Bangla Boxing Stadium features regular Thai boxing (or Muay Thai) fights three nights a week; on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It is run by a team of professional Muay Thai promoters who are said to present only the real deal in the ring. Many of the fighters here are foreign boxers who train hard before getting in the ring. If you are lucky, you might have the chance to witness some women’s matches which also take place here – but not as often as men’s events. From the outside the whole scene looks like something out of ‘The Flintstones’ cartoon as it looks more like a big cave than a Read More...

• Opening Hours: Weekly on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 21:00 – 23:00
• Location: Opposite Banzaan Fresh Market behind the mega Jungceylon in Patong (look for the large building with big Muay Thai boxer figures on top)
• Tel: +66 (0) 76-366 129

When cresting Patong Hill, most drivers honk their horns to show respect to the Pun Tuao Kong Chinese Shrine that straddles the hill. Built in 1980, it is not a big shrine but it is well respected. When devotees' wishes are granted they usually come back to pay respect by setting off fire crackers. Some people show open-air movies across the road from the shrine or donate money for the shrine's maintenance. Photography is not allowed inside.

• Opening Hours: Daily from 09:00 – 17:00
• Location: In Patong at the junction of Phrabarami and Phisit Karani Road (at the bottom of Patong Hill by the Phuket-Patong Road)

Football Crazy Golf Phuket opened in December 2011 and is located next to the original Phuket Go-Kart circuit at the bottom of Patong hill’s Kathu side. This activity is extremely popular in Scandinavian countries where tournaments are organized every year but is relatively new to Thailand (the first Football Golf course opened in Koh Samui in 2005).

This sport is obviously a mix of football and golf. Phuket Football Crazy Golf is set on a four rai (6,400sqm) field and offers an 18-hole, 69-par course. Fun for the whole family, this sport does not require any specific skill, as Peter – the manager of the place says: “often, girls beat Read More...

• Location: on Phra Baramee Road at the foot of Patong hill, in a small soi on the right-hand side when going toward Patong Beach.
• Remarks: : Football Crazy Golf is situated in a soi full of activities: go-kart, motocross, ATV, buggy, monkey show, cobra show, elephant trekking are all in the vicinity. Free Wi-Fi.
• Tel: 076 611 088

Freedom Beach is an exclusive gem on Phuket’s west coast; the 300m-long strip of white sand is set in a superb bay dotted with granite rocks and surrounded by hills covered by thick and luxuriant jungle. Essentially, Freedom Beach’s exclusivity comes from its rather difficult accessibility, although things are getting a bit better nowadays.

Apart from sunbathing, popular activities that can be enjoyed at Freedom Beach are beach soccer (two mini-goals are available), beach volleyball, and snorkelling. The shallow waters at both ends of the beach host superb underwater fauna and flora and the southern end is slightly superior. There are no jet-skis or other noisy marine leisure activities at Read More...

Jungle Bungy Jump offers one of the most thrilling and challenging activities in Phuket: a 50-metre plunge above a jungle-surrounded lake. Managed and run by a professional New Zealand team, the Phuket branch of this business first opened in 1992. Jungle Bungy Jump has three branches in Thailand: Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket and is the only company fully licensed and insured for this activity in Thailand. The entire operation is overseen by S.A.N.Z. (Standard Association of New Zealand) with whom jump masters are registered.

The setting of Jungle Bungy Jump in Phuket is superb and inspiring: a small green lake in the middle of luxurious vegetation. On the side Read More...

• Opening Hours: 09:00 – 18:00 Daily
• Location: Kathu district, 300 metres on the left after the Caltex Service Station towards Phuket Country Club golf course.
• Tel: 089-2891703 or 076-321351

Kathu Shrine has shared a long history with Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival and is known as the original home of the festival. The original Kathu shrine was very small and not at all grand. Over the years, a lot of work and effort was expanded to renovate its condition and nowadays this shrine is considered by many islanders as the most holy of all in Phuket. Traditional materials and techniques were used and the restoration was done following traditional Chinese architecture as visitors can see, starting from its main entrance. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily
• Location: In Kathu Village, it’s about two km from the Kathu- Patong junction on Samkong-Kathu Road once you turn right

Along the beach at the north end of Patong is Loma Park, a refreshingly quiet spot to relax in the shade. Many festival events are held here during the year, and it's a popular park for local families to enjoy a nice afternoon.

Standing downtown, diagonally opposite Bangla Road, the Jungceylon Shopping Complex has radically changed the face of shopping in Patong. The two main stores in the complex are Robinson - a gleaming well-lit upper end department store, and Big C supermarket.

The 200-plus other stores in this shopping heaven sell brand-name clothes, spectacles, sunglasses, cosmetics and perfumes, shoes, DVDs, computer games, tons of mobile phones and accessories, electrical goods but it is also a great entertainment haven with a five-room SF Cinema and a 16-lane bowling alley, perfect for rainy days or to escape the heat of the day. Read More...

Kalim Beach is located just north of Patong Beach and, unlike its famous neighbour, still retains some of its local Thai touches. A concrete parking and vendor space at its southern end in front of the local school cuts the beach into two parts and hosts a popular small street food market with half-a-dozen stands selling mataba, noodle soup, roti, Thai ice-creams and other delicacies, as well as soft drinks.

Kalim Beach itself is pretty rocky and not very attractive for swimmers, even though some snorkelling is possible at high tide. The highlight of the beach is surfing in low season. Kalim is considered one of the best surfing spots Read More...

Phuket’s long been a popular destination for those seeking sun, sand, sea and… companionship but not all men coming here seek female company. Many male visitors look for male companionship, sometimes for the duration of their holidays, sometimes for much longer.

At the Royal Paradise Complex in Patong an estimated half of the businesses there are run by, or are catering to gay people. Many are small bars with a selection of young men who sit, talk and share drinks with their guests. There is no obligation to spend more than the price of a drink. Read More...

Basically, there are two types of Thai boxing in Patong: the staged stuff and the real McCoy. For the real article look no further than Patong Boxing Stadium on Sai Namyen Road. Talk about an atmosphere. The stadium is frequented by macho-looking tattooed western types with their Thai girlfriends, middle-aged, broad-shouldered Thai guys and a large contingent of Muslims from neighbouring province Phang Nga, to cheer on their relatives. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Every Monday and Thursday – Show time 21:00 to 23:30
• Location: Boxing Stadium located on Sai Namyen Road, Patong
• How to get there: Look for a very small soi (street) opposite of well known Nanai Road on Sai Namyen Road

Patong Go-Kart Speedway is a fun and rip-roaring activity for the whole family located at the feet of Patong Hill’s Kathu side. The race track is 750m long and has a series of sharp curves, smooth bends, and a long straight start/finish lane allowing acceleration.

The main building with its front desk, bar-restaurant and garage is situated in the centre of the track and it’s a refreshingly cool area to watch the karts racing around. Opened in 1991 and managed by a German national, it is handled by a professional and dedicated Thai team. Anyone with a passion for motor racing should definitely check out this place. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 19:00
• Location: At the foot of Patong hill’s Kathu side (on the left-hand side after the police checkpoint when going toward Patong Beach)
• Tel: +66 (0)76 321 949

Phuket Mining Museum, located in Kathu on the road between Loch Palm Golf Club and British International School, is one of the island’s most interesting museums. It features displays ranging from tin mine models to a recreated scene in an opium den.

A visit with a guide (or someone who has some knowledge about Phuket's history) is recommended as, for now, most of the signs and descriptions are only in Thai. There’s a minimal entrance fee. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Mon to Sat from 08:00 – 16:00, closed on Sundays
• Location: On the road between Loch Palm Golf Club and British International School. You can't miss the entrance: a Sino-Portuguese style double archway
• Tel: +66 (0) 88 766 0962

Phuket Wake Park (formerly Phuket Cable Ski & Wakeboarding) near Kathu Waterfall is one of the most fun and challenging activities in Phuket. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you can enjoy many exciting wakeboarding rides on a large freshwater lake equipped with two Sesitec Cable systems: a short one for beginners and one that goes all around the basin.

Currently the only wake park on the island, its location offers exotic views of the surrounding trees and hills. Wakeboards, gloves, life vests, and helmets can be rented while free basic lessons are provided by professional instructors. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily from 07:30 – 23:00
• Location: Near the Kathu Waterfall, not far from the lively entertainment Phuket Palazzo Theatre and Restaurant
• Tel: +66 (0) 76 202 525 or +66 (0) 81 273 7530
• Price Range: 2 hours: 900 baht - 4 hours: 1,200 baht - All day: 1,500 baht (prices April 2013). Different sets and packages are also available.

Shell World Museum at Jungceylon is a labour of love for Somwang Patamakanthin known to most people as Jom, an amateur malacologist and one of Thailand’s leading seashell collectors. The museum houses countless colourful and unique sea shells, a total of 1,382 families from 135 countries around the world. Some of them are rare and valuable shells and fossils. Among the most impressive ones is a giant clam weighing more than 200kg.

Jom is no stranger to shell-collecting circles. His father, Somuek and his family own the famous Phuket Seashell Museum in Rawai, and the huge venue has been considered by many shell enthusiasts to be one of the most interesting private museums in the world. Jom grew up with the same interest as many people in his family and like his father he has met and exchanged knowledge and seashells with other marine scientists over the years.

Free admission for children under 100cm tall. Jom is also involved with the Bangkok Seashell Museum, located on Silom Road next to Soi Silom 23, just across the road from Lerdsin Hospital. Stop by if you are in the area.

• Opening Hours: Daily from 11:00 – 23:00
• Location: Near the Shooting Café at the Sino Phuket Zone, Jungceylon
• Tel: +66 (0) 81 -892 0947

Walking into the Simon Cabaret show theatre in Patong is just like entering a movie house. There's the same Kenny G saxophone music, the same plush seats and the same dimmed lights. It's only when a basso profundo voice announces the show and the curtain rises on live performers glistening with sequins and shimmering with feathers that things are different. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Three shows daily at 18:00, 19:45 and 21:30 hours.

Like all night owls, Soi Bangla awakens when the sun sets. That's when Patong's liveliest party zone becomes closed to traffic and ready for action! Famous for its raunchy nightlife, Bangla goes all out to entertain with girls, beers and music that increases in volume as the moon rises. Jammed most nights year round, it's actually totally unthreatening and lively place to walk around as bars compete for customers.

The girls aim to please - dancing around poles, engaging in banter, or coaxing customers to play simple bar games like "Connect" or "Hammer the nail" to break the ice. The objective is to entice customers to buy drinks and hopefully, Read More...

In a middle of Patong’s busy development and the infamous nightlife lies a peaceful and holy place called Wat Suwan Khiri Wong or Wat Patong for short. It is the centre of local Thai Buddhism. This Theravada temple features beautiful structures including the main ubosot (chapel), pagoda, monastery hall and statues of Lord Buddha. There are monks living in the temple and every morning they go through the nearby community to collect food from the villagers who line their route. It is a sight that takes Patong right back to its original roots when the place was just a fisherman’s village years ago. 

• Opening Hours: Daily from early morning till late afternoon
• Location: In Patong at the junction of Phrabarami and Phisit Karani Road (at the bottom of Patong Hill by the Phuket-Patong Road).

Zorbing is a fun activity for the whole family. Opened in 2012 and located near Lim’s restaurant on the hills overlooking Kalim Beach, participants at Zorbing at Rollerball descend a 190m hill track (one of the longest tracks in the world!) inside a three-metre diameter flexible plastic ball.

Hill rolling (the official name of this activity) was invented in New Zealand by David and Andrew Akers. This recreational activity is known under several different names around the world – zorbing, globe-riding, sphereing, orbing – and its Phuket’s version enjoys superb views over Patong Bay as well as tons of exhilarating fun. Read More...

• Opening Hours: Daily from 10:00 – 18:00
• Location: Kalim Beach
• Address: Kalim Bay View, Kalim, Patong, 83150
• Tel: +66 (0)76 341 421
• How to get there: Take the Soi at the corner of the Orchid Hotel and Spa in Kalim. Zorbing at Rollerball is well indicated along the uphill road
  Indication for taxi: จากหาดป่าตองขับตรงมาทางหาดกระหลิม เลี้ยวที่ซอยหัวมุมโรงแรม Orchid Hotel and Spa สังเกตุป้ายบอกทาง Zorbing at Rollerbal ตามถนน จากนั้นขับตามป้่ายมาเรื่อยๆ