Kamala or Rawai?

[rulebythieves]

Hi everyone,

My friends and I are looking to relocate to Phuket in August or October. 

We want to be close to Patong, as we enjoy the night life. 

My question is - would you suggest living in Kamala or Rawai? On the GPS, it says Rawai is about 25 minutes away from Patong, and Kamala is 15. We have a friend living in Phuket, and she says it is more like 40 minutes from Rawai to Patong. 

Thanks kindly for your advice/input.

[Sundown]

Then why not stay in Patong? The only thing Kamala has to offer are a couple of nice front beach newly built bar/clubs/restaurants such as Intercontinental or Cafe del Mar and some old Aussie/UK pubs the rest is not noteworthy, the beach is ugly too.

 

Rawai has everything that Kamala has to offer, plus much more. The best thing to do is go see with your eyes and decide according to your preferences.

[rulebythieves]

1 minute ago, Sundown said:

Then why not stay in Patong? The only thing Kamala has to offer are a couple of nice front beach newly built bar/clubs/restaurants such as Intercontinental or Cafe del Mar and some old Aussie/UK pubs the rest is not noteworthy, the beach is ugly too.

 

Rawai has everything that Kamala has to offer, plus much more. The best thing to do is go see with your eyes and decide according to your preferences.

We have been looking at the price of villas in Patong, and they seem to be out of our budget for what we are looking for (pool villa, close to the beach, etc.) Our budget is about 45,000 THB per month.

[fiddlehead]

Some people love Kamala. 
Some love Rawai. 

Best thing for you is probably come here to see for yourself. 

Rawai has a bigger expat community, more international food restaurant choices, closer to Phuket town, more nightlife (in normal times anyway)
Kamala has a longer beach.  
Kamala is surrounded by mountains (and beach on the west of course) which means you have a very windy, steep road to travel in any direction to leave or enter the town. 
Some like these roads, they are fun on a motorbike. 
They are a game stop for others.  
Up to you. 
Come and see the difference before you make a decision you may regret later. 

 

[rulebythieves]

1 minute ago, fiddlehead said:

Some people love Kamala. 
Some love Rawai. 

Best thing for you is probably come here to see for yourself. 

Rawai has a bigger expat community, more international food restaurant choices, closer to Phuket town, more nightlife (in normal times anyway)
Kamala has a longer beach.  
Kamala is surrounded by mountains (and beach on the west of course) which means you have a very windy, steep road to travel in any direction to leave or enter the town. 
Some like these roads, they are fun on a motorbike. 
They are a game stop for others.  
Up to you. 
Come and see the difference before you make a decision you may regret later. 

 

Hi, 

Thank you kindly for the info. Looking forward to make the move and get in some relaxation time!

[Sundown]

1 hour ago, rulebythieves said:

We have been looking at the price of villas in Patong, and they seem to be out of our budget for what we are looking for (pool villa, close to the beach, etc.) Our budget is about 45,000 THB per month.

There is covid and Patong is a dead town, same will be in August or October. Plenty of empty villa and no night life anyway...

[ChasingTheSun]

If you are planning to live in Phuket long-term and have school age kids, stay in Rawai because it is closer to most of the international schools. Thats really the only reason to choose Rawai.

 

If you don't need to send kids to an international school, then focus your attention on Kamala.

 

Kamala is much closer to Patong, and it offers everything you could want/need for an excellent island lifestyle. 

 

The best thing about Kamala is that it has one of the best beaches in Phuket, and almost everything is within walking distance to the beach, so you dont need to worry about having a car or driving/parking headaches. 

[The Hammer2021]

Nightlife?

[DFPhuket]

10 hours ago, rulebythieves said:

On the GPS, it says Rawai is about 25 minutes away from Patong, and Kamala is 15. We have a friend living in Phuket, and she says it is more like 40 minutes from Rawai to Patong. 

Right now Google maps is more accurate that your friend. In the the high season in pre-Covid days traffic would double the Google maps commute time. Back then 40 minutes from Rawai would not be unusual. It's going to be a long time before traffic becomes much of an issue again. 

[Destiny1990]

Rent a villa in kathu..

[KarenBravo]

6 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

If you are planning to live in Phuket long-term and have school age kids, stay in Rawai because it is closer to most of the international schools. Thats really the only reason to choose Rawai.

 

If you don't need to send kids to an international school, then focus your attention on Kamala.

 

Kamala is much closer to Patong, and it offers everything you could want/need for an excellent island lifestyle. 

 

The best thing about Kamala is that it has one of the best beaches in Phuket, and almost everything is within walking distance to the beach, so you dont need to worry about having a car or driving/parking headaches. 

 

Here we go again........Kamala's very own Propaganda Minister.

[madmitch]

17 hours ago, rulebythieves said:

We have been looking at the price of villas in Patong, and they seem to be out of our budget for what we are looking for (pool villa, close to the beach, etc.) Our budget is about 45,000 THB per month.

It's a renter's market at the moment. Ignore the prices you see and make an offer.

[ChipButty]

One great thing about Rawai is you have easier access to many island just short boat ride as you drive along the beach road on a nice sunny morning the view is good, 

I think renting property in Rawai is cheaper,

Best to give both places a try 1 month in Rawai and 1 in Kamala see which suits you, 

Is Rawai cheaper for food and drink?

[digibum]

Variation on the question, but where would people say you get the most bang for your buck in terms of rental prices (sqm, quality fittings, etc)?  

Curious as I’ve looked at both and they seem very similar but wanted to hear other opinions.  

[ChasingTheSun]

17 minutes ago, digibum said:

Variation on the question, but where would people say you get the most bang for your buck in terms of rental prices (sqm, quality fittings, etc)?  

Curious as I’ve looked at both and they seem very similar but wanted to hear other opinions.  

Impossible to say because they are apples and oranges, no two towns alike.

 

Prices tend to fall allot the further you get away from a good beach.

[TimBKK]

5 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Rent a villa in kathu..

Why kathu over Kamala or Rawei?

[Tapster]

I've always thought that Rawai is too far from Patong for regular visits. I think you'd get pretty tired of the journey. For that reason alone, if Patong is important to you, I'd choose Kamala.

 

Rawai does have advantages to many people: several beaches to south, east and west, with different character; lots of restaurants and bars; Chalong pier for boats/diving; easy access to Phuket Town and a different style of shops, restaurants and bars; a very definite 'island feel', like really being on holiday all year!

 

If you really want Patong, you need to live close to it.

 

45k THB sounds like a lot of money for rent; I'm sure you could get a lot, for less.

 

As recommended above, try a month or two in each of your short-listed places, then you'll have a better idea.

 

????

[bojo]

I'd say this....................once you've landed,  got your bearings, got settled and assimilated, whatever initial choices you may have made may well change as will those of your friends that you are travelling with have too.  Close proximity to beaches may well have paled in insignificance. As others have mentioned..................just get here and get amongst it and for you as you haven't mentioned them, schools could well be a 'red herring'

[1FinickyOne]

20 hours ago, rulebythieves said:

Our budget is about 45,000 THB per month.

and what's for dessert?

[Destiny1990]

3 hours ago, TimBKK said:

Why kathu over Kamala or Rawei?

Its closer to Patong and less expensive then Rawai. And Kathu its more centrally then Kamala.

[Alex2554]

Kamala is a Muslim village so mosque calling for prayers will wake you up at 5AM every day

[zzzzz]

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

Its closer to Patong and less expensive then Rawai. And Kathu its more centrally then Kamala.

yea but u need drive 15+ minutes to get to a beach>

Quote

Kamala is a Muslim village so mosque calling for prayers will wake you up at 5AM every day

90% of hotels you wont hear a thing>  After living here over 20 years I dont even hear it

What makes kamala unique and I said it before ./

it was a village long before tourism arrived on Phuket, ( 60% of the people living here were born here) and staying or living here you can really feel it.

 

Rawai was home to the sea gypsy's before tourism arrived and you dont see them around much anymore  

 

As others have said, give both a look and decide>  for me, i love kamala and seldom drive to the south of the island anymore 

 

[KarenBravo]

The only place that wasn't a village was Phuket Town.

I lived in Kata when it was a village and just down the beach mud-track was Karon village.

Most of the locals are still there, but massive growth has now put them in the minority due to all the people working there not from Phuket.

[Lingba]

Kamala is closer but for me personally I like the vibe in Rawai better...

[ChipButty]

You should also look on facebook loads of deals on there, Kalim is near to Patong might suit you

[stevenl]

8 hours ago, Alex2554 said:

Kamala is a Muslim village so mosque calling for prayers will wake you up at 5AM every day

Also Rawai is a muslim village with I think 3 mosques. They never wake me up.

[JCP108]

If I were budgeting 45k/month for rent, wanted a nice beach nearby, and not too far of a jaunt to Patong, I would rent in Karon. Right now quiet due to pandemic-closures. But, close to Kata which has in my opinion the best beach on the island. 

[KarenBravo]

13 hours ago, Lingba said:

Kamala is closer but for me personally I like the vibe in Rawai better...

 

Blasphemy! 

[zzzzz]

15 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

The only place that wasn't a village was Phuket Town.

I lived in Kata when it was a village and just down the beach mud-track was Karon village.

Most of the locals are still there, but massive growth has now put them in the minority due to all the people working there not from Phuket.

what year was that? as i dont recall it that way in 83 when i first visited> 

 

[KarenBravo]

Just now, zzzzz said:

what year was that? as i dont recall it that way in 83 when i first visited> 

 

 

1985. Kata was indeed a village as was Karon and there was nothing inbetween. Just empty land.

Patong was already growing at a rapid rate, but Nanai had very few businesses. It was all houses.