Understand

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Patong is the party capital of Phuket, with a sex-drugs-booze-saturated nightlife and a great beach. Mostly made up of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and various tourist attractions, there's a thriving nightlife, with numerous "entertainment complexes" and countless bars clustered together in and around Bangla Road, and female, transgender and male prostitutes to cater to every taste. Massage parlors of the erotic as well the therapeutic (Thai Nuad) genre provide less alcohol/drug infested venues for punters and wellness seekers. One can even find masseuses practicing this medical art atop bamboo mats on the beach sands (100 baht and up).

Prices are higher than in Phuket Town, but there's more budget accommodation here than at the more southerly beaches. This may not be a good destination for the average backpacker, except in the rainy season when prices are far lower. Rooming houses ('Mansions') a few blocks inland provide nice, clean a/c rooms and suites as cheaply as 300 baht/day (less without a/c), or 3,000-10,000 baht/month.

2004 tsunami

Beach Road and the immediate surrounding areas were hit hard by the December 2004 tsunami, however the only signs now remaining are the "Tsunami" titles on sale at the VCD/DVD vendors.

U.S. Navy

Phuket Island in general and Patong Beach in particular are popular destinations for ships of the United States Navy. The navy sailors are generally well behaved and are policed by their own Shore Patrol. As Phuket is not considered big enough, very large navy ships usually visit Pattaya instead.

Orientation

Patong's two main axes are the aptly named Beach Road (Thanon Thawiwong) and Thanon Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi (the last bit means "200 years" and is pronounced song roi pee) running parallel a few hundred meters inland. A handful of streets and sois (alleys) connect the two, the largest and most central of which is Bangla Road (Thanon Bangla).

Eat

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Patong offers an amazingly cosmopolitan array of eating options, including Arabic, French, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Scandinavian and pretty much any country that sends tourists here. Prices are, however, generally inflated (at least by Thai standards).

Ali Baba, 2 Thanon Ruamchai, and Ali Baba 2, 206/17 Thanon Rat-U-Thit 200P have two separate menus for two separate cuisines, namely Indian and Arabic; both are pretty good, and both locations offer air-con inside and smoking waterpipes outside. Appetizers 60-100 baht, mains around 200 baht.

Baan Yin Dee Restaurant, 7/5 Muen Ngen Road offers a fusion of European and Thai food in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, with a discreet ambience and outstanding service.

Green House and Balcony Restaurant, Bangla Road. Extensive menu covering Thai and Western food, plus pastries and snacks from the in-house bakery. Terrace seating outside and air-con restaurant inside. A bit pricy though with most everything over 100 baht.

Karlsson's Restaurant & Steak House, 108/16 Taweewong Road, Soi Patong Tower is a good choice for imported steaks and Scandinavian specialities. Open 15:00-midnight.

Lim's Restaurant & Bar, Kalim Beach (follow Beach Road out of Patong, turn right at Soi 7 after Kalim...