Going to Phuket for the first time - where to stay?

[coralia]

We have been going to Thailand for 16 years now, but we have never been to Phuket... For the past few years we have been staying mostly in Pattaya, because it is close to Suvarnabhumi and because it is a large town with supermarkets etc (we don't eat Thai food). Where should we stay in Phuket? Would Patong be the best choice? We want to stay in a quiet resort, but not in the middle of nowhere - we want to be close to supermarkets and 7 Eleven/Family Mart.  Please advise!!

Perhaps someone could also recommend good places to stay...? We are looking for a midrange place with a good swimming-pool.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[schlog]

Novotel Phuket Vintage Park in Patong.

[LivinginKata]

Depends on your life style. Quieter areas in Karon, Kata, and Kamala. Supermarkets and 7-11s everywhere. Search Agoda for a price to suit you.

[coralia]

I have searched on the Internet and there don't seem to be any supermarkets (Tops, Tesco) in Patong... Would it be better to stay in Chalong?

[Peterw42]

8 minutes ago, coralia said:

I have searched on the Internet and there don't seem to be any supermarkets (Tops, Tesco) in Patong... Would it be better to stay in Chalong?

Big C in jungceylon in the middle of Patong.

[LivinginKata]

34 minutes ago, coralia said:

I have searched on the Internet and there don't seem to be any supermarkets (Tops, Tesco) in Patong... Would it be better to stay in Chalong?

 

No Tops. But HUGE BigC, Tesco Express, Makro, think 2 SuperCheaps now.  2 Big Ones in the beach road area.

 

There is no shortage of supermarkets in Patong .. and 7-11 or Family Mart within sight anywhere  in Patong.

[Old Croc]

There's hundreds of restaurants that sell non-Thai food all over Phuket. It's possible to buy almost any cuisine from around the world, from English roasts to Mexican, Indian, etc. You can even dine in such classics as McDonalds, Burger king and pizza places

You don't have to prepare your own when on holiday. 

[Mysterion]

2 hours ago, coralia said:

I have searched on the Internet and there don't seem to be any supermarkets (Tops, Tesco) in Patong... Would it be better to stay in Chalong?

If you want relatively quiet, but not too far from the nightlife of patong, try karon or kamala.

 

kamala has a big c supermarket, and Karon has a makro market. Both places offer international restaurants and have better beaches compared to patong.

[phuketrichard]

kamala also has a tesco, fresh mart and 7- 7/11' s and a few mom and pop shops,weekly fresh market and 2 nightly markets.

[coralia]

Many thanks to all of you!

Is there any form of public transport in Phuket?... Songthaews... or anything like that?

 

[alex8912]

You mean in all of those 15 page large Thai menus you can really say you don’t like any Thai food?  You should spend a little time experimenting with the local food and less with searching supermarkets. It’s  not all spicy and almost any Thai restaurant will make it the way you want it. 

[whaleboneman]

I'm in Patong now. Yesterday I walked the beach and wouldn't dare dip my feet in the water as it's filthy. They have several penned off areas for swimmers but most of the beach is reserved for jet skis and para-sailers.

I will never return here again. The only place in Thailand that I found less appealing was Pattaya and since you seem to like it there, you may like it here too.

[Mansell]

On February 27, 2018 at 12:48 AM, coralia said:

Many thanks to all of you!

Is there any form of public transport in Phuket?... Songthaews... or anything like that?

 

Yes, they all seem to operate out of Phuket Town but go to Kamala, Patong, Karon, etc. Taxis are expensive on the island because they don't use their meters and just quote a price, much more expensive than BKK. The Songthaews to some areas stop early, so ask them when the last one departs. If you can handle the crazieness of Patong for a little bit, stay in  Kamala as Patong is twenty minutes away. Kamala is basically a one Main Street town.....it is okay, but not great. Good luck.

[Iem]

Join an Australian group called 'Groupon' then go to Groupon travel . There is a fantastic deal of 199 Australian Dollars for a very pleasant resort - normal price 1999 $ . We went for the week - it was fantastic value for the week . We hired a car for the week - plenty parking at the resort and allowed us to visit lots of places . You'll need to scour the  groupon travel site to find it as it goes on for several pages .. Phuket is not that big . we hired the car at the airport at one end of the island and used it to go to the resort at the other end- and back  to the airport . It all worked very well .

[Jimi007]

4 hours ago, Iem said:

Join an Australian group called 'Groupon' then go to Groupon travel . There is a fantastic deal of 199 Australian Dollars for a very pleasant resort - normal price 1999 $ . We went for the week - it was fantastic value for the week . We hired a car for the week - plenty parking at the resort and allowed us to visit lots of places . You'll need to scour the  groupon travel site to find it as it goes on for several pages .. Phuket is not that big . we hired the car at the airport at one end of the island and used it to go to the resort at the other end- and back  to the airport . It all worked very well .

The first time I went to Phuket in 2005. I too rented a car at the airport, definitely the way to go to get around the island as long as you have your head on a swivel and know that there are idiots on motorcycles that will pull right out in front of you at any moment! 

 

But after having a house in Rawai for 12 years, I guess I'm used to it!

 

By the way, Groupon is not just in Australia. It's been in the US for about 10 years at least.

[Iem]

By the way the resort I referred to earlier is named the 'Mangosteen Resort and Ayurveda Spa in the Rawai area which has plenty restaurants serving western food and a Tesco lotus . But the way to get the cheap price is through the ' Groupon Travel '  site !

[varunbhalla]

Patong seems like a good choice for you but it isn't really quiet (Barring a few areas in North & South Patong). I would suggest considering Karon or Kata. They have the accessibility to Supermarkets and are relatievely lesser crowded.

You should be able to find tons of mid-range beach sides resorts there. Also, you might want to check out this artcle I used during my trip. These guys have a quiz to recommend areas based on your preferences: https://www.ithaka.travel/blog/best-areas-stay-phuket/