general moves a bit more upscale. The beer bars (read: front for girls) used to be the undoubted center of the whole beach. However, as the demographics have shifted from single men looking to not be single, if only for a night, to couples on honeymoon or romantic getaway, the venues in Patong are adapting.

There are still a range of discothèques available from bars moved inside and darkened to a new bread of club that has more western music and more of a vacation pickup atmosphere. The first group is represented by the venerable: Hollywood, Tiger, and Banana. The new clubs are lead by: Seduction, The Breeze, and The White Box.

Shopping in Patong is generally a Sisyphean challenge sorting the crap from the crap. Really, I don’t think there’s much of any value to buy there. I suppose that if Thailand can only be summed up to your loved ones at home by buying a vulgar or beer related t-shirt, then you’re in luck. I might be being overly harsh. If you go down some of the side streets, past the tailors, massage parlors, t-shirt shops, pirate DVD stalls, ninja star purveyors, copy Crocs shoe warehouses, and cheap watch rip-off stands, then you might find a 7-Eleven. But after that, in a little corner covered in dust and attended by an ancient Thai man, there might be a decent store—maybe.

Eating in Patong brings with it the same joy as shopping. However, there are a few good restaurants hiding amidst the horrors of poorly done “fusion” (read: western food with Asian hygiene and western prices) cuisine. Check out the eating out section for a few tips.