Patong (pronounced bpàa dtaawng) (หาดป่าตอง) is the largest beach resort on the island of Phuket. This article also includes Kalim, a series of small beaches just north of Patong.
Patong is a party capital of Asia, with a world famous night life and a great beach. Mostly made up of hotels, world class restaurants, nightclubs and various tourist attractions, this is a hedonists’ heaven of night life, with numerous entertainment complexes and countless bars clustered together in and around Bangla Road and the beach road. The town has a very obvious female, transgender and male sex industry to cater to every taste, however to only view it as this is a mistake, it offers so much more, for families and couples too.
Massage parlours of the erotic as well the therapeutic (Nuad Thai) genre provide less alcohol/drug infested venues for punters and wellness seekers. One can even find masseuses practising this medical art atop bamboo mats on the beach sands (100 baht and up).
Prices are higher than in Phuket Town, but there’s more budget accommodation here than at the more southerly beaches. In Dec/Jan is high season so prices are at least double for hotels.You will be lucky to get anything decent (aircon) under B1000 at this time.
This may not be a good destination for the average backpacker, except in the rainy season when prices are far lower. However this is not Patong’s stated market, it is fairly and squarely aimed at holidaymakers and does it rather well.
Rooming houses (‘mansions’) a few blocks inland provide nice, clean air-con rooms and suites as cheaply as 300 baht/day (less without air-con), or 3,000-10,000 baht/month. However Patong has every type of accommodation imaginable, from home stays to 5 star palaces.
