Phuket Going Down The Toilet For Family Tourists?

[sayjann]

Back to the demise of Phuket vein.

 

I think many that bemoan the fallen state of Phuket are generally uninformed. I believe many think of Phuket the island as somehow only being Patong.

Phuket is a huge friggin island with many beaches and unspoiled places to visit that don't even have a taint of masssive over-commercialization. Maybe if the harsh critics of Phuket could take some time to leave the small town of Patong then they will see a very special island unfold to them. All you have to do is put down your tourist map and stop booking packaged tours and have a little adventure.

 

dragged this thread up.

as i've always said,Phuket is my choice of destination and always will be.

this thread is from 2002 and many things said in posts were very true at the times they were written.

in those days Patong was a cesspit but still a lot of fun if you knew what you were doing.

even now in 2012 it is a bigger cesspit but still a great place to have a night out.

after 2 visits in 4 months in recent monts i noticed it had certainly gone downhill in various ways and is now very upmarket with expensive hotels and high-market malls and shops springing up.

believe it or not but Patong used to be a quite quaint place to visit and great fun.

many places to go to get a quiet time even though you were only 100 yards from all the action.

 

now it is very built up and much busier with a HUGE influxe of ladyboys and their bars which occupy whole sois where once these sois had the type of bar which was quite and intimate.

and so many hawkers peddling their wares and many being a real pain in the arse.

but still a few gems to be found among the trash,just like anywhere.

 

but as many have said the place is an island with so much to see and do outside of the night areas.

you can easily visit the island and avoid the in-your-face sex industry and have a great time.

i noticed now that so many young couples were out and about on a night out and they were having a ball.

the young ones were having a great time interacting with the locals and certainly spending a lot of cash and it used to amuse me to see the young women flocking to the odd bar which had the pussy shows and loving the things they saw.

 

and during the day many couples with young kiddies just walking around/shopping/lazing on the beach during the day and generally relaxing.

of course Bangla Rd is different during the day and whilst many bars it's much quieter and quite a nice place to explore during the day....as long as you manage to get past all the Indians/Pakistani's who have many shops.

 

it is worth a visit for as i say so much to see and do and easy to avoid the nightspots if that's not your scene.

most of us here know what the nightspots are like and what to expect,so it should'nt come as a surprise.

[Redbaron]

I agree with you sj - my little guesthouse in Karon where I've always stayed was unrecognizable on arrival. As was the whole soi, the main road and the people. But it has been a few years, and once I got my bearings, had a ball as usual.

[sayjann]

I agree with you sj - my little guesthouse in Karon where I've always stayed was unrecognizable on arrival. As was the whole soi, the main road and the people. But it has been a few years, and once I got my bearings, had a ball as usual.

 

we all notice changes of places we know,and i know you have been away from Phuket for a while and if you only visited Patong for 1 night you will have noticed a big difference.

i like to walk around the new sois and have look and maybe a drink but i'm a boring barstard and like my regular haunts.

but i like to stay in Patong as everything i need is within 10 or so minutes walk.

but i do have good days out on various trips or lazing on the beach and just doing nothing special.

[Kiwi]

Hi,

 

Sorry to hear about Puket. My husband and were thinking about visiting next time we visit Thailand. Seems like perhaps we should not.

 

Cheers!

 

Hey,

 

Phuket IS GREAT !

There exist many a great spot to find - PEACE HARMONY- QUIET BEACHES- GREAT SURF- FUN THAIS- NO SEX FACTOR- WARM EMOTIONAL FOLK!

If yu wish to find the ''sex scene'' you will --- if you don't you won't.

Go sit on a south beach and take in the cheap food,cold beers,laughing Thais,etc etc.....it EXISTS.

 

Ten times to Phuket - AND TEN MORE TO COME.

 

Go have fun my son.

 

Kiwi.

[Guest lazyphil]

i agree phuket is a great holiday destination but i absolutly have to rent a decent car to get around to avoid very high priced tuk tuks. still lots of quiet spots around. nothing negative to say about it really.

[gobbledonk]

If anything, Stick is even more vehemently anti-Patong than he waa in 2002, and the mainstream media here in Oz have well and truly gotten onto the bandwagon post-tsunami. With the possible exception of Koh Phangan, I cant think of any Thai destination which gets more negative press than Phuket. I accept that you can get into trouble in any nightlife precinct, but I'm in no hurry to find out if the news services have exaggerated the negatives. Koh Chang is about as 'exciting' as I need my island hideaways.

[Flashermac]

The Rattanakosin Island is fine for me.

 

 

 

 

 

[sayjann]

If anything, Stick is even more vehemently anti-Patong than he waa in 2002, and the mainstream media here in Oz have well and truly gotten onto the bandwagon post-tsunami. With the possible exception of Koh Phangan, I cant think of any Thai destination which gets more negative press than Phuket. I accept that you can get into trouble in any nightlife precinct, but I'm in no hurry to find out if the news services have exaggerated the negatives. Koh Chang is about as 'exciting' as I need my island hideaways.

 

my last 2 visits(last Sept and the Christmas/NYE)period i found the place full of Australians,and it seemed the numbers of visitors from that part of the wold are going up.

i frequent a bar which looks like an Australian owned bar with all the colours green/gold,it's name and the memrobilia scattered about the place.

but it's just a themed bar and certainly attracts the Australian tourists as they think it looks like something like home.

met swome great Aussies in there over the days and many good times were had.

msany said they had come to Phuket because of word of mouth from friends.

[lozz17]

I think that you hear more bad stories in Australia because of the large group of tourists from Australia that go to Phuket .

The majority of them are families and honeymooners !

Apart from Bali i think Phuket would be the 2nd most visited place for Aussies !With direct flights !

Most single blokes that go to Bangkok or Pattaya dont go home complaining about taxi scams, jet skis ect !( only on web sites ).

I think Phuket is a great holiday place and have friends who go every year and never set foot in Bangla rd ect !

[Horneytorney]

I think Phuket is a great holiday place and have friends who go every year and never set foot in Bangla rd ect !

then they missed the essence of Phuket! nice beaches AND nightlife!

if you want beaches only, there are many better and cheaper places!

if you only go for nightlife, go to Pattaya