The once most colourful and lively area of Phuket now a shadow of its former self trying desperately to get back on its feet. What to expect in this usually thriving area during Phuket Sandbox August 2021…
The Area
Patong is to Phuket what Magaluf is to Majorca. Think shot girls, sex shows, drag queens and all night nightclubs. When I think of Patong I remember a crazy night back in 2010 drinking shots, trying our hardest to beat some ladyboys at giant Connect 4 but failing miserably and finally ending up at a ping-pong show (I know – blame the shots!)
Bangla Road or Walking Street was your standard ‘strip’ area, wall-to-wall bars and clubs spilling out to the streets, neon signs and dingy nightclubs. Today it is a sad sight, nearly all the establishments are closed down and shuttered up. It is like a ghost town, a stark realisation of the damage COVID 19 has had on so many people and their lives particularly in tourist hotspots like this.
However, there were some positives with at least 4 venues that opened up when we were there on the Patong beach road and on our walks around the town we noticed a few others getting a lick of paint or maintenance ready to open up again.
The Thai locals are so happy to see people returning to Phuket, they are generally amazed that we are arriving under the Sandbox scheme with all the testing and restrictions but they couldn’t be happier that tourists want to return.
Click here to read about our favourite restaurants and bars during our 10 days there.
The Beach
The beach is simply beautiful, a long 3km stretch of sand curved around a bay. During our time here the sea wasn’t too rough so we were able to swim quite a lot and the sun shone, which always helps! Masks technically should be worn on the beach – there are signs everywhere telling you that you should, however, most people don’t wear them when walking along or sitting down. We never wore them, always had one to hand but being outside and never close to anyone we didn’t bother. We didn’t see any law enforcements reminding people to wear them or dishing out fines.
We were there during the colourful Phuket festival which, for 1 week, had a nightly DJ playing from 4pm, some other stalls around and colourful flags and lights on the beach. The sunset DJ set was our main attraction every night, we picked up some cans of beer from the shop opposite (next to the Subway sign) and enjoyed some incredibly beautiful sunsets with DJ set as the sun went down, bliss.
Parasailing
The main beach attraction is Parasailing. After watching this every night, myself and Elis decided we would give it a go. I have done it a few times in Turkey and Majorca but when Elis (5) was eager to try I wanted to get him up there quickly before he changed his mind. An incredible experience, we felt very safe up there – it was only for about 10-15mins and we managed to pick a night with one of the best sunsets we saw the whole trip.
Be warned that the guide who comes up there with you is not strapped in at all and just hangs behind you which is just a little bit unsettling!
We spent 10 nights in Patong in July 2021, an area we wouldn’t usually go for a family holiday but given that Phuket had only been open a few weeks and some good opportunities arose for us, we thought that it might be one of the busiest areas on the island. Apparently not, we found out after with Laguna and Rawai both a lot busier.
However, there were plenty of places open and over the 10 days we were in the area we ate and drank in many different restaurants and bars, click here for our guide of our favourites. Being sunset lovers, we spent most of our time on the beach road although there are many other restaurants and bars open in other streets of Patong.
Currently (4th August 2021) restaurants and hotels in Phuket can not sell alcohol in their restaurants and bars, only room service is allowed. It is due for a review on 16th August 2021. Supermarkets still sell alcohol and there are some places that will serve you quietly……
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