Has Phuket become another Pattaya yet?

[JaiDee]

I haven't been down to Phuket for a few years; odd considering it used to be my favorite place not only in Thailand, but in the whole universe!

At that time, 2007 or so, Patong Beach seemed to be heading in the direction of becoming another Pattaya, albeit with a better main beach. It was much more pricey than when I first found it back in 1999 as well; seems like the secret is long out and the Russkie's and other eastern Euro-trash like spending their time and money there, and the hotel and food/clubbing prices reflect that now.

Thinking of giving it another shot this winter, to see exactly how much it has changed and how expensive it is, etc....most likely starting in the south around Kata and Karon, eventually getting up towards Surin and points north; minimal time in Patong but for sure want to check that out for a day or 3 as well.

Any recent visitors to Phuket, or even better any ex-pats who have put down some roots there, your comments are appreciated.

[Vee]

I am led to believe there are large numbers of antipodean gentlemen of a youthful rowdy disposition in Patong often. More so than in other parts of Los.

[Luung]

Nice to see you back Jai Dee!

I went to see some friends in Phuket for a month last year & believe me Patong was throughly vile & just as foul as Pattaya can be... On any given day of the year!

Has Vee said, there's a particular brand of Aussie arsehole trawling the place at the mo & plenty of psycho, punchy looking, dysfunctional types with tattoos all over their faces & all that kind of shit. I thought the ladyboy action was really 'jank' too!.. In fact I used to content myself with poaching the LB massage girls on the beach, they were just a lot cleaner looking & far more pleasant!.. I never thoought I'd hear myself say this, but give me pattaya any day of the week, at least you can stick to your own type of scene there & stay away from the misfits & freak show.

Anyway, I had a great time in Raywai at the Southern tip of the Island, really laid back & interesting without being backpackerish, there was some nice LB's floating around too both in & out of the bars & some pleasant folk knocking about if I felt in need of some conversation... It was cheap, fun, unpretentious & friendly... Very un Phuket... It was cool!

[JaiDee]

The main reason I want to check it out is because of the beaches, they are much better quality than in the Pattaya area; even Jomtien is so-so in my opinion, the beaches on Phuket are all really nice [at least from when I used to go there regularly].

I think the freaks you mention mainly hang around Patong, which has indeed become a craphole lately; too bad, it used to be a great place a while back. When I stop by the island for a week or 2 this year I will probably give that place a wide berth.

[Hefe]

Any suggestions for a good area to hang out in Phuket that has some nightlife diversions & ladyboys besides Patong?

If the answer is to grab a girl from Patong & head out.... what is the best place to go with nice beaches, some good food, a few bars & not too expensive? Rawai?

[JaiDee]

The good news about Phuket is that they have about 30 miles of west-facing beaches, which get the sunset every night at about 630 and are absolutely beautiful. Take your date 5 or 6 miles either north or south from Patong and you will find [relatively] quiet paradise; Kamala and Surin to the north and Kata/Karon and Rawai to the south.

Above Surin the high-end resorts have bought up a lot of that land and have monopolized the place; Laguna Phuket and The Palms and several others cost between 5000 and 10,000 baht per night and paupers like us are not allowed to use their beaches. Damn shame, I remember not long ago when they were all virgin beaches for the taking.

I need to do some investigative work on the island, it's been a while so I think I will spend 2 weeks there this winter at some point and really give it a look-see; will report my findings back here.

[janabiyah]

I spent a couple of weeks in Phuket last year (patong) and wouldn't go back again.

While there is great LB action in a few bars such as C&D and a terrific LB massage place which had just opened, it gets old very quickly as the choice is very limited compared to Pats.

The other thing that irked me was the rip off taxi drivers, tuk tuks etc. There is no baht bus system, so everytime you want to travel you have to hire a tuk tuk or a taxi and they look for outrageous prices from falangs.

Finally the food, generally crap. Dined out every night and tried many restaurants, way below Pats standard. Maybe I should have gone to Kata or Karon for a different experience.

[JaiDee]

wow, that is really a damn shame!

I remember when Patong was heaven on earth, not all that long ago either; now reports like yours are all too commonplace

I still need to check out the island in general, to either count it in as a potential place to live permanently or to cross it off my list all together. I spent the last 5 high seasons on Koh Phangan but have now tired of the place, it's time to find a new island or city to start calling winter home. BKK, Phuket or the far north, the Chiang Rai area, are in the lead right now.

*Check the Thai Visa forums if you want to read more discouraging reports about the Tuk- Tuk "mafia" [what a joke] in Patong; they have one of the worst reputations of any group of people in Thailand for ripping off falangs! 9 or 10 of 'em just put a Swedish guy in the hospital with serious injuries by kicking the crap out of him for trying to only pay 100 of a 200B fare.

I think the taxi drivers on Samui are just as bad, damn thieves.....as usual, 'cycle rentals rule the day.