Whats Life Like In Phuket ?

[seer67]

so apart from the beach and bars what other things/attractions are there ? also is there a lot of british people living there ?

[SoiSong]

Have a sniff about the net... The is lots of stuff to do beside hang on the piss and shag....However, I really do lots of other things I still find myself focused on the former!!

Mai Pen Rai

[Kimera]

so apart from the beach and bars what other things/attractions are there ? also is there a lot of british people living there ?

Check out the web sites its a beautiful place and Yes there are lots of British living in Phuket we are everywere in the world

[yabs]

yes its the best place

magnificent new shopping centre

Pizzahuts, Burger kings, Macdonalds, English pubs, jetskies

Its all you could ever wish for from a tropical paradise.

Some resort islands have the tendency to become overdeveloped and ugly but not so with Phuket,

especially its main resort town of Patong which oozes charm and has yet to become a tourist trap.

Enjoy

[Wolfie]

now now Yabs... be nice

[smartecosse]

patong does not reflect the bulk of phuket, as discussed in another post

to answer the ops question, its great - come on down

Some people (ok, a lot) like Patong, personally i don't. The best thing about Phuket is that as its such a large island if the "Patong scene" is not your cup of tea you need never go there.

Yabs actually live in a cave with no power, no electric, always walks rather than uses a bike, in enviromentally friendly, doesnt go in concrete building as they contribute so much to pollution due to the manufacturing process of the concrete and if you look real hard you can see the "green halo" around Yabs head

the beaches i go to have no jet skis, not that many farangs for most of the yr, little or no buildings around them, there are next to no bars and its nice and quiet for most of the time

[Ping]

This thread seems to have passed its use-by date, but in case you are still wondering, there is a thriving community of expats in the Chalong and Rawai areas, which are both relatively quiet areas (although they have their restaurants and a handful of bars). Generally, tourists who don't like the hectic pace of Patong generally head for Kata, Karon or Kamala (beach villages). A number of expats live in these villages as well. These have similar facilities/entertainments to Patong but on a far smaller scale. If money is no object, the north-western area of the island (not far from the airport) has some plush resorts, but don't plan on taking any visitors back.

[bangkokrick]

so apart from the beach and bars what other things/attractions are there ? also is there a lot of british people living there ?

I live in Bangkok and i have been to most of the Islands off Thailand over the years. last year i took my kids to Phuket against all the advice that was volunteered to me.

We had a holiday of a life time and one that the kids are still talking about almost a year later. They will be out here again in August and they insist that we revisit Phuket.

We stayed in the karon beach area which was quiet and in my opinion very beautiful. From there we visited Patong (only for the brave) and then we hired motor bikes to look around Phuket.

I really can not complain about anything. The hotel, food, beaches were great and especially the local people were very friendly and helpful. Most of the farang people that we met were from OZ, which limited the conversation to Cricket, Rugby and Fosters lager, but other than that they were fine.

I read a lot of crap about Phuket on this forum but i have never experienced any problems there. I would recommend a visit there anytime.

Cheers Rick

[Chantal]

Plenty of Brits. Would'nt live anywhere else. Love it here aside from Patong.

[seer67]

who knows 1 day I may get chance to come out and visit phuket ...

[Kimera]

who knows 1 day I may get chance to come out and visit phuket ...

You need to get away my friend, come to the Island, As the Thais say I cannot see when I die!

[Chantal]

Yes Seer and you owe me a bottle of wine or at least a beer!

[jdinasia]

Plenty of Brits. Would'nt live anywhere else. Love it here aside from Patong.

and even Patong can be fun for the odd night out!

[billythehat]

yes its the best place

magnificent new shopping centre

Pizzahuts, Burger kings, Macdonalds, English pubs, jetskies

Its all you could ever wish for from a tropical paradise.

Some resort islands have the tendency to become overdeveloped and ugly but not so with Phuket,

especially its main resort town of Patong which oozes charm and has yet to become a tourist trap.

Enjoy

[Ping]

People keep advising that Patong is not Phuket - and the original question was about Phuket. Patong has a fairly hectic pace but there are many other places on the island of varying degrees of pace. Readers who have not travelled to Phuket may gain a mistaken impression of the place if 'Patong' is used interchangeably with 'Phuket'. However, Seer will probably have discovered this fact on other threads.

[geriatrickid]

I used to be a regular visitor to Phuket pre 2001, until air travel became a nightmare. Started returning to Phuket several times in the past year. The changes are significant. Karon is still the jewel of beaches (and yes, my favourite).

The quality of tourists has really deteriorated with a trend towards the obnoxiously rude and litterbugs. The happy go lucky backpacker kids seem to have been squeezed out by the ever increasing costs in favour of those cheap junket types that attract the scum of europe, and the former east bloc. The fun australian types seem to have moved on etc. etc. Or maybe the world just got a lot nastier and I didn't notice it until now.

I still have 2 thai friends that have worked in Phuket for the past 5 years and they don't like the changes. There would have been 3, but 1 had enough of the high costs and moved north.

Phuket's infrastructure has not kept pace with the development and I am no longer considering setting up a 2nd home on the island. Something just isn't right. You can see it in some of the local Thai's faces. The atmosphere reminds me alot of Miami Beach last economic downturn.

I have a feeling unless Thailand puts some emphasis on following the example of tourist destinations like Costa Rica, Belize etc. they are going to squander the opportunity of attracting and keeping the desirable tourist/expat demographic. Countries like Vietnam and even Malaysia are coming on strong with their emphasis on going "green", law & order and infrastructure. Phuket had so much to offer, but it's as if no one cares anymore.

[Ping]

I used to be a regular visitor to Phuket pre 2001, until air travel became a nightmare. Started returning to Phuket several times in the past year. The changes are significant. Karon is still the jewel of beaches (and yes, my favourite).

The quality of tourists has really deteriorated with a trend towards the obnoxiously rude and litterbugs. The happy go lucky backpacker kids seem to have been squeezed out by the ever increasing costs in favour of those cheap junket types that attract the scum of europe, and the former east bloc. The fun australian types seem to have moved on etc. etc. Or maybe the world just got a lot nastier and I didn't notice it until now.

I still have 2 thai friends that have worked in Phuket for the past 5 years and they don't like the changes. There would have been 3, but 1 had enough of the high costs and moved north.

Phuket's infrastructure has not kept pace with the development and I am no longer considering setting up a 2nd home on the island. Something just isn't right. You can see it in some of the local Thai's faces. The atmosphere reminds me alot of Miami Beach last economic downturn.

I have a feeling unless Thailand puts some emphasis on following the example of tourist destinations like Costa Rica, Belize etc. they are going to squander the opportunity of attracting and keeping the desirable tourist/expat demographic. Countries like Vietnam and even Malaysia are coming on strong with their emphasis on going "green", law & order and infrastructure. Phuket had so much to offer, but it's as if no one cares anymore.

I don't necessarily agree with all that you say - I still consider Phuket a lovely island - but I agree that competition for Phuket's tourist purse from places such as Cambodia (Sihanoukville and other beach areas) seems to be increasing rapidly. I have not been to coastal Cambodia, but I understand parts of it are good, prices are more than competitive and that some of the issues you mention in repect of Phuket are less of a problem in coastal Cambodia. I am considering having a look in the near future myself. And I understand that you can own land there (no doubt someone will ocrrect me if I am wrong). It would be nice to read a direct comparison from someone who has been there recently.

Edited June 3, 2007 by Ping

[chickencurry]

Countries like Vietnam and even Malaysia are coming on strong with their emphasis on going "green", law & order and infrastructure. Phuket had so much to offer, but it's as if no one cares anymore.

It would be a sad day if we all liked the same countries and had the same opinions but I'm really struggling to understand the connection between Malaysia and law & order. All countries do their own spindoctoring of course (and no doubt I am affected by the spindoctoring spun out in the country I currently live in) but many, many people have commented on the increasing crime in Malaysia - I have heard personal tales of Penang and Johor. I like the Malays, love the food but do not feel safe in some parts of the country, or maybe I am out of touch - I haven't been there for almost a year.

[geriatrickid]

Violent crime usually increases anytime there is an increase in the young male demographic and when there is an economic downturn. My point was that Thailand is becoming increasingly violent. While it may reassure some to say, well it's just locals killing each other, a murder rate of about .08/1000 is not reassuring if you are from countries like Australia/UK/Canada @0.015, Scandanavia 0.01, whereas Malaysia's approx. 0.02 might be. Malaysia made a big step in long term crime supression by funding its educational and high tech manufacturing programs.

No I am not saying Thailand is horrible or crime ridden. it is still relatively safe. However, my point was that parts of Phuket have been severely neglected, sort of like what happened when 1970's urban sprawl occurred in the UK or US. There's been an influx of the type of people that will not contribute to the island's sustainable growth. I have seen too many property developments that in a decade are going to be money pit wrecks for the suckers that purchased units in them. The water system cannot support the growth. I honestly believe that there will be water restrictions and probably rationing within 5 years unless the development is curtailed.

Thailand is still my favourite SE Asia destination. I go there because I can be left alone, be in a country that still has wonderful people and enjoy some beautiful beaches. Phuket was once THE destination in Thailand. It isn't anymore. My fear is that complacency has arrived in Phuket.

[Sir Burr]

I honestly believe that there will be water restrictions and probably rationing within 5 years unless the development is curtailed.

There is enough rain-fall in Phuket to supply all the water it needs. Once the two new proposed dams with reservoirs are built, there should not be a problem. Waste management is a different matter though......

[Ping]

Hmm, should have checked my facts - cannot own land in Cambodia, but 70 year leases possible (I wouldn't see the end of a 30 year lease). Apparently land ownership has eased in Malaysia...