Patong Beach, Phuket
Phuket's largest and busiest resort beach, three kilometres of sand backed by the island's main nightlife strip.
Patong Beach, Phuket
Patong is the biggest resort town on Phuket and its beach runs about three kilometres down the west coast. The sand is broad and the bay sheltered, with parasail boats and jet skis working the water all afternoon.
Behind it sits everything Patong is known for: the shopping streets, the malls, and Bangla Road, the island's main nightlife strip, which is adult-oriented and extremely loud from about nine at night. Families generally use the northern end of the beach and the daytime town, which is a very different place from the same streets after dark.
Swimming needs care in the monsoon months, roughly May to October, when rip currents form and red flags go up along the beach. The flags are not decorative - people drown at Patong every year.
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