Phuket - is it a poor third?

[divertwo]

..tried Phuket for the first time in May for 4 days(was with a LB friend). Did some diving..rated 7 out of 10. Bangla street was fun with enough LB's to keep someone busy for a few days. Did a motorbike rental and explored all the beaches south and up the east side and have to say that after hearing all the raves I was a bit disappointed...but then everything is relative. I compare the beaches to what I have here in Hawaii....not what is offered in the UK or Europe. I understand that further south and on the other islands(Phi Phi)...the beaches are better. I was bored one morning in Pattaya so I sat thru a time share pitch.....now I have a free week at a condo in Phuket or Samui.......I imagine if I actually use it, it will be Phuket and I will NOT take a friend next time.

[stogie bear]

(Torurot @ Oct. 31 2007,19:33) Stogie, get Ozzi to take you down there..

That's a good idea. Maybe sometime next year we'll do that.

[donnnnnny]

I  agree  if  its  booze and  tarts only  go to pattaya. if you want CLEAN  quiet  beaches(not patong ) then there are plenty of small out of the way  beaches like lam- sing and paradise beach. But you need to be adveturous, and we all know the  bear  is  not. lmao  he's  been on a trip round the world if he  rides the sky train  from on nut to nana .
there are no where  near as many   american fast food chains in phuket as in bangkok, so you  might starve there mate)   plenty of  wonderfull thai food,( had a wonderfull   raw crab  dish on the beach 90 bhat for 2  crabs with a thai salad and some wonderfull taisting vingary marinade)
One draw back in phuket these days there seems to be an increasing number of annoying indian cunts trying to scam you for anything they can sell. they really get my goat when they try to use a phony aussie accent.
cheers  
donnnnny
'heaps of hot looking ladyboys if you are in the market

[stogie bear]

had a wonderfull raw crab dish on the beach 90 bhat for 2 crabs with a Thai salad and some wonderfull tasting vingary marinade...

Mmmm.. the trips definately 'on' now, mate!

they really get my goat when they try to use a phony aussie accent...

Hilarious... They do this in Pattaya to. It's a hoot! I tell them I'm from Sri Lanka!

[donnnnnny]

yeah it seems they are lankans same shit different name. i hear down in phuket they are scamming atms as well. they of course will encure the wroth of the thai mafia. (few dead ones in some rice paddy)
donnnnny

[jet712]

Those guys are hilarious...can't make up their minds whether i'm Aussie, Italian, English or Irish...almost as entertaining as the massage girls on beach road.

Have to admit I did buy a suit there last trip although it was part of the plan rather than a case of coercion. You'll be glad to know that the guys hailing everyone on the street work 16 hours a day every day...wouldn't fancy it myself.

By the way, I agree with the general drift of this thread. Phuket (apart from Bangla Road) is a family destination and, if you want more from your holiday than just getting laid, then it's the place to be....cheap too, you can get a decent clean hotel room in Patong for 500 to 700 Baht per night in low season.

One last thing though...if the beach and a suntan is high on your list of prioritieties you might want to leave it for a while....got an email from a GG friend of mine in Phuket yesterday and she tells me it's still raining there.

[Guest]

[I]I know Phuket pretty well and I agree with the GOOD things that are said about it. I just want to add a couple of attraction. In Patong there are quite a few ladyboys giving masage in addition to the place called Tootsie. If you walk beach-road direction north from Bangla you will find them. Some of them are very nice.
On the south-west coast there are beaches that are very good for surfing,-best May-October.
In the same area Karon-Kata, there are about 20-30 lbs working from scooters. They are very active in trying to pick you up. If you drive (car,scooter--) they will drive up beside you and do what they can to take you to the beach, their room, your hotel----. If you walk the streets in this area they will always try to pick you up, and use all their means to persuade you to ride with them. Some of them are really nice. Some very playful. It is a lb-scene that I find very attractive. It is not so organized as the bars and lots of room for flirting and playing.
My experience with these lbs was almost only positive, and as I learned to know them a little I think they can be trusted. They start their activity about 10 pm and go on till around 5am. The prices are very negotiable. 1000 B is mostly enough for the whole show.
One last thing about Phuket is that in Phuket town there are some very good restaurants, very good Thai-massage, some excellent gg-places and in general low prices because this is not a hot tourist-town. The good restarants there are cheaper than in Bkk and Pattaya.
So in my experience you can live VERY cheap close to VERY nice beaches and if you rent a car ( down to 600 pr day) or scooter/motorbike you will get to anywhere within 1/2 hour. B

[divertwo]

Thanks, good info for my Phuket file and any future trip down there

[TiaoLang]

Harley Quinn,

Great question, I have just returned from Phuket after spending 10 nights there. There are some great replies in this thread, very informative, do not listen to SB, he has never been.

C&D is on Soi Happy at the East end of Bangla Road, take not of the information regards to the LB's on beach road, especially after 2am.

Baan Lamai is currently undergoing a refurb (to the front of the hotel/bar) so avoid for the next few months, however all bedrooms are open but they are not offering a discount. May I recommend Tonys Resort or Deevana, both LB friendly and no joiner fee.

Soi Crocodile and Soi Happy have a great selection, if you are feeling more adventurous then I would suggest the road that locates Jungceylon or even the Paradise complex (gay area/LB shows), within 2 minutes walk of Bangla Rroad.

Rip off Island? Nope, it is very prosperous, awesome beaches, day trips, golf courses. The airport is 45 minutes from Patong (expect to pay 500 baht for a limo/taxi). The tuk tuk charge a start rate of 200 baht for a journey (motor bike taxi 50 baht), travel 2 miles and it is still 200 baht, minimum charge due to the efficient one way system that works.

It is not Pattaya, it is extremely safe, open 24 hours, the sea is pure and the beaches spotless (including Patong). I will be back in February and can't wait.

Give me a week and I will write and up to date trip report.

SB, they have femboys, you do not know what you are missing. It is closer than Pattaya because it only takes 45 minutes on a plane and Nok Air charge 1650 baht one way. Air Asia even cheaper if you book early.

Regards.

Tiao

[Monkey]

(TiaoLang @ Nov. 21 2007,01:38) May I recommend Tonys Resort...

is that the Tony cunt from Pattaya?

Fucking Tony's this, Tony's that...

I hate that cunt too much, I wouldn't give him the steam off my piss let alone spend money at any of his shit hole dives...

just my 2 cents

[divertwo]

(TiaoLang @ Nov. 20 2007,15:38) It is closer than Pattaya because it only takes 45 minutes on a plane and Nok Air charge 1650 baht one way. Air Asia even cheaper if you book early.

...if your plane makes a good landing..

[divertwo]

(TiaoLang @ Nov. 20 2007,15:38) The tuk tuk charge a start rate of 200 baht for a journey (motor bike taxi 50 baht), travel 2 miles and it is still 200 baht, minimum charge due to the efficient one way system that works.

with prices like this.....better off renting a motorbike at 200-300/day....which I did in April

[Monkey]

(divertwo @ Nov. 21 2007,19:59) with prices like this.....better off renting a motorbike at 200-300/day....which I did in April

as long as you don't head back to Kamala, Karon or Kata late at night on your own...

[TiaoLang]

I hate that cunt too much, I wouldn't give him the steam off my piss let alone spend money at any of his shit hole dives...

It is to a 3/4* star standard, good location and very reasonably priced.

[harley quinn]

Thanks guys some really interesting replies. Perhaps the thing to do is hit pattaya do a few days in Phuket to get your sanity back then finish in BKK.

The one thing I have to admit is that if Areeya came with the package then that would be a clincher. Lets face it a week in Cleethorpes with her would be worth going for.