When it comes to tourism and Thailand, it spells P-H-U-K-E-T for many people. That is pristine, white, sandy beaches — clear, turquoise water that is so warm it feels like a part of one’s body — and above all that feeling of being in the exotic version of paradise. Indeed, Hua Hin was Thailand’s first national beach resort, and Pattaya was the country’s first international beach resort. All the same, it was Phuket that put Thailand on the world map as one of the foremost ‘paradise’ holiday destinations — today, though in a rather exploited version.
The exploitation of Phuket started more than 20 years ago. Today’s Phuket is not only a beach vacation resort but also a booming property market for second homes as well as permanent residences. In recent years, so-called jet-setters have increasingly invested in real estate on the island, turning Phuket into a truly exclusive place to stay. Even if it is still possible to find properties for a few million baht (even below $100,000), there are more and more apartments, condominiums, houses, villas — and even mansions or near-palaces — exceeding 50 or even 100 million baht (that is more than one or even two million dollars).
So, what is then Phuket? Well, Phuket is Thailand’s biggest island (more accurately Koh Phuket) with some 300,000 inhabitants — officially registered that is. In 2007, almost five million (!) people visited the island. That means that out of the 15 million tourists that came to Thailand, almost one in three visited Phuket (of course some proportion of the total figure is made up by Thai nationals). Most of them arrived at Phuket International Airport, which is sited on the northern side of the island.
Patong — Advanced Exploitation
Phuket has a great number of excellent beaches. The biggest is Patong — likewise the most advanced, or exploited, depending on how one wants to put it. Patong is the only part of Phuket that is crowded also during low season. Patong has a huge beach, being both long and wide. Over-exploited or not, it still retains this unique feeling of one’s being inside a postcard — because the white sand and clear blue water undeniably provide exactly what you expect from a world-famous beach holiday resort. Along the beach is a lovely beach walk with restaurants and shops in the hundreds.
Perhaps Patong is most famous (or infamous!) for its ubiquitous nightlife. The center of it is Bangla Road that turns into a vast walking street in the evening. An easy way of summarising Patong’s nightlife is by using the word liberal, or maybe even better hedonistic; virtually anyting is available — and possible. Of course there is much to enjoy for families and couples, although some aspects and institutions are clearly targeting single males.
Thailand is renowned for having not only two but actually three sexes — males, females and kathoeys. On Bangla Road, they have their own soi, often referred to as ‘Soi Kathoey’. Among other things, they perform quite spectacular cabaret shows here.
Karon and Kata — Scandinavian Favourites
South of Patong is Karon Beach, a favourite among the Scandinavians. Quite a few restaurants offer menus in Swedish, or even (well, to some extent) Swedish-speaking staff. Karon also boats a really lovely sandy beach. In addition to sunbathing and swimming, most beach activities are available such as Jet Ski, banana boat and parasailing. Virtually integrated with Karon nowadays is Kata Beach.
Phuket City + Other Beaches
There is also a Phuket City. Even though some rather good shopping can be done here, there are not that many other reasons for visiting this rather messy and noisy city.
Other good Phuket beaches include the highly exclusive Bang Tao Beach, with numerous five-star hotels and spa resorts as well as high-end real estate projects and golf courses. Another one is Kamala Beach, with the nearby Thai version of Disneyland, called FantaSea, hosting a truly spectacular larger-than-life show featuring anything from a dozen elephants to trapeze artists and real canons. Nai Yang Beach, being part of Sirinath National Park, is a favourite amongst Thais.
Tsunami Tracks
Phuket was severely affected by the devastating tsunami at the end of 2004. However, since 2006, most things look the same — or even better — as before the tsunami.
