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Patong Beach on Phuket Island in Thailand.
Phuket - Thailand
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Phuket Island
Phuket means crystal mountain, from the Malayan word
bookit (bukit) and there are indeed many high mountains
on Phuket.
Phuket was also known as The Junk Ceylon, which, with variations,
is the name found on most old maps.
Phuket Island is Thailand's largest island and it is connected
to mainland at Phang Nga Province by the Sarasin Bridge
and it is considerably more developed than any other island
in Thailand. Phuket is located 850 km south of Bangkok.
It is 50 km long north to south and 21 km wide. The terrain
is incredible varied with high mountains (highest peak
is 529 meter), rocky headlands, long sandy beaches, tropical
vegetation and rubber plantations.
Phuket town itself is an interesting place blending Portuguese
and Thai architecture, with some good restaurants and reasonably
priced accommodation.
Phuket Province also has a number of offshore islands worth
visiting and it is also one of the departure points to
the fantastic Similan Islands. Phuket Province is very
wealthy by Thai standards and this is reflected in the
decent roads all over the island. In the center of the
island there is one of Phuket's last remaining rain forest's
and also a Gibbon RehabilitationCentere, both well worth
visiting.
Phuket has a population of 292,245 (end 2005) with around
63,000 living in Phuket Town. Before the tourist industry
was developed (from mid 70's) Phuket was known for tin
mining and rubber production.
Nowadays the tourist industry is the biggest income source
and the tourists are concentrated at certain beaches, Patong,
Karon and Kata Beach. There are in total 17 sandy beaches
many of them untouched by the tourist industry. If you
want to experience the original Thailand you do not need
to go far from the touristic areas. Some people find Phuket
very exploited and to touristic but usually they have never
been outside Patong and they belive that the beach on Phuket
is named Patong. Don't make that mistake. Its very easy
to explore the natural wonders of Phuket. Just to visit
the 17 Beaches will keep you busy for more than one week.
Weather
Phuket's weather is influenced by monsoon wind, warm
humid but pleasant all year long. There are only two seasons.
The rainy season lasts from May to October and the dry
season from November to April. There is generally a mini-high
season in June/July or July/August. Visiting Phuket during
the monsoon season is NOT unpleasant because most days
are rain-free except for showers in the afternoon.
Phuket averages 2540 mm of rain each year.
Statistics about the weather.
Swimming
Every beach on the west coast of Phuket offers excellent
conditions for swimming and bathing. But please be aware
that there sometimes during the monsoon season (April-October)
are strong currents. Red flags tell you that the beach
isn't safe for swimming. Ask the life guards if you are
unsure. There are always parts of the beach that are more
safe/dangerous. If you are caught in a strong current,
do not swim against the current, try to get out of it.
Swim along the beach instead.
Nude bathing is neither allowed or popular in Thailand,
so you won't find any nude beaches on Phuket. Women are
advised to keep their top on! Showing the body naked or
half-naked is something you don't do in public. Please
respect this Thai custom! Many Thais even keep their clothes
on when they take a swim, especially in non-tourist areas.
Patong Beach
 Patong
Beach is the most famous of Phuket's beaches and it has
the largest concentration of tourists. It is located on
the West Coast of Phuket. The
tropical beach is 4 km long deep inside a protective
bay, ringed with high green lush green mountains. The white
sand and the water is very clean despite this is the most
developed beach on the island. The bungalow complexes,
restaurants, shops and vibrant nightspots appealing to
all tastes are lined up to the seafront. This beach is
not recommended for those in search of solitude, but definitely
suitable for those looking for a lively holiday, this is
the party beach. There is a wide variety of Beer bars,
Discotek, Cabaret shows and go-go bars. Patong also has
a very lively gay scene, concentrated to Paradise complex
area on Rath-U-thit Road in front of Royal Paradise Hotel.
Rawai Beach
Situated 17 km to the south of Phuket town. Many locals
go to this beach for the excellent and cheap Thai food
available here. This long quiet beach is an ideal place
to stay if planning an offshore jaunt to Ko Hae (Coral
Island), Ko Bon, and Ko Lone. It is also close to the spectacular
cape Laem Promthep and Wat Chalong. There are a number
of nicer beaches also within easy striking distance of
Rawai. Rawai is about a 20 minute bike ride from Phuket
town or can be reached by bus from Phuket town.
Nai Harn Beach
This very nice beach with crystal clear water on the south
end of Phuket is home to the prestigious Phuket Yacht Club.
Before the explosion of tourism you could find very cheap
backpacker huts here and you can still find some reasonable
priced places to stay. This beach is still neither touristic
nor crowded. The middle of the beach is dominated by the
Samnak Song Nai Han monastery, which has obstructed excessive
development.
Kata Beach
 Of
Phuket's highly developed beaches (Kata, Karon and Patong),
Kata 17 km from Phuket town, is probably the quietest.
The beach is split in two with Kata Noi to the south and
the much longer Kata Yai to the north. Kata Yai is the
home of Club Med, and Kata Noi has a number of very up-market
places as well. Both the beaches are nice and the water
crystal clear. You have many restaurants to chose from
and some entertainment. A couple of Phukets most exclusive
restaurants, the Boat house and Gallery grill are also
found here. More quiet than Patong and Karon.
Karon Beach
South of Patong is Karon Beach, the second largest of Phuket's
tourist beaches. The majority of package tour tourists
will end up on this beach. Large resort complexes line
the road behind of the shoreline, but the long, broad beach
itself has no development. The sand is very white, and
squeaks audibly when walked upon. The southern point has
a fine coral reef stretching toward Kata Beach. There is
a regular daytime bus service to and from Phuket Town.
Ka Lim Beach
Is the continuation of Patong Beach on the northern
coastline just north of the rocky cliffs that separate
it from Patong beach. Ka Lim is a small charming beach
with rocky points and coral. Ka Lim is a quiet alternative
to the busy Patong Beach, yet conveniently near to tourist
services and night life.
Laem Sing
 North
the coastline after Ka Lim is a beautiful small beach without
bungalows or hotels, only a few small restaurants huts.
You can go here by boat from Patong or climb down from
the road on the hill top if you are going by motorbike
or car. This is the most beautiful beach on Phuket yet
very near to Patong, only 15 minutes by tuk-tuk or motorbike.
The name means Lion's Point but so far I have never seen
any lions here.
Freedom Beach
A ride in a long tail boat from Patong Beach out and
around the headland on the southern tip of Patong Beach
brings you to one of the most beautiful and isolated beaches
on Phuket. This is an isolated private beach with dazzling
white sand and a small restaurant that is open the public,
but the owner drives off visitors arriving by jet ski.
The coral reefs are among the best on the island so don't
forget your mask and fins. When you want to go to Freedom
Beach ask one of the locals on Patong beach about renting
longtaill boat and soon the owner will appear and you can
bargain for a price.
Kamala Beach and Phuket FantaSea
 Phuket
FantaSea entertainment complex Phuket FantaSea's attractions
combines Thai culture with high-tech special effects in
culture shows, magical illusions, circus acts, indoor pyrotechnics
and four-dimensional in-theatre effects. The construction
of FantaSea World on Kamala Beach begun with a 1.6 Billion
Baht budget. The opening was targeted for December 1997
but the economic downturn and weakened Baht boosted the
cost to at least 3.3 Billion Baht. The grand opening of
Phuket FantaSea was held in January 1999. The tourism industry
hopes "Amazing Thailand" will attract 3.5 million
foreign visitors to Phuket and that 2.4 million of them
will visit FantaSea. Kamala beach itself is 2 km long with
soft white sand.
Surin Beach
 This
very nice beach is worthwhile a day trip from Kama or Patong
as the beach has a number of good restaurants to choose
from and the water is very clear. You are also allowed
to camp on the beach for free. On Sundays a lot of Thai
locals go here for a picnic on the beach.
Bang Tao Beach
This is one of Phuket's longest beaches dominated by the
Laguna Complex. It was once used for tin mining, but has
since been developed into a luxury resort with no less
then 5 high class hotels with golf course and. There are,
however, alternative accommodations available outside Laguna
at the bay's south end.
Nai Thong Beach
 Naithon
Beach is 400 meters long and usually safe to swim at even
during monsoon. White and clean sand and only a few trees
where you can search for shade from the sun. All buildings
are separated from the beach by the road. Very quiet, No
shopping, No entertainment only a few restaurants and only
one resort. Next to Nai Thong are three beautiful, secluded
beaches. This is one alternative if you are looking for
a quiet and secluded holiday.
Nai Yang Beach
This 13 km long and unspoiled beach south from Sarasin
Bridge is a part of Nai Yang National Park. It was established
on 13 July 1981, and cover 90 sq. km. On 13 April every
year there is a turtle release festival when baby turtles
are related back to the sea by Fisheries Department. At
the same place throughout November to March turtles come
here to lay eggs.
Mai Kaho Beach
This is Phuket's northernmost and largest beach with no
real development. The turtle releasing festival also takes
place here so it is worth coming up in mid April. Ask at
the National Park Office for further details.
Festivals
Post Office
The main Post Office is located along Rath-U-Thit Road,
almost accross Aroonson Plaza. Weekdays open until 15.30.
Saturday until ??. Closed Sundays.
Telephone and fax services
Available at all the major hotels, but they are quite
expensive. There are a also a lot of shops
around Patong offering communication services.
Dial 001 for international call followed by country
code, area code and telephone number.
Country code for Thailand is 66.
Area code for Phuket is 076.
Area code for Bangkok is 02.
Tourist Police
There is a special Tourist Police in all major tourist
areas. They will assure your visit is as safe and as pleasant
as possible. Most tourist police will speak English and
a few will speak Japanese or other European languages.
If you become involved in a dispute during your stay and
do not feel you are being treated fairly, call 1699 for
the Tourist Police. They are very familiar with all the
local scams, and the operators who run them.
Emergency telephone numbers
- Ambulance - 212 297
- Fire - 199, 211 111
- Immigration - 212 108
- Marine Police/Sea rescue - 211 883
- Patong Hospital - 340 444
- Phuket International Hospital - emergencies 210 935
- Police emergency - 191
- Tourist police - 1699
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