Regarding transportation, one of the reasons I decided to stay in Patong long-term is because I didn't want to hassle with driving. Everybody seems to think that a person needs to either ride a motorbike or to use taxis to get around Patong. But I find everything in Patong to be walkable and I use the local buses and Smart Bus to get to other places on the island. It's particularly easy and cheap (30 THB) to take the local bus to Phuket town, and along the way you pass the major shopping in Phuket town: Big C, Makro, Tesco Lotus and Central Phuket. The local bus runs about every 30 minutes, starting from in front of the Patong Merlin hotel, and you can board and deboard anywhere along the route. The Smart Bus charges a flat 170 THB if you pay cash, or fares based upon distance traveled if you use the Rabbit Card. You can buy the Rabbit Card onboard the bus for 300 THB (100 THB fee and 200 THB credit) and top it off at the McDonald's at the back of Jungceylon. The Smart Bus stops at the Bangla Police Box northbound and in front of the Sleep with Me hotel southbound (just south of Jungceylon). The Smart Bus schedule and other information is online at https://phuketsmartbus.com/?lang=en.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like any further detail.
Rooms in Phuket.
in Phuket
Posted
Regarding transportation, one of the reasons I decided to stay in Patong long-term is because I didn't want to hassle with driving. Everybody seems to think that a person needs to either ride a motorbike or to use taxis to get around Patong. But I find everything in Patong to be walkable and I use the local buses and Smart Bus to get to other places on the island. It's particularly easy and cheap (30 THB) to take the local bus to Phuket town, and along the way you pass the major shopping in Phuket town: Big C, Makro, Tesco Lotus and Central Phuket. The local bus runs about every 30 minutes, starting from in front of the Patong Merlin hotel, and you can board and deboard anywhere along the route. The Smart Bus charges a flat 170 THB if you pay cash, or fares based upon distance traveled if you use the Rabbit Card. You can buy the Rabbit Card onboard the bus for 300 THB (100 THB fee and 200 THB credit) and top it off at the McDonald's at the back of Jungceylon. The Smart Bus stops at the Bangla Police Box northbound and in front of the Sleep with Me hotel southbound (just south of Jungceylon). The Smart Bus schedule and other information is online at https://phuketsmartbus.com/?lang=en.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like any further detail.