Phuket Island is the third biggest island in Thailand and one of the most active and growing destinations in South East Asia. Most of the nicest beaches are located along the west coast, the biggest city being Patong Beach where nightlife is the most active... and not only bars and girls as it originally started, but also many trendy restaurants and pubs and luxurious resorts.

Definitely, Patong is a great choice if you like shopping and life after dark. The beach is large and nice but not as nice as Kamala, Karon or our favorite: Naithon Beach in the north of the island near the airport. New bars are opening all the time, new discos, restaurant. You can even go bowling and very soon (we hope) few cinemas will open in the new JungCeylon Entertainment Center.

Most Popular Discos are: Banana Disco, Tiger, Baya Beach, and the Star Club which replaces the Shark Club, and the new "Club Rio".
Most Popular Bars are The Salsa at Phuket Cabana, La Diva Lounge Bar, Margaritas at the interescetion of Bangla Road and Rat-U-Thit Road. We enjoyed the newly opened "Club Rio" at the first floor of the well known Rock Hard.

Patong sleeps at day and lives at night.... the face of this small but growing city radically changes after sunset. Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde. For those who like it bright and noisy, Bangla Road is the what use to be the Hear of the night. Lately, nightspots have grown is the surrounding streets and the choice of things to do and to see is wide. Step1, Pick the right hotel! Patong caters for all budgets, so choose wisely. You can find excellent deal in the very center of Patong and not hear a sound at night! Prices can vary from 500 Baht to... you name it. Top of the line are The Holiday Inn Phuket and The Burasari. These are 5 minute walk from the action, but as soon as you enter the hotel, you could be miles away.

A little bit further is The Novotel Phuket Resort with great views on the bay but still 5 minutes by tuk tuks. ( Don't worry, there is ALWAYS a tuk tuk right in front of you, even at 5 am!)

Another of our favourites at the moment is the Merlin Beach Resort. The best compromise between Remote and Active, it's only 10 minutes by (free) shuttle to Patong Beach. This hotel has it's own little white beach right in front and another beautiful beach 5 minutes walk from the entrance, called Crystal Beach... 3 beaches for the price of one...!

Anyway, here is the list, I'm sure you can pick the one you like ($ indicates the price range):

Aloha Villa $$
Amari Coral Beach Resort $$$$
Andaman Beach Suites $$$
Andaman Ocean View Hotel $$
Baan Laimai Beach Resort $$$ - A Popular Beach fron hotel: see our Gallery for Baan Laimai Resort, as well as the Baan Laimai map.
Baan Nern Sai Resort $$
Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort $$
Click here to see recent photos of the Banthai Beach Resort 
Club Andaman Beach Resort $$$$  - Click here to see photos of the Club Andaman Resort taken in 2005.
Club Bamboo Resort $$$
Deva Patong $$
Diamond Cliff Resort Hotel $$$$$
Expat Hotel $$
Holiday Inn Phuket $$$$  - See the Photos of the Holiday Inn Phuket
Horizon Beach Resort Hotel $$$
Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort $$$$$ - See the Photos of the Le Meridien Phuket
Novotel Phuket Resort $$$$
Orchid Residence Patong $$
Patong Bay Garden Resort $$$ Completely renovated after the 2004 Tsunami,
(See the new Patong Bay Garden Resort Photos)
Patong Beach Hotel $$$
Patong Palace $$
Patong Resort Hotel $$$$
Patong Villa $$ renovated after the Tsunami - it is now fully reopened: see the Patong Villa Photos
Phuket Cabana Hotel $$$$
Phuket Grand Tropicana Hotel $$$
Phuket Palace $$$
Residence Kalim Bay Serviced Apartments $$$
Royal Crown Hotel and Palm Resort $$
Royal Palm Resortel $$$
Royal Paradise Hotel $$$$
Seapearl Beach Hotel $$$$
Swiss Palm Beach Resort $$$
Thara Patong Beach Resort $$$ - See our udated photo gallery for the Thara Patong Beach Resort.
The Expat Hotel $$

If you want to discover what lays beyond Patong Beach, the choice is wide... there are so many beautiful beaches all along the west coast. The next one is a very long stretch of white sand and amazing blue waters: Karon Beach. Going south will unveal the lovely Kata Beach and its small island offering superb sunsets. Then you will reach the less know but still beautiful: Kata Noi Beach.

If you wish to see other destinations or more options, you can have a look at these other pages:

Bangkok Hotels
Phuket Hotels
Koh Samui Hotels

See also our collection of Luxury Resorts in Phuket!