subject: Holiday Inn Phuket Resort [print this page] Patong is located on Phuket Islands west coast and faces the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand about 300 kilometres from the Malaysian border. Patong is the main tourist city of Phuket and one of the premier tourist spots of all South-East Asia with many referring to it as the 'Party Capital of Asia'. Patong attracts many international tourists every year mainly from Europe and Australia with many long haul direct budget flights now on the increase.Read for more patong beach.
There are now several direct flights from Moscow every week and Scandinavian capitals. Patong has it all from world class night life centred around Bangla Road to a 3.5 kilometre stretch of beach full of water sport and leisure activity. One of the most iconic images of Patong is the hundreds of sun-loungers lining the beach. This is a great spot for just kicking back and enjoying some people watching, be waited upon by one of the many touts selling ice cold beverages (including beer) and hot food snacks. Water sports along the beach include para-sailing, jet-skiing (read up about warnings on jet-ski operators before renting), beach volley ball & soccer.
Thailand is renowned for its great food and Patong delivers with an excellent range of dining venues. Joe's Downstairs and Sea Hag are 2 of the most popular restaurants frequented by both Thai locals and the ex-pat community of Phuket. Don't discount the street food where you can pick up freshly cooked chicken, lamb, liver, squid, prawns or a quick snack of corn on the cob. Patong is a shoppers paradise and the recently completed Jungceylon Shopping Mall is a must visit that boasts cinema complex, bowling alleys, food courts, restaurants, the Absolute Ceylon Pub with pool tables and live sport and over 300 retail shops with electronics on the top floor.Read for more patong beach.
There are many other shopping options from the night markets, O-Top Market or take a half-day trip by taxi out to Central Festival and Premium Outlet Phuket for the serious shoppers looking for bargains. If massage is high on your agenda then Patong has it all from the 5-star centres to the massage shops that offer extra erotic services. Its best to establish which service you are after before laying down on the masseuses bed otherwise you might find their hand in places that you didn't want. Phuket night life offers many options. Bars open at about 10.30am on the main entertainment strip of Bangla Road and at 6pm daily the street closes to all traffic and becomes a walking street.
Every night has a festival like atmosphere and the Sois (streets) that branch off Bangla Road open up and come to life where there are literally hundreds of bars, night clubs and go-go bars. If you prefer day-time entertainment then try out the ever popular Dolphin Bar that sits on the Southern end of the main Beach Road or the Aussie Bar on Bangla Road that contains many plasma screens showing all live sports around the world and had several pool tables upstairs. The main night venues for the serious clubbers are Hollywood and Seduction Discos. These clubs don't fire up until midnight so its not much point going before then. Hollywood is known as the place to easily find new friend, especially Thai girls. Many of them are looking to meet the foreigner of their dreams to sweep them off their feet and some are out to make a quick buck. Either way, it can be a lot of fun. Other popular night spots include Tai-Pan, Banana Disco, Club Lime and Rock City for the heavy metal fans. The Margarita Bar on top corner of Bangla Road is also popular for live music.Read for more patong beach.
