patong

hi folks

just 13 more days until we will be in phuket for the first time , as homer simpson would say ';woo hoo ';

we have got mixed feelings about going to patong , is it worth a visit , we are two 40 something year olds , we are not prudes but we dont want sleeze rammed down our throats or have we got patong all wrong .can any one advise .

we are staying at cape panwa so may be a trip to patong might shock us or is it a must do .

any info will be great .

many thanks

GAZZA

patong

Patong is not a must do, but its fun for trip. It is the main resort town, and while some sleaze is obvious it is not rammed down your throat.

Well worth the trip is Phuket Town, lots of interesting old buildings and some great places to eat and drink. No sleaze!

patong

Patong is a lot of fun. We spent 1 half night and 1 full night (till 3am) on Bangla Road bar hopping, just watching the whole ';bar girl'; thing. It was a lot of fun.

Not sleazy at all if you avoided the guys trying to get you into the %26#39;ping pong%26#39; shows.

Felt safe 100% of the time too.

Cheers

Wayne

p.s. 41 and 43 here

Gazza

We aren鈥檛 exactly 20 yr old spring chickens either, but we love Patong. Personally, I think Patong cops an undeserved hammering at times however at the end of the day it鈥檚 all about personal choice - some love it, some hate it. We have never found 鈥榮leeze鈥?shoved in our face however if one wants to go looking for it one will find it. Other than that it makes for great gossip when you鈥檙e back behind closed doors 鈥?come on, be real folks! Besides, there鈥檚 many great bars away from Bangla Road, some awesome places to eat and moreso some fantabulous shopping.

Think about it, you鈥檙e obviously wondering what it鈥檚 like, you鈥檙e going that far so what have you got to lose 鈥?take the punt and just go for a visit - you can leave whenever you want if you don鈥檛 like it. Head into Patong mid/late arvo, stroll along Beach Road whilst smiling nicely at the 鈥榠n-ya-face-tailors鈥? just don鈥檛 shake their hand (sleeze has nothin鈥?on these dudes, you鈥檒l see) - walk down Bangla Road (totally tame at this hour) then head down to the OTOP markets (southern end Patong.) Have a browse around the stalls, pick up a few bargains then plant your bums at one of the little bars (Quokka Bar being my personal recommendation.) Shakers is a great restaurant next to OTOP markets (across from Patong Merlin) with an extensive menu of Thai/western and huge servings. If you head the other way (northern end Bangla Road) do yourself a huge favour and stop in for a cold drink and great feed at Nicky鈥檚 Handlebar - service, smiles, atmosphere and food at its finest.

Gazza, then at least you can then say 鈥榶ou鈥檝e been there done that!鈥?It really isn鈥檛 as bad as you think, but you鈥檒l never never know unless 鈥︹€︹€︹€?.

Cheers

Tiff xxx

Thanks guys after reading your posts we are going to give it a go , like you say , we havent got to stay and we can go when ever we want to .

Thanks

Gazza

Hi Gaza,

I have to agree with Tiff on this one, and not just because we had a GREAT night in a bar in Bang La Road in October 2006! Can%26#39;t beat partying with the Australians!!

There%26#39;s plenty to do and see in Patong. The girly bars are more or less confined to Bang La road, and it IS well worth a visit for the experience! They won%26#39;t hassle anybody if you just want to have a few and do some people watching!

Away from Bang La, there are plenty of other great restaurants and bars. Molly Malones has great food and fantastic music. The Saxophone Bar is also popular.

Shopping is good in the OTOP markets and the Jungceylon shopping centre.

Have a great trip!

Joe

Good one Tiff.We love Patong and have only ever read bad reviews about it.We cant understand it. I have taken friends, family, my teenage sons and their friends and everyone has had a great time every time.

I wouldnt recommend Bangla rd late at night for little kids but its one street, go somewhere else.I will be staying in Patong in April for two weeks with a group of 21, cant wait.

hi

the cape panwa run a bus into patong nightly

it leaves hotel around 7pm and returns about 11.30 pm

it costs 250bt each return .

patong is%26#39;nt that bad.

the first time we went ,i did think we had arrived in blackpool (all the neon lights and loud music)and was so glad we were staying at cape panwa,and not patong .

but i must admit it quickly grows on you,

lots of shopping ,lots of really nice places to eat ,

and not really sleezy.it%26#39;s all there but not really in you face,bangla road is the place with all the bars, but still quite family friendly ,lots of families out and about.

last year my husband and sons went to watch the muay thai boxing there ,from about 8pm-till 11-30pm and i was on my own with my little girl out shopping in patong, and i can say i really felt safe,and not at all intimidated.

Age and inclinations have a lot to do with what you think of Patong.We are oldies and prefer to be far from it, going occasionally for shopping and to eat there.

Sleaze is not that obtrusive and is not the main problem with Patong (in my eyes).It%26#39;s crowded, noisy, brash and the beach is no great shakes.

You%26#39;ll be happy at Cape Panwa.An occasional trip to Patong (everything is open late) for shopping and dinner is not a bad idea. You%26#39;ll see it for yourselves.