Phuket Travel Forum

Me and my sister have 4 days in Phuket in Jan 09. Ive been looking at all the different resorts and I'm still not sure which one would suit us best. We are looking to chill out at the end of our 3 week holiday. We would like somewhere that is not too overcrowded or noisy (which I hear Patong is?)but still has nice restaurants and a few bars. We also would prefer somewhere which is easily accessible to other places as we would like to do one or two tours (eg,Phi Phi). Any ideas?

Patong is the busiest beach, but nearby Karon is quieter and is only a 10 minute drive "over the hill" from Patong. The next beach down is Kata which is the quitest of the three and is about 20 minutes from Patong. They are all about the same with regard to access to sightseeing tours.

Regards

John

Nai-Harn is a very nice beach and is a lot quieter than the rest. The Royal Yacht Club Hotel has a terrace overlooking the bay. You are not far from anywhere re. sightseeing. Definitely avoid Patong, especially as you are two ladies, you do not want to be in Patong at night.
There is a Resort very close to Rawai Beach, that is where I stayed and I drove to Nai-Harn to relax on the beach and have lunch at the Royal Yacht Club.
I don't know what name this resort near Rawai has today, it has no direct access to a beach, but a boat takes you to their own private island with sandy beaches and palm trees.
I would recommend staying at Nai Harn or at that resort near Rawai.

If you are looking to get away from crowds, then Patong is a strict no-no. Karon and kata, the beaches south of patong are a good alternative. They are not as crowded as patong, but still have enough life to them. There are some good hotels at karon and kata. And both places have plenty of travel outlets that will be more than happy to fix you up on one of the day trips.

Cheers.

January is our peak high season - so in general on Phuket it is busy then. However Kata is my favourite beach. It is much smaller and cosier than Karon beach and is well located near some of the best restaurants and bars.

"There is a Resort very close to Rawai Beach, that is where I stayed and I drove to Nai-Harn to relax on the beach and have lunch at the Royal Yacht Club.
I don't know what name this resort near Rawai has today, it has no direct access to a beach, but a boat takes you to their own private island with sandy beaches and palm trees.
I would recommend staying at Nai Harn or at that resort near Rawai."

I think that's the Evason Resort (and Six Senses Spa). They do have a honeymoon suite on another island called Koh Bon and some beach huts for the use of their guests lodged at the main resort on Phuket.

I just came back from Phuket. I stayed my 1st night in Kata. I took minibus there and I was the only one going Kata while all the rest went Patong. But I do not regret a single bit. I enjoyed the laidback and peaceful Kata. While of coz its still alil bit noisy at certain area and u could well have gd time still.

I stayed at Casa e Mare nearby Kata beach, about 15 mins walk. It might be alil distance from main road but this hotel is cheap and luxurious enough for the price. Abt close to 20USD per night only. U can bargain for cheaper rate too. Do look up on google for this hotel name. Very clean and I enjoyed my stay on such big n cozy room. Its run by Italian.

Have fun!

Thanks for your help, Ive booked a hotel in Karon which I think is what we are looking for.