What Is The Best Area In Phuket To Live?

[Siki]

Hello Everyone:

I am from Bangkok and will be looking to move to Phuket during the summer months (probably August).

What area of Phuket would be the best to consider for long term living? I don’t want to get into a high end area because I still need to have money to go diving.

What are your personal favorites? What areas would you avoid? I recognize that these are rather personal decisions but it would help me to hear other peoples thoughts on the matter.

Aloha

Siki

[LivinginKata]

Given your criteria then I would recommend the Chalong area. Good range of rental accomodation from budget to expensive, good infrastructure with plenty of shops, eateries, etc. Diving central jump off point.

[Zeid]

i used to live in kathu, and driving to chalong did not take long.

phuket city close as well as patong,

[harleyclarkey]

I'm happy in Chalong. Everything close by and a few minutes to Malls, beaches, nightlife, etc. However I fancy Kata and especially Kata Noi......but latter expensive.. ..upmarket stuff!!

[Macx]

You probably know already, but Aug, Sept, and Oct are "usually" the heavy rain months. No big deal though.

Ditto. Chalong is a good place.

[Zpete]

I base my hols in Chalong, laid back, some neat bars.

lotsa good eateries of all types.

Cheap accommodation is available for real.

Easy peasy to get most places using local "buses', if that wot they are called, trucks more like it.

Give it a shot, have a look around.

[donna]

i lived in kathu in the middle of the island. for me, it was great as it was central to everything. not too far from the beach, close to the supermarket etc.

[phuketsub]

I don't care much for Chalong and wouldn't recommend it unless you like having to drive everywhere. Phuket City is the cheapest and most convenient, and not much further to nice beaches than Chalong.

Chalong is also very inconvenient to both Patong and anyplace in the north of the island.

Just my opinion.

[Quero]

I live not too far from Chalong Circle and find it both very pleasant and convenient. I can find just about everything I need very nearby and don't need to drive long distances to Patong (nothing for me there anyway), and since I dive more than I go to the beach, I would rather be nearer the pier than to a beach on the western coast.

[LivinLOS]

Its almost impossible to define for someone else the ideal place because its a very personal balance between services, peace, beaches, costs, etc..

Also if your a drinker and like the nightlife what is the balance for driving / getting home and how much is the desire to be out and about balanced by a need to be within transport options of places to do so.

I like to have the selection of restaurants and shops (as well as bars and clubs) that Patong has.. But I couldnt live down in the town, drive me nuts.. Disliked Kamala for a whole bunch of little reasons.. Really liking a new place in Kathu, best balance so far, Patong is 5 mins away, easy access to all the main supermarkets and tech bits (big C, Tesco, homepro etc).. For me this is a good balance, the madness is there when I want it but just far enough away to stop me being there all the time, if I am going to the beach I drive off to a little private one anyway.. For me its the right compromise but everyone has a different emphasis on what they need or want.

[MustaphaMond]

The entire southern portion of the island is now a traffic jam. I would go up toward Bang Tao and Cherng Telay.

Very cheap housing can be had ( I pay B 8000 for Thai style , no AC, 3 bedroom ) if you aren't afraid to live amongst Thais.

There is shopping nearby and the resorts and village of Laguna for mixing w the fellow aliens, Cherng Telay for hanging with locals.

Also Bang Tao beach is stunning ( still) about 8 kilo long and has a vast variety of eateries and sports. 1 k Surin Beach is also close by , but is now way too crowded in season.

If malls are your desire you can drive to Central in the same amount of time from Rawai, etc, with less traffic hassle, though at 5 o'clock it gets a little crowded on the main drag through Cherng Telay and the road out of Laguna

Tesco has just opened an " Express" store but it has little in the way of imported food though has fresh meats and sushi .

Nearby Big One ( at 1/10th the size )has a better variety of foreign foods, cheeses and chocolate. There are oodles of foreign business, wine shoppes , eateries, bars etc..

Supposedly a shopping centre is coming with movie theatres but I haven' seen any progress on that since the land was cleared last year.

Edited April 22, 2008 by MustaphaMond

[stevenl]

The entire southern portion of the island is now a traffic jam. I would go up toward Bang Tao and Cherng Telay.

As usual a very exagerated remark from Mustapha. Plus of course, from Bang Tao it is a one hour drive to the pier, so not exactly ideal for diving.

If diving is the most important thing: Chalong, if you also like more eateries and things to do, consider Kata or Rawai. Both are within 15 minutes from the pier.

[MustaphaMond]

As usual a very exagerated remark from Mustapha. Plus of course, from Bang Tao it is a one hour drive to the pier, so not exactly ideal for diving.

If diving is the most important thing: Chalong, if you also like more eateries and things to do, consider Kata or Rawai. Both are within 15 minutes from the pier.

TO is asking for opinions and every time I've been there is nothing but cars and motorcyles ,I can even tell the difference in quality of air.

Also crime is worse in Rawai and Kata, the road to Patong is notorious for snatching and worse. How many have been injured?

having Laguna here has some effect on the efficiency of police , I believe

btw, Chalong area has the ugliest beach in Asia, I'm sure

TO

Be aware perhaps Stevenl is attempting to dissuade you from my opinion because he is hostile toward me for other posts.

[stevenl]

Be aware perhaps Stevenl is attempting to dissuade you from my opinion because he is hostile toward me for other posts.

I don't agree with you in the other posts, but I have not posted in those threads nor will I.

And I really don't know where you got that impression. Main thing: the op is asking about diving, and recommending Bang Tao for that is about the worst recommendation you can give.

[LivinginKata]

Be aware perhaps Stevenl is attempting to dissuade you from my opinion because he is hostile toward me for other posts.

Well, I've never been involved in your posts..... but I consider many of your posts to very self opinionated, and to suggest that Bang Tao would be a good option for the OP, well that's ludicrous for someone interested in diving.

[LeungKen]

I really feel that you should carry out your own reconnaissance and fact finding tour as what appeals to one does not always appeal to another. There many places on the island that fit with in your parameters but only you can decide what is most suitable to you.

I will not be pushing where I live as I'm happy for it to stay quiet and relatively undeveloped.

Cheers & Good Luck with your quest....

[phuketsub]

Perhaps Cherng Talay will become the diving hotspot once they dump all those old aircraft offshore there

[LeungKen]

.

We never heard a word again from Siki after his/hers opening post, I wonder why ?

[HDRIDER]

HI

He must be confused

[Siki]

HI:

Yes, I am confused but I appreciate all the comments.

Where I am set-up in Bangkok I don’t need a car but living in Phuket would be a challenge without a car. If I have car it doesn’t seem to matter where I live. Would most of you agree with this?

Right now I am getting set up for a dive trip but I would appreciate hearing from people who would suggest areas to avoid.

Thanks again.

Aloha

Siki

[LivinLOS]

Disagree that it doesnt matter where you live if you have a car..

Tho as I said before.. Finding the right balance of nightlife, facilities, shops, dive boat leaving sites, etc is very personal. Its almost impossible to answer that for someone else as very slight changes in preference would serve different areas better.

[Quero]

I have places both on Phuket and in Bangkok, and like you, don't have any need of a car in Bangkok at all. Here on Phuket I'd find it quite a challenge to live without the ignition key of some form of motorized vehicle. A lot of people opt for motorbikes; I drive a car.

Like L-LOS, I don't think it's true that as long as you have a car one place is as good as another, though there are beautiful places to live all over the island. It's a fairly big island, and if you'll be diving frequently year round, the southern end of the island is where you want to be even if you have a car. While dive ops will go to pick you up at no additional charge if you live in the Kata/Karon, Patong, or Chalong areas, you will probably want to drive if you live elsewhere. From both the northern areas as well as some southern ones like Phuket City, Cape Panwa, and Nai Harn you either need to find your own way or pay a surcharge to the op for transportation. From the northern end of the island, you also have to put up with heavy traffic in the mornings and evenings all along 402 (including the Bypass Road/Chao Fa Road) to and from the dive pier. The drive might take an hour or more. From Cape Panwa or Nai Harn, it will take maybe 15 or 20 minutes even with heavy traffic; from Kamala perhaps half an hour.

What places to avoid? The ones that drive you nuts with whatever drives you nuts. Maybe if you tell us what that is....

[geriatrickid]

Bang Tao is wonderful if you are older and into a quiet life and it has a great beach. I'm not a diver, but the area didn't strike me as being full of divers. (Golfers yes.) I don't drive here so I stay in Patong (no rude comments please ) Beach is crap but does the trick when I get depressed and I'm addicted to Carrefour and Jungceylon. What I often do is go to Karon Beach just for the joy of the squeaky white sand and sedate respite. Traffic is frustrating and if you are wise, select the area where you would have to drive the least. I could call Rawai a place where old people go to die and someone would say, hey numbnutz, it's great for us and offers everything we need so shaddup. And they would be right because it's all about meeting one's needs. Suggest you list the 5 characteristics you place a priority on and then deal with it by considering what each locale has to offer. Maybe the one spot which isn't #1 on the list can meet most of the needs. Maybe something on the other side of the island like Ao Po or Ao Kung would do the trick. I'm biased because I only stay on my side of the island so what do I know? There are people inTV that know every corner of this island and can give you good advice. Consider renting short term first to see if you like it before signing long term. I got suck in a slum of an apartment. Looked good on paper and when I visited, but 1 day after getting in, I met some of the neighbours and let's just say, it was disquieting.

[LivinLOS]

I always joke with some friends about Nai Harn being 'Gods waiting room' but recent experiences have shown me its not as bad as I make out as long as it not the neon and 'herro handsome maaan' bars your after.. I too am sort of addicted to the amenities of Patong, but part of that addiction for me is having a wide veriety of restaurants at your doorstep which doesnt really exist anywhere else on the island. Visiting friends in Nai Harn we had some ok places to eat, some ok bars round in Rawai, enough if your not doing that every tnight, but you also had much more peaceful feeling. Its all about balance.

I have another mate who has a superb absolute beach front home on the Ao Yon / Panwa loop (for pennies too).. The localle is superb, its 10 mins from phuket town and only a little more to Chalong yet is very much a road to nowhere with no through traffic. However its lacking even a 7/11 and for me, who eats out every night, would simply not fit my lifestyle. For someone who just wanted a peaceful life tho, who cooked at home, who maybe had a family, its an amazing spot.