Patong Beach – The Big Easy of Phuket

A short 35-minute drive in a tuk-tuk from Nai Harn beach is the Bourbon Street of Phuket called Patong Beach. Patong is known for its wild nightlife and non-stop party on the main drag called Soi Bangla. A large group of us made the trek to the beachside city for dinner and a night on the town. I’d say Patong has the largest variety of food I had seen in Thailand thus far.
Middle eastern, Egyptian, and Indian restaurants abound the streets along with the obvious Thai and seafood eateries. Since the evening doesn’t begin until midnight many people pile into a super cheap hotel room once the night closes in. A room in Patong usually ends up costing less than taking a tuk-tuk ride back to Nai Harn because the drivers know you’re boozed up and are desperate for a ride back home so they jack up the prices. The Thailand Big Easy is packed with lights, music vibrations, people from every corner of the world, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and cabaret shows galore. Oh did I mention it’s packed with Lady Boys? A Lady Boy is a term used to describe men who range from just dressing like women to having all the right lady parts. Some Lady Boys are easy to spot while others are very attractive. So watch out if a hot Thai “girl” is running mack-attack on you. There is no excuse to not find something to do or see while spending time in Patong. Before you make your way to a club, it’s fun to walk the street and hop in and out of fun bars and pubs, usually with drink specials. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub is a fun place to meet other travelers and listen to live music. People can sit outside the bars and watch the go-go dancers while sipping on infamous Thai buckets. A bucket is your choice of liquor, an energy drink, and a mixer blended together in a sand pale sized bucket (with 5+ straws).

Sharing one or two of these with your new friends is more than enough to get the night cranked up. Two of the popular international discos are Hollywood and Seduction. I ended up at Hollywood, which is similar to a Euro rave with strobe lights, lots of body odor, and plenty of DFMO’s (dance floor make outs). After a night of dancing, most of the group went back to Nai Harn but a few of us stayed and went for a late night/early morning swim on the gorgeous beach with a bottle of Hong Thong. I woke up 5 deep in one bed with a blanket of sand. It’s a great one-night getaway if you go to Phuket!