Patong Pictures
Phuket beaches, Thailand

Patong's 3.5 km beach early in the day, Phuket.

Superb soft sand and a pretty, protected bay hardly compensate for the hideous urban sprawl of this town of loutish touts, bar-beers (girlie bars), braying bikes and groaning herds of minibuses and rented jeeps. Fundamentally this is an overpriced destination for sex-starved single males, action sport addicts and package tourists who made a mistake. i.e. Pattaya with more sand and less girls.

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The midday sun on Patong beach.

That being said, Patong's sand is a treat for the feet and the sea is more protected from wind and rips than most other beaches in Phuket. Easy access to varied food and drink is guaranteed, too, as shopping for fake Rolexes (if the second hand moves in jerks it's a fake!) and 'silk' shirts that turn out to be rayon along with any other counterfeit product you can imagine.
It's fun for a while but the endless offers, entreaties, fake friends and whining demands soon overwhelm even the most hardened Marrakech rug shopper.

Amazingly Patong is Phuket's most popular beach destination. We can only imagine there are a lot of naive and soon-to-be-disappointed people out there. We would humbly suggest you get a hotel elsewhere and visit, enjoy the madness for however long it takes to overcome you and then retire gracefully to your own tranquil bay.

Plenty of colour, pity about the crowds.

On the beach touts will be renting jet skis, para sailing and all the other modern marine water sports equipment, but beware rip-offs when operators claim damages to the kit that already existed.

Plenty of colour, pity about the noise.

Plenty of colour, pity about the style. Bangla Road. Next, north Phuket beaches Photos.

Bangla Road is the 'straight' night zone and dark heart of Patong, with endless girlie bars, hawkers and hustlers trying for a fast buck with chained exotic animals, watered drinks, raging rock (appealing to an older generation remember!) and wonky, winking whores. The gay zone is Paradise Complex. No Songthaews after 6pm so bring your own transport if visiting from another beach. And bike drivers wear a helmet! (to avoid paying the police along with all the other hustlers).

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