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Diamond Cliff Resort |
| 317 rooms.
A superior resort overlooking the Andaman Sea from its
hillside location climbing up from the beach. Plenty of
recreational facilities and just minutes from Patong's
lively nightlife. |
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| Kata Thani Beach Resort & Spa |
| 465 rooms.
Strung along its own private beach, this low-rise hotel
is located in lush green gardens with a choice of swimming
pools and restaurants. |
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| Merlin Beach Resort |
| 414 rooms.
Set around an island-dotted pool amidst 12 acres of palm
trees and tropical gardens, this beachfront hotel features
full facilites, including a spa and tennis courts. |
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| Pearl Village |
| 243 rooms.
The location on a sprawling 35 acre property filled with
beautifully landscaped gardens and next to Nai Yang Beach
and National Park Markes Guests fell at one with nature. |
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| Rydges Beach Resort |
| 255 rooms.
A wide range of facilities, two pools and a choice of
restaurants serve this newly renovated resort situated
on a superb, white sandy beach. |
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| Thavorn Beach Village & Spa |
| 194 rooms.
Traditional Thai architecture blends well with its surroundings,
and seemingly endless channaels of the pool snake through
the greenery, creating a mood of total relaxation. |
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| Amari Coral Beach Resort |
| 197 rooms.
Enjoy a room with a sea view and private balcony at this
southern Patong Beach resort with excellent sports facilities
including tennis, badminton and squash. |
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| Andaman White Beach Resort |
| 55 rooms.
Located on superb secluded beach, with villas set among
coconut palms. Reasonable facilities, including choice
of dining venues, weter sports and spa. |
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| Burasari Resort |
| 85 rooms.
Stylish boutique hotel set back from Patang Bay, yet within
easy reach of the beach and resort entertainments. Good
ambiance and friendly service, perfact for a romantic
getaway. |
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| Central Waterfront Suites |
| 39 rooms.
The design of these self-catering "Vacation Homes" affords
pleasant living combined with glorious waterfront view
from private balcony. |
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| Club Andaman Beach Resort |
| 270 rooms.
Accommodations include bungalows around lotus ponds, cottages
with terraces and rooms with ocean view. Enjoy a choice
of restaurants, two free-form pools and spa. |
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| Holiday Inn Resort Phuket |
| 405 rooms.
Set amid coconut palms on Phuket's popular Patong Beach
near shopping, dining and entertainment, the hotel features
a choice of restaurants, a spa and ample facilities. |
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| Impiana Phuket Cabana |
| 76 rooms.
These bangalows are perfect for families, and are set
amidst a lush botanical garden next to the beach in Patong
and close to entertainment and shopping. |
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Phuket
Island, frequently called the Pearl of the South is the largest island
in Thailand and is large enough to be a province on its own. A mountain
chain bisects the island north to south. On the western side lie the
dazzling white beaches of Bang Tao, Patong, Kamala, Karon, Kata and
Nai Harn with all manner of resort accommodations. Rounding Cape Prom
Thep at the southernmost point you encounter the working beach of Rawai
where the longtails, speedboats and some fishing boats anchor.
Coming up the sheltered eastern coast first is Chalong Bay where many
yachts berth, then on
up to Phuket Bay where the pier from which you catch the ferries to
destinations within Phang
Nga Bay is located. Phuket Town is also located in this bay. Heading
further north up the
eastern side of the island are Sapam and Po Bays, anchorage for many
yatchts.
Form this side, looking east you see
many of the islands for which Phang Nga Bay is noted.
The island is bisected north to south by highway 402. You can drive
around the island on a circular route from Thalang south through Phuket
Town, around Rawai and up the west coast with intersecting roads across
the mountains.
 
Chalong
Chalong
is the main gateway to the southern end of the island. Form Chalong
Circle five roads
lead out: north to Phuket Town via ChaoFa Rd East and northwest
to Phuket Town via ChapFa
Rd which goes past Wat Chalong; east to Chalong Bay, south to Rawai
and Nai Harn, and
west across the mountains to Kata/Karon. There
is a main pier Chalong, although it is currently under major construction
acts as well as an Immigration Check-point for incoming yachts. Many
of the dive operators depart from here, heading out to open water with
their student divers. Chalong is the centre for many
of the resident ex-pats on the island and has the flavour of a combination
Thai-European village. Some of the best seafood on the island
is to be found in restaurnts. There's a local morning market. And in
the evening, near the circle, is a vendor market featuring all sorts
of curries and Thai foods. Local buses
heading to all points of the southern end of Phuket
pass around the nearby is a motorcycle taxi stand.
Kamala/Surin
The
amazing theme park Phuket FantaSea is located at
kamala Beach. an experience you
won't want to miss. There's a nine-hole golf course at Surin Beach where
sunset golf can be a
one-in-a-lifetime event. Surin Beach has a very strong undertow and
it is not recommended for
swimming. Kamala Beach is relatively undeveloped and has more
of a Thai village atmosphere
than many of the other beaches.
Nai Harn
Nai
Harn Beach, home to the Phuket Yacht Club, is a secluded
area near the tip of the island and is home to many of
the ex-pat residents. During monsoon season
swimming can be dangerous here as there is a steep
drop-off close to shore and a strong undertow.
There are some great little eateries tucked
away near the beach. The sunset view from Prom Thep
is spectacular.
 
Bang Tao
Bang
Tao lies between Kamala/Surin to the south and Nai Ying to the north
and is where some
of the most luxurious resorts on Phuket are located. The winding road
through here is beautiful: lined with trees
and flowers, passing canals and along the sea.
There
are many upscale sports and health facilities in this area
including a riding club, a golf
course (Banyan Tree), herbal spas and a skills challenge course (The
Quest). You don't have to
be a guest at one of the resorts to enjoy indulging
in many of the facilities. And the scenic
drive is free!
Nai yang
Nai
Yang Beach, combined with Mai Khao Beach to the north, is the longest
stretch of sandy
beach on the island, covering 9km. It is
here the giant sea turtles who, throughout the dry season,
October through February, come ashore to lay their eggs. One of
the activities of the Songkhran Featival in April is to release
turtles back to the sea. There
is great swimming and snorkelling along this beach with access
to Phuket Camp ground and Nai Yang National
Park. There's great golfing east at Blue Canyon Golf Club and the airport
is out this way too.
Rawai
Rawai
Beach lies around Cape Prom Thep from Nai Harn and is a working
beach. Here you will
find traditional longtail boats and modern speedboats
for hire. Also along here are many Thai
beach restaurants where you sit on mats along
the water's edge eating grilled chicken, fish,
clams and mussels, whatever's the fresh catch of the day. On the weekends
many of the local Thais come here to picnic and vendors roam up and
down,
selling everything from sausages and dried
squid to ice cream, fresh fruit, sodas and shaved
ice treats. At the east end of this are a number of shops
selling sea shells and other tourist
items. A
sea gypsy village is located at the east end but it is not recommended
to visit these people
who are in the process of being supplanted by tourism. A couple of hotels
and bungalow resort
are found along Rawai with their accompanying restaurants.
A
beach and town with something for everyone
Not so
long ago, less than 15 years in fact, Patong was a quiet
Muslim fishing village. Today the mosques are tucked behind the
numerous buildings that crowd Patong, hotels, restaurants, street stalls,
food shopping centres, bars and clubs.
The
6km long, white sand beach itself, during the rainy season, is empty
of its colourful
umbrellas and is buffeted by big waves.
Watch for the red flags for they warn of dangerous
swimming conditions. But there's still plenty of opportunity to
achieve that perfect suntan- it
doesn't rain all the time!
Patong's eateries continue open,
offering just about every ethnic flavour
you can
imagine. There are high cost estaslishments right down to Thai
food stalls and roadside noodle
stands. Seafood, naturally, is served in many ways and many styles.
It's an exhilarating experience to sit, enjoying a delicious
meal, while watching the lightning flashes illuminate
the turbulent sea.
Hotels, resorts,and bungalows
all drop their prices during rainy season so it's a bargain time of
year in Phuket. The pace is generally slower.
For nightlife,Patong is known as
Party Central. There is everything from pubs
and discos to jazz, cocktail lounges and
Go-Go bars.
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