Phuket choice
by Stepwalk
Phuket is really an island of contrasts: some wonderful natural beauty especially the beaches but the heavy tourist areas such as Patong are not for everybody. Those areas are certainly not a genuine Thai cultural experience, they are overcrowded, and they are seedy, but many people flock there year after year so it must have wide appeal. I stayed in Kata Beach away from most of the hordes and enjoyed it. My view is that you should include Phuket and make your own assessment on it. If you are going on tours such as Phi Phi Island try to get information on when most of the tourist boats go there and avoid those times: it is hell! White sand, clear water, palm trees.
Presents for Children overseas
by nezz
When you travel overseas people are always so interested in where we the traveller come from. A picture book with photos of Australian animals and/or scenery would probably be a good idea. Someone recently told me they took a small atlas for use in a primary school. I agree the colouring book with pencils, textas or paints would be great especially if it features Australian animals. Good quality art paper is very hard to come by in other countries (so expensive) so next time I plan to take some artist sketch pads with me and the proper soft lead pencils for sketching as these we found hard to find. Balloons are a wonderful idea as we tried to buy some in Bali for my Mum's birthday & they burst as we blew them up. whatever you take will be greatly appreciated by the children & their family. Enjoy Phuket we love it
Take a bike...
by tashka
Take a bike and explore the surroundings of your hotel. In my case I took a mountain bike in the hotel and rode to a small waterfall a couple of kilometers away from Panwa Beach Resort (I guess, you can also reach it from Cape Panwa Hotel).
Warning: if you do it, then do it either in the morning or after 4 pm, otherwise you'll end with a sunstroke. And take a bottle of water with you. And a camera! Cause most probably you will see some interesting views.
Warning 2: I wouldn't risk riding a motorbike in Thailand.
Ocean Plaza
by imstress about Ocean Plaza
We came across both branches of Ocean Plaza in Patong Beach. First was the branch at Thaweewong Road and the other one is located in the middle of Bangla Road.
It is relatively small compared to other malls like Junceylon, Central Festival, Big C, Tesco Lotus. They do have a few level of shopping.
Brought some cosmetics and nail polishes for THB20 onwards. Nail Polish THB27 each
Cosmetics
Dancing in Patong, Phuket
by stappm about Tiger Bar/Nightclub
Tiger is a great place to dance, dance and keep dancing. Mixed crowd of tourists, expats, and locals. The place really gets going after midnite, and has great ventalation (doesn't get smoky) Really fun place. Skip the Banana Club, unless you like loud Techno and cigarette smoke.
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Blue water, long tail boat and glare of the sun
Our first enjoyable sunset
Mama's and Pappa's Restaurant at Rawai Phuket
Patong beach in 1991
