Looking For That Ideal Place In Phuket.

[spiceman]

Please help, coming to Phuket with my parents in Dec and would like some suggestions on where to go for that ideal place. We are not looking at Patong because its just to hectic and over commercialized-tacky, but saying that would like to be fairly close to visit one night. My parents would like luxury accomadation with a nice beach and would also like the option of walking out of the hotel complex drinking in few bars and restaurants. Please help.

[hkt83100]

[..] My parents would like luxury accomadation with a nice beach and would also like the option of walking out of the hotel complex drinking in few bars and restaurants. [..]

You might try the Moevenpick at Karon Beach.

[Cyrano]

My absolute favorite place in Phuket is the Thavorn Beach Village & Spa (http://www.thavornbeachvillage.com/). It's a tropical paradise overlooking the Andaman Sea. It's far enough from the craziness of Patong so you'll never be annoyed by noise, etc., and yet close enough to reach by a the free hotel shuttle or a taxi.

Honestly, Patong Beach is really only bad late at night and/or if you want to submit yourself to the chaos of walking down the sidewalk across from the beach where all those selling things are clamoring for your attention. But during the day the beach is fine. And in the evening there are lots of really good restaurants, some with mellow music outside.

I tried stay at the Thavorn hotel at Karon Beach and while it was nice I got bored after a day or so and found myself using taxi to get to Patong to sit or the beach or just walk around. (By the way, I'm in my 60s.)

If you stay at the Thavorn Beach Village and Spa you can get a villa that you reach via cable car. The rooms are teak & marble, there's a whirlpool tub on the deck, the view is spectacular, and each day you'll find your room graced with lots of tiny fresh orchids. And the food at the restaurant is outstanding.

Best of all I found the price to be more than reasonable. Check it out!

[keeniau96]

Avoid Patong, too much hassle and sleaze. Yes, there are some fine places there but one bad experience can ruin the trip, and there is just too much of that possibility around Patong. Karon is good choice with a number of high-quality places, same for Surin a bit to the north. The Laguna area is even further north and probably has the highest concemtration of large top-ranked hotels/resorts in Phuket; safe try but not very exciting.

[Wellington]

Avoid Patong, too much hassle and sleaze. Yes, there are some fine places there but one bad experience can ruin the trip, and there is just too much of that possibility around Patong. Karon is good choice with a number of high-quality places, same for Surin a bit to the north. The Laguna area is even further north and probably has the highest concemtration of large top-ranked hotels/resorts in Phuket; safe try but not very exciting.

If we were not resident and came back now on holiday

I would go nowhere else than The Boathouse, Kata.

[katabeachbum]

Please help, coming to Phuket with my parents in Dec and would like some suggestions on where to go for that ideal place. We are not looking at Patong because its just to hectic and over commercialized-tacky, but saying that would like to be fairly close to visit one night. My parents would like luxury accomadation with a nice beach and would also like the option of walking out of the hotel complex drinking in few bars and restaurants. Please help.

Nice beach with beachfront luxury hotel walking distance to nice bars and restaurants. Kata, Kata Noi or Karon. Some traffic noise at Karon beach. Maybe too quiet at Kata Noi.

Have a look at latestays.com

[paulfromphuket]

Surin or Bang Tao in December would be my choice, top quality hotels, close to the best golf, safe and superb beaches, many off hotel bars and eateries and only 25 min's to the airport.

Plus horse riding, 20 mins to marina's for boat trips into Phang nga and still only 25 min's to patong if you need a wild night. That why it the most expensive place on the island to live.Oh and the tuk tuk's are not too mean also.

[katabeachbum]

Surin or Bang Tao in December would be my choice, top quality hotels, close to the best golf, safe and superb beaches, many off hotel bars and eateries and only 25 min's to the airport.

Plus horse riding, 20 mins to marina's for boat trips into Phang nga and still only 25 min's to patong if you need a wild night. That why it the most expensive place on the island to live.Oh and the tuk tuk's are not too mean also.

yes, great muslim communities.

[GraemeF]

If your interested in a pool villa 300m from bangtao beach and close to all the things mentioned above please PM me and will give you further details

[cdmtdm]

yes, great muslim communities.

What do you mean by that comment "" yes great muslim communities"" beach bum ???

[losworld]

Agoda probably best for pricing.

[steelepulse]

If your interested in a pool villa 300m from bangtao beach and close to all the things mentioned above please PM me and will give you further details

That, or look at the 100 different sites that all show the same pool villas more or less. I've been approached by at least 20 of these sites.

[pagallim]

A good compromise could be Mom Tri's Villa Royale, on the small headland between Kata and Kata Noi. Choice of 2 beaches, and short distance (albeit quite a steep small hill either side) to get to Kata or Kata Noi (I'm sure they would arrange a 1 minute Tuk Tuk ride if required. Superb views though, and excellent food (Mom Tri's Kitchen). The Boathouse is good, but not as relaxing as Villa Royale.

Edited September 4, 2009 by pagallim

[pagallim]

What do you mean by that comment "" yes great muslim communities"" beach bum ???

Must admit, my favourite parts of the island have Muslim communities (Ao Por, Cape Panwa). There are still good places to eat and drink, but they don't suffer the overdose of commercialism that all the popular resorts suffer from. They also have probably the finest scenery on the island, though with the exception of Ao Yon on Cape Panwa, lack good beaches.

[LivinLOS]

Must admit, my favourite parts of the island have Muslim communities (Ao Por, Cape Panwa). There are still good places to eat and drink, but they don't suffer the overdose of commercialism that all the popular resorts suffer from. They also have probably the finest scenery on the island, though with the exception of Ao Yon on Cape Panwa, lack good beaches.

Kamala too..

[paulfromphuket]

yes, great muslim communities.

Yes full of friendly Muslim people too, the mosques are not near the resorts so never worry about the morning call, I would not be concerned about any other misconcieved ideas of Muslims that the uneducated still feel the need to push thereafter, but at least the taxi drivers are sober.

Phuket is acually in a slight muslim majority with more mosques than temples for you information.

[GraemeF]

If your interested in a pool villa 300m from bangtao beach and close to all the things mentioned above please PM me and will give you further details

That, or look at the 100 different sites that all show the same pool villas more or less. I've been approached by at least 20 of these sites.

thought he mind like to cut out all the bull of the middleman !

[sadman]

I have a house in Cherngtalay and tend to use the facilities at Laguna. It's been years since I stayed at a hotel there, so I can't vouch for the rooms or prices, but I do like the Sheraton Grande. It is pretty luxurious and has a nice beach and pools, plus it's easy to get to bars etc outside.

[steelepulse]

thought he mind like to cut out all the bull of the middleman !

My rates are the same whether they book directly through my websites, or via a booking website. I can't see why you or anyone else would be any different, although I would never jump in a thread and say "I've got a villa for rent, pm me", but hey, that's just me . Actually sometimes a middleman is preferred in that they can be the bad guy and insist on big deposits etc, whereas I would not be so harsh.

[katabeachbum]

yes, great muslim communities.

Yes full of friendly Muslim people too, the mosques are not near the resorts so never worry about the morning call, I would not be concerned about any other misconcieved ideas of Muslims that the uneducated still feel the need to push thereafter, but at least the taxi drivers are sober.

Phuket is acually in a slight muslim majority with more mosques than temples for you information.

95% of thai citizens are buddhist. 4 % are muslims

According to Jangwat Phuket, muslims are absolutely not in majority in Phuket. Mosques in LOS are normally small and therefore many of them in muslim communities, to be able to spread the word of Allha several times a day. Budhist temples are large, and therefore not so many.

Alcoholconsumption in Thailand is among the highest in the world, and majority of thai muslim men enjoy alcohol on par with buddhist men. Alcohol related hospitalisation at Vachira hospital is equally represented among buddhist and muslim men. Sober taxidrivers can be found from any religious camp.

All info from educated sources.

Thai muslims are very adapted to LOS traditions, like keeping dogs, eating food heated in same pan as pork (or just eat pork) and enjoying life like buddhists.

However, I have some friends working in some of the high end villas in the mentioned areas. The work includes accomodation. But since the female buddhists are frightened of going out in night because of the muslim men, they prefere to stay elsewhere whenever possible.

Muslim men would probably not frighten farang (just a few insidents with farang ladies showing too much skin), but they consider buddhist women available for their pleasure.

All in general of course. here we go

[paulfromphuket]

A quote from the rough guide.

. Many inland neighbourhoods are clustered round the local mosque – 35 percent of Phuketians are Muslim, and there are said to be more mosques on the island than Buddhist temples – and, though the atmosphere is generally as easy-going as elsewhere in Thailand, it's especially important to dress with some modesty outside the main resorts,

I have read the figue to be as high as 52% elsewhere but can not be bothered to find it. However it is clear Phuket has a lot of mussers. try taking your dog to nai harn or pan wa, it will be killed, you can't buy a beer in the 711 of kamala or Bang Tao

I have a lot of Muslim friends and when they visit I put my dogs out of the way they never drink and are some of the most honest Thai's I know.

I don't know what kind of people you mix with but they are obviously not the Chentalay Laguna types that I have no problem with.

Any way what was this topic about ? oh yes where's the best luxury accom on the island. Banyan Tree Laguna for sure, well maybe the trisara resort if the budget is really big.

[LivinLOS]

try taking your dog to nai harn or pan wa, it will be killed, you can't buy a beer in the 711 of kamala or Bang Tao

Erm.. Beer in 7/11 in Lala.. check..

Dogs killed for going to Nai Harn beach ?? Nope..

[katabeachbum]

A quote from the rough guide.

. Many inland neighbourhoods are clustered round the local mosque – 35 percent of Phuketians are Muslim, and there are said to be more mosques on the island than Buddhist temples – and, though the atmosphere is generally as easy-going as elsewhere in Thailand, it's especially important to dress with some modesty outside the main resorts,

I have read the figue to be as high as 52% elsewhere but can not be bothered to find it. However it is clear Phuket has a lot of mussers. try taking your dog to nai harn or pan wa, it will be killed, you can't buy a beer in the 711 of kamala or Bang Tao

I have a lot of Muslim friends and when they visit I put my dogs out of the way they never drink and are some of the most honest Thai's I know.

I don't know what kind of people you mix with but they are obviously not the Chentalay Laguna types that I have no problem with.

Any way what was this topic about ? oh yes where's the best luxury accom on the island. Banyan Tree Laguna for sure, well maybe the trisara resort if the budget is really big.

have to disagree with you. According to Jangwat Phuket, 18-22% of Phuket citizens are muslims.

In Nai Harn and Pan Wa and other muslim communities plenty of muslims keep dogs. I frequently bring my rottweiler to these places(actually all over the country), still alive.

My neighbors are muslim,thai/farang/kid, doesnt mean they want to live in a muslim community. Perhaps spend too much time in buddhist communities or abroad.

As for 7/11, go get some beer in any muslim community. Thats what the muslims do.