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Loy Kratong - 24th November 2007 - Making the Kratong
2007-11-25 10:52:00
Loy Kratong is on a different day each year, falling on the Full Moon of the 12th lunar month, which is normally sometime in November . Last year was November 5th, this year November 24th. Loy Kratong is celebrated all over Thailand with particularly large ceremonies in Bangkok, Sukothai and Ayutthaya. Here in Phuket, festivities are quite extensive at the main beaches such as Patong and Karon, and anywhere else you find water - which is everywhere, being that Phuket is an island. We normally go and float our kratong at Bang Wad Reservoir, which is the largest reservoir in Phuket and is not far from our home in the Kathu area of Phuket. The word "Loy" means Float, and the Kratong is what you set afloat - read on...Making Our KratongOf course there are stalls all over the place selling ready made kratongs, but we decided to DIY this year, ending up with a kratong that just about floated without tipping over! To make a kratong you will need - cut slices of banana stem to make the base,...
More About: November 2007

Layan Beach
2007-11-19 16:10:00
Layan Beach is not at all well known, so if you want to find one of the quietest and most beautiful beaches in Phuket, try to find Layan Beach. Hard enough to find it on a map! We first found Layan in January on a rather grey day while driving around the back roads in the North of Phuket. You have a choice of small roads to reach Layan Beach. Last weekend we drove through the Laguna Resort complex, the road turning from good, to bad, to "oh-my-god-i-wish-we-had-a-4wd". The last 100m took about 5 minutes. OK, that's the back route in, you can also go via Naithon, or via Thalang, following a long twisty road through the villages. OK, enough directions. Go find it.Seek and ye shall find paradise. Or at least a very peaceful, picture postcard beach. Layan Beach, just North of Bang Tao Beach, has two halves. The southern part is simply stunning if you like blue seas and white sand. The land is privately owned, well cared for and kept simple. We were there at the weekend for lunch in the...

Hotel Recommendations: CC Blooms Hotel
2007-11-13 15:37:00
CC Blooms was just recommended to me yesterday by a customer who gave it a rave review - friendly staff, attention to detail, beautiful decor and "that something extra" that makes CC Blooms more than just another hotel. OK, it's not by the beach, but the location in the hills of Karon is just as nice.The name CC Blooms comes from Bette Midlers character in the movie "Beaches" (I must say I have never seen it, but might just try to find it at the local video shop now...). Beaches seems to be a very popular movie with gay people, and indeed CC Blooms is promoted as a gay, or "gay friendly" hotel. My customer said he had met the owner, a gay American man and maybe the "gayness" of the hotel gives it the unique style. Of course you don't have to be gay to stay here. Read the reviews on Trip Advisor (see link below) - the hotel is rated very highly by just about everyone.It's nice to hear of a different kind of place to stay in Phuket, just the kind of place that Jamie's Phuket is lo...
More About: Hotel , Recommendation , Dati

Hotel Recommendations: Phuket Island View
2007-11-04 15:29:00
Karon Beach has many small scale resorts along the beachfront, along with a couple of big ones like the Hilton and the Thavorn Palm Beach Resort. For location, I can recommend them all! Just be aware, that apart from the Karon Beach Resort and the Ruam Thep Inn, none of the resorts have direct beach access - you have to cross the road first.The South end of the beach is a little quieter than the North end, and you are within about 10 minutes walk of Kata Beach too. There is decent snorkeling around the rocks and you can even do scuba diving off the beach there. You'll find several hotels near the Karon football stadium, and to me they are all "much of a muchness", except I got a recommendation from a customer this week who went to look for a hotel room on arrival and he stayed at the Phuket Island View . Main reason was the friendliness of the staff and the fact that they made him feel welcome and treated him as a valued guest rather than just a name in the register. Phuket Island V...
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Wat Ladthiwanaram
2007-11-01 15:46:00
Wat Ladthiwanaram can be found along Chao Fa Road between Phuket Town and Chalong, a little after the turn off to Phuket Zoo and before Land and Houses Park. It's a rather unique temple, with a small lake between the temple grounds and the road.I must have passed this temple hundreds of times, not knowing what lies beyond the entrance... Phuket has so many small local temples, any one of which is worth stopping to visit if you happen to be passing by. Or if you are a temple lover you can carefully map out a drive around Phuket taking in as many temples as possible! The hell with beaches and bars, if you want to see the real Phuket, try temples, markets and quiet back roads.Wat Ladthiwanaram is quite pretty. If you are anywhere in the area, stop for a look. 
More About: Nara

Wat Manik
2007-10-28 15:08:00
I imagine Manik temple and the surrounding Manik area of Phuket is not on most visitors "must see" lists, but if you are passing this area near Cherng Talay, on the road between the Heroine's Monument and Surin Beach, you can find a very nice local temple and a very green and as yet relatively undeveloped area of Phuket. We took a drive around this area a few weeks ago - it's a habit of ours to follow back roads, plus I had read about a waterfall in the Manik area, so we tried to find it...We followed one dirt side road for several miles up into the hills. The road became narrow and twisty and steep. And we don't have a 4x4. The hillside was covered in rubber plantations and in the valley below was a small waterfall, though I guess not the one I had read about. The road suddenly ended and I had to make something like a 15 point turn to point the car back downhill!Oh well, no waterfall, but the surrounding scenery is lovely in this part of Phuket.Being a fan of temples, I wanted t...

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Photos
2007-10-19 16:40:00
I have to say, as a seasoned traveler, and 8 year resident of Phuket , the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a real buzz. The street processions are so full of life, full of noise, full of people, full of magic... and what goes on in the temples at night is almost other worldly. There is something special going on here, this is no show, this is not make believe. This is very real.I would still like to see more next year, there is so much to experience during the festival. Over the last week I have been sticking to the Jae food (albeit washed down with a few beers), and I have been into Phuket Town on 2 mornings for the street processions. The processions start early, around 7 - 7:30am, nearly every morning during the festival. In the evenings at various shrines are such activities as fire walking and "bladed ladder climbing", but I never seem to have time to see all that. So... roll on 2008!I took more than 250 photos, so this blog post might get a bit long.... I will try to be selective...
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Vegetarian Festival 11 - 19 October
2007-10-11 16:32:00
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is here again. For 9 days, this is the time to purify body and soul by eating the right food and refraining from alcohol, sex and other naughty things. The origins of the festival go back to 1825 - anyone who thinks Phuket has no history is mistaken! Last year was the first time I really participated in the festival - I ate the food (and I tell you it does clean out your system), I visited shrines, and followed a street procession one morning. The processions are the highlight of the festival - have a look at last years photos - Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2006.Last night things went off with a bang here in Kathu. There was a firework display and at every participating shrine the "pole raising" ceremony took place (unfortunately I was at work, I would love to see this) - The poles join our world with the spiritual world, allowing the spirits to descend to the shrines. During the festival, the spirits enter the bodies of mediums who participate in the st...
More About: October

Dino Park Mini Golf
2007-10-04 15:14:00
After a few wet days at the end of the low season, we had a sunny day yesterday so thought we had better do something for the kids. We normally avoid the really "touristy" places in Phuket, which is reflected in this blog, but I do accept that the kids don't always want to be driving around looking at temples or pretty views! Phuket has a whole host of tours and tourist attractions and there is plenty of information about these on other websites. Some of them are quite good, so I am assured! Well, yesterday we drove to Kata and took the kids for a round of golf. Well, mini golf actually. The Dino Park complex has a restaurant (I have eaten the Dino Burgers there - very big and tasty), a bar and the mini golf.The whole place is done with a prehistoric/dinosaur them with walls, chairs and floors made of "rocks" (concrete). It looks quite good too!The mini golf has 18 holes and is full of dinosaurs. It's 240 Baht for adults and 180 Baht for kids. No discount for locals so we were tol...
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Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Bang Pae Waterfall
2007-09-23 09:43:00
Up in the Northeast of Phuket in a heavily forested area is the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. To get there, head North on the airport road from Phuket Town and turn right at the Heroine's Monument, then drive around 10km - the entrance on the left side is easy to find. We have been up this way many times, not just for the Gibbon Project and the waterfall, but nearby is Bang Pae Seafood and also Bang Rong from where you can get a ferry to Koh Yao Noi.The Bang Pae waterfalls are not big, but popular with locals at the weekend and you get quite a few tourists up here too. The forest is thick and full of sounds from the chirping of insects to the song of the gibbons. At the entrance to the falls just as you turn off the main road there is an elephant trekking safari - the elephants looked happy and well fed. I swear they posed for photos too. If you want to try elephant trekking this might be a good spot.As you drive up to the park entrance the roadside is lined with rubber trees as i...
More About: Waterfall

Karon Beach
2007-09-11 11:13:00
This blog has tended to steer clear of the main beaches, but since I work in Karon, I can make an exception! The 3 most developed beaches are Patong (super crowded, though does have a few nice bits nearby like Tri Trang and Paradise beach), Kata (quite relaxed, but most of the beach road is taken up with Club Med), and Karon, which is between the two and not bad at all. Let's talk about Karon Beach ...Most websites will tell you the same thing - Karon is Phuket's "second most developed" beach, but is quite spread out with many resorts along the beach road, generally does not feel too crowded, it much cleaner and neater than Patong and the sand is squeaky - I thought this was rubbish, but the dry sand does squeak, it's true. The beach is long and open (if you want a curving bay, then try Kata or Naiharn). In some places there is shade, in other places the beach is hot - but of course you can find beach chairs everywhere in the high season. Karon Beach is more than 3km from end to e...

Buying a House in Phuket - Real Estate in Phuket
2007-09-02 10:41:00
I have been living in Phuket for nearly 8 years now, and after a couple of years renting several apartments and houses, then starting a family it was time to buy a house. We (my wife and I) already knew the areas we liked in Phuket and spent many days driving around looking at houses for sale and even went to a house auction for repossessed properties! Since we have a family, we had to compromise on location - a hillside villa is not idea when a toddler might decide to crawl off the balcony, and although we like the Rawai / Naiharn area, it's just a little remote. We were already living in the Kathu area which is close to town, close to hospitals, close to shopping and markets, close to golf courses (if you like golf) etc.. so that was where we ended up buying our house.Phuket is a great place to live. I don't write this blog for a living, I write it as a celebration of Phuket! We like living here and after 4 years in our own house we feel very comfortable. Phuket has a local life...
More About: House , Buying , Estate , Real Estate , Real

Hotel Recommendations: Merlin Beach Resort
2007-08-26 11:03:00
The Phuket Merlin Beach Resort is almost in Patong Beach, but not quite. The location is off a side road to the South end of Patong, past the Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort and heading towards Paradise Beach. It's easy enough to find, but not too many people head this way. This is an area we like and I have already recommended the Tri Trang Beach Resort on this blog.I just decided today to blog the Merlin Beach Resort, as a customer came in to book diving and was raving about the place. It IS a big resort, with more than 400 rooms and does get large travel agent bookings, yet due to it's secluded location does not feel like part of the main tourist scene. The resort has several restaurants, tennis courts, 3 pools, a spa, a gym, a beauty salon - all that you'd expect from a quality resort.But the attraction for me (as usual) is the location - Merlin Beach Resort is on it's own beach - which they say is called Tri Trang Beach, although that is also the name of the beach where you fi...
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TripAdvisor Phuket - Reviews and Deals
2007-08-17 05:50:00
As an aside from my normal tales of "where we went last weekend" I just want to make a quick post to highlight a very useful website for planning a trip to Phuket - probably most people already know about TripAdvisor .com, but on this page you can find links to the most useful and relevant pages on the site relating to Phuket.On TripAdvisor you can find hotel and holiday reviews by real travelers, not paid reviewers that are not always 100% positive - it does help to have a balanced view before making a booking. This web site is not a travel brochure where the sun always shines and every detail is perfect! There is also a forum where you can ask questions (and give answers). You can find maps, vacation package deals and flight information too.So, here are some links direct to the pages that relate to Phuket...TripAdvisor.com Phuket• Phuket Overview• Phuket Hotels• Flights to Phuket• Phuket Forums• Phuket Deals• Phuket Attractions• Phuket Discount Ho...
More About: Reviews

A trip to Phuket Zoo
2007-08-08 16:05:00
We have of course been to the zoo before, and I have blogged it before (see Phuket Zoo), but when you have kids you need to think of something exciting to do! With previous weekends either raining or taken up with birthday parties, we promised the little 'uns that we'd go on Saturday (if it was sunny). The sun duly shone, and so we could go to see the tiger, the elephants, the crocodiles and many other great and wondrous beasts...Phuket Zoo is a great attraction for local residents since the entry fee for residents is only 80 Baht for adults and 50 Baht for kids. So we are happy to come again and again! Note that if you are a tourist the fees are considerably higher.It was a hot day on Saturday, and the zoo always seems hot since it's full of trees and rather humid with little in the way of cooling breezes. Thus you are bound to part with a little more money to buy a drink or ice cream :)Now, I am not a zoo fan in general. Some of the animals seem happy enough - the elephants loo...
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Early Morning at Chalong Temple
2007-07-26 16:55:00
Chalong temple is the largest temple in Phuket and I happen to pass by almost every morning (and evening) depending what route I take to work. The early morning light makes temples shine, and the early morning means no day visitors have arrived at the temple yet. For more about the temple (which I have blogged before) - see here: Chalong Temple .One morning last week I stopped on the way to work to enjoy the temple in the morning light. There were already a large group of Thai tourists there at 8am, but they were watching a dance routine that had been put on for them, so I got the temple grounds more or less to myself and enjoyed wandering around in the sunshine. Hope you enjoy the photos, and hope that if you visit Phuket that you remember to visit a temple - it's not just beaches, you know!• Temples in Phuket    
More About: Morning , Early , Along , Earl

Phuket Big Buddha - Getting Bigger...
2007-07-21 03:40:00
When the Big Buddha is finally finished, it is going to be magnificent. And I am pretty sure it will be on the tourist trail. When we first went up there a few years ago, the work was just starting and the road was hard work on our car. We've been up the mountain many times and I have blogged about it before (see Buddha Mountain 1 - Buddha Mountain 2). We realised that we'd not been up for about a year, and it's clear that the project has been making great strides in the last year. The Big B uddha is getting bigger. You can clearly see the shape of the Buddha now, despite it being covered in scaffolding. Looks like the major building work is almost done, and it's time to add the decorations. The road up the mountain is being improved too. A concrete road now exists for much of the climb, though there are still some stretches of dirt. But it's not damaging our car any more! Having a good road will be essential once the Big Buddha is complete to allow the tours to include it ...
More About: Phuket

Kathu Waterfall and Phuket Cable Ski
2007-07-10 14:52:00
The Kathu area of Phuket is where I live. It's not far from Patong Beach (just over the hill on the way to Phuket town) and if you wish to get away from the most touristy beach in Thailand, get on a bike and ride over that hill past the temple on the hill, down to a quiet, largely residential area with a lot of history (Kathu was the center of the tin mining industry, and the famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival originated here). The daily Kathu market is worth a visit and you'll find temples in and around the village.But there's more! If you turn left at the lights next to the Caltex gas station, you pass the market and are heading towards Loch Palm Golf Course and the old Kathu village when you will see a left turn to Kathu Waterfall (Nam Tok Kathu). There's actually a fair amount of new houses around this area - Kathu is getting quite popular! The road up to the waterfall winds along for several kilometers. It's all residential with houses old and new. Along the way you pass th...
More About: Fall , Cable

Restaurant Tips: Mama Noi
2007-07-05 17:35:00
I have probably eaten more at Mama Noi than any other single restaurant in the world. Why? Well, it's just round the corner from Sunrise Divers in Karon Beach, about 1 minutes walk from door to door. Sure, there are a few other nearby options such as a (very) local roadside restaurant that does great Phad Thai for 30 Baht, a place called "Red Chair" which is more or less next door to Mama Noi which does simple cheap Thai food, and the very good Sala Bua which is part of the Karon Place Hotel and only open in high season, but Mama Noi keeps me coming back.You'll find Mama Noi next to the Siam Commercial Bank, just off the back road (Patak Road). It's easy enough to find and always looks clean and welcoming, with green plants and many colourful orchids hanging outside. There's nothing really fancy here, but it has many regular customers (myself included) - foreign and Thai alike. A restaurant with regular local customers is always a good sign.Inside you may notice signs saying "Se...
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Hotel Recommendations: Tri Trang Beach Resort
2007-06-28 17:03:00
Do I hear cries of "where the heck is Tri Trang Beach "? Let me tell you about it. We just went that way a couple of weeks ago (see Tri Trang & Paradise Beach), and we have visited Tri Trang beach many times in the last 6 years. It's only a few kilometers from Patong, at the south end of Patong Bay, along the winding road past the Merlin Beach Resort , and yet somehow remains a hidden gem. There is one hotel on this beach - the Tri Trang Beach Resort. It looks good and I am assured that the rooms are big and the service is decent...but I have one word for you - location, location, location. This is pretty much a private beach given the lack of intrusion from other tourists, and yet you are just 10 minutes from the center of Patong for some crazee nightlife and all the food you can eat!The room rates are not bad either, especially for low season - and this beach is more sheltered than many since it faces north, so big waves are not a problem. Yep, Tri Trang Beach is a place I can real...
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Koh Sirey (Sirey Island)
2007-06-19 15:30:00
Just to the east of Phuket Town, just a few kilometers from the center, past the fishing port and the Rassada pier (from where you catch the ferry to Phi Phi), you cross a short bridge to Koh Sirey. As you cross the bridge you'll see fishing boats in the narrow channel between Phuket and Sirey island. The channel and the surrounding land are full of mangroves where you may spot monkeys from time to time...Sirey Island is only about 20 square kilometers, and you can drive all around the island in half an hour. Much of the island is hilly and there are lots of rubber plantations. Around the coast there used to be small fishing villages, but development is catching up! There are a number of villas being built and some very big seaview houses around the shoreline. This has only recently been noticed as prime real estate. Some of the coastal views are fantastic.There are still sea gypsies (Chao Ley) on the island, and you can visit their rather..er..dirty village at Laem Tukkae. The vil...

Phuket Aquarium - Great for the kids
2007-05-30 16:58:00
You know, I've lost count of how many times we have been to Phuket Aquarium with the kids. We first went years ago before our daughter was a year old, and we've been back again and again. It's cheap to get in, I love looking at fish, we like the Cape Panwa area, it's airconditioned, so is good for hot days OR rainy days and it never seems too crowded.The aquarium is already on this blog (see Phuket Aquarium Part 1), but now they have a new section - an outdoor "nature trail" with a path along the shore for a couple of hundred metres, a turtle breeding centre and a "marine endangered species unit" which we still need to check out (Saturday was too hot and my son was in need of rest).Indoors are countless species, mostly in small display tanks, though there is the "tunnel" - not a huge tunnel, but you do have water all around and fish overhead. The big tank has a couple of larger species like leopard shark, eagle ray and some pelagics like trevallies dashing around. You can spend ...
More About: Kids , The Kids , Great , The Kid

Rawai Beach
2007-05-15 16:00:00
Rawai beach is found on the south side of Phuket, between Chalong Bay and Phromthep Cape. It's not a swimming beach really, and there are only a few accommodation options close by (such as the Evason Resort, just to the east of Rawai). What you can find there in profusion are small beachside restaurants with foot-high tables on the beach, mostly no more than shacks selling grilled fish, crab, chicken. You sit on a mat on the floor and eat simple food by the sea. There used to be just a few of these places a few years back, now half the beach is covered in them. When we stopped on Sunday it was very busy too..mostly local people. In fact I don't think I saw a foreign face. There are some other restaurants around which have discovered chairs and tables and the foreigners do tend to eat at these. But for a local taste - sit on the floor! Also you find a fair number of small bars by the beach such as the long-popular Nikitas and the Bar Rouge (run by a friendly Dutch guy called Willy)...
More About: Beach

Boat Lagoon - Another side of Phuket
2007-05-05 16:48:00
Quite aside from the "tourists", be they backpacking, flashpacking, on package tours, on a dive trip, here for the nightlife - whatever.. there is another side to Phuket that many don't know about. Phuket is home to several yacht marinas, there is a thriving boat building industry, there's the Kings Cup sailing event every year.. in short, there's lots of yachties around!You'll find yachts in the high season moored in every bay from Bang Tao to Chalong, but these are open bays and offer little in the way of boat services or security. Boat Lagoon is found on the east coast, about 10km north of Phuket Town and is way more than just a marina or boat park. When you enter it's like a different world. You could be in a marina in France. Where has Thailand gone? Everything is neat and tidy, and if you like boats you're in dreamland. I love to look at them and dream of being a rich man! OK, not all boats are super expensive, but in Boat Lagoon you'll see some beautiful craft. Well wo...
More About: Another , Side , Goon

Restaurant Tips: Kan Eang Seafood
2007-04-25 02:29:00
Phuket is well known for seafood. Tourists love it. Most would not be eating lobster and king prawns at home, but on holiday you can do whatever you want. There are loads of restaurants selling seafood on all the beaches. Everywhere you turn is an ice filled display of fresh fish, crab, prawns, lobster...As is evident from this blog, we tend to avoid the main tourist beaches when we go out, We prefer to explore the island and try restaurants that are more local. There are loads of seafood places around the coast where you don't see many tourists. I've already blogged Danang Seafood , Bang Pae Seafood, Laem Hin Seafood - and there are many more.Kan Eang Seafood is found on Chalong Bay, just a few hundred meters from Chalong Jetty, and right next door to Danang Seafood. Quite why we have never eaten here before is a mystery, I guess because we like Danang and were always happy to eat there. Kan Eang always looks busier and sometimes has buses full of people arriving. Is this because ...
More About: Restaurant , Tips , Rest , Aura

Thai funeral in our village
2007-04-21 04:38:00
You'll often see funerals in Thai land. It's not like England where people hide away their grief, have a quick service, maybe a little party at someone's house after the funeral..no, here a funeral is a week long wake, with half the street taken up outside the family house. There was a wake in our village last month, and my mother took a walk down the street one day while I was at work. These are her words and photos.I am sure that each family arranges things differently in Thailand, just as we do here in England; but there are are some constants that are part of every funeral. In Thailand a funeral lasts for days and anybody who ever knew the deceased is there at some point. Sometimes you wonder how they could have known so many people! The local monks supply a long awning and tables and chairs and large cooking pots so that every guest who comes receives food and drink. On the day I walked by, this funeral had already been going on for over a week.Of course, being English, I was...
More About: Village , Villa , Funeral

Songkran in Phuket - April 13th 2007
2007-04-14 17:10:00
I am quite happy that the water throwing only lasts 1 day here in Phuket . Yesterday was fun, a nice day for all the family.We first drove way up to the north of Phuket, to Mai Khao beach, an area which is still quite "traditional" although there is the JW Marriott Resort somewhere along the beach. There is a turtle project at Mai Khao (see www.maikhaoturtles.com), and a yearly turtle release ceremony held on April 13th. The mayor gave a speech, all the local gentry attended, and then the lucky few who had known to book their turtles in advance (doh!) got a turtle to release into the sea.From Mai Khao (via a lunch break) we drove to Patong (the main tourist beach), only 10km from home, but as I had guessed the traffic was heavy and it took 45 minutes to reach Patong. The world and his brother were heading there for some watery fun. What struck me most was the sense of happiness all around. The water rituals used to be limited to sprinking buddha images (like in Mai Khao, see photo ab...

Old Phuket Town
2007-04-01 16:22:00
Yesterday I decided to take a walk around Phuket Town (officially called Phuket City now). Better to do this at the weekend when the streets are quieter. It's not a small town, but the urban sprall can be left alone - the average visitor will be more interested in the old center, the market and the various temples. I wandered for a couple of hours and would need another afternoon of meandering to cover everything. Unlike many provincial towns in Thailand, Phuket actually has some character, some history and some interesting old architecture. I do recommend a walkabout. It has been a while since I did this - normally the town is a place to come for business (paying tax or social security or renewing visas and work permits), but I did enjoy yesterdays stroll.  The first place I wanted to see was the Catholic Church. Due to it's history and location, Phuket has a variety of religious influences. Christianity is alive and well, with weekly services at this church and also at...

Jamie's Phuket Links
2007-03-31 05:31:00
This is the place to find more information about Phuket . There are so many web sites, it can be hard to dig through and find accurate and useful information. Below you can find links to recommended websites. If you know of a site that should be included in this list, please leave a comment. I'll add more as I think of them...General Phuket InformationPhuket.com ? extensive informationPhuket-Info.com ? great nightlife information and a popular chat forumPhuketDelight.com ? Ted?s website likes to get off the beaten trackPhuket Photos ? Loads of quality photosPhuket Gazette ? The local ragPhuket Weather Blog ? with lots of weather linksPhuket Scuba Diving - Sunrise Divers, Karon BeachPhuket HotelsMy Recommended HotelsPlanet HolidayR24.org (Sawadee)Trip AdvisorBookHostels (low budget accommodation)TravelPhuket AirportFlight BookingBus TimetableAirport BusPhuket Ferry TimetableAirlinesThai AirwaysAir AsiaNok AirBangkok AirwaysTiger Airways (direct flights from Singapore)One-Two-Go Airli...
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Hotel Recommendations: The Old Phuket Hotel
2007-03-24 09:26:00
Karon Beach is far less busy and developed than nearby Patong. There's only a few miles between them, but follow the winding road from Patong and you find that Karon is clean, neat and rather nice. Some would say dull, but you can't please everyone! Recent improvements to the beachfront include nice pavements, statues, and plenty of benches to stop for a rest in the shade.The O ld Phuket Hotel is on a quiet side road called Aroona Karon which is now closed to through traffic making it very pleasant. You're just a few minutes walk from the beach, but away from any crowds. The hotel also has something approaching style - not just another resort, it's built in the old Sino-Portuguese style which you can see remnants of in Phuket Town. Rooms and furniture match the old style, well..nearly... I guess they did not have satellite TV's in the old days! Or Jacuzzis for that matter. The Private Jacuzzi room looks just great.There are 2 restaurants, 2 bars, pool, sauna, fitness center..you...
More About: Comm , Recommendation