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Trying out every bar on Bangla Road is the life's work of a dedicated
few and the comings and goings of different places are sure to keep
those people happily occupied for as long as they wish. The nightlife
scene in Patong is governed by immutable but unknowable forces.
One night a given place may be completely packed, come back the
next night and it will be deserted. Bars come and go like fireflies
in the night, meaning that keeping an accurate record is almost
impossible so we won't even try. Instead, here's a breakdown of
the general character of each area: what to expect and where to
go (usually). Bangla Road (The most famous Hot Street in Patong)
"Hello, Welcome" - Bangla Road
Soi by Soi
The pulsating heart of Patong nightlife is surely Bangla Road,
or more properly, the arcades of bars known as 'Bar Sois'. Each
one has its own unique character and style, from clean and organized
Soi Eric to loud and bright Soi Tiger. The bars are largely indistinguishable from one another so take
a turn up and down the soi until you find one that appeals to you.
(Read More...)
Soi Eric
Run by a professional and well-organized management team from Europe,
Soi Eric has done a good job of bringing order from chaos. The first
thing you notice is that Soi Eric doesn't sound like battle of the
bands. There is one DJ who plays the records for the entire street,
which cuts down on some of the noise and confusion of the other
sois.
Of course, some like the confusion and with six different
beats playing even the worst dancer is bound to find one by mistake.
Soi Eric has also tried to cover all the bases, with a pharmacy
and art gallery at the front, a restaurant at the back and a go-go
bar as the anchor, Soi Eric takes care of most of your needs (the
girls handle the rest).
Soi Easy
Best known for the upstairs Aussie Bar, which attracts a
faithful crowd of (drum roll, please) Australians, Soi Easy is the
bar soi closest to the beach on Bangla Road. A two storey complex
of flashing neon and loud music, Soi Easy has about 25 different
bars to choose from but the aforementioned Aussie Bar and Dragon
Club are the main hotspots to check out.
Soi Gonzo
Next to Soi Easy you'll find Soi Gonzo, a cool little place that
often gets overlooked between the neon of Easy and the ladboys of
Soi Crocodile. Soi Gonzo is the place to go to enjoy all the enticements
of Bangla Road without having to deal with the crowds.
There are
maybe ten bars on Soi Gonzo, such as the interesting-looking Black
Cat, the friendliest bar on the soi. You know the song about
going "where everybody knows your name?" Well, they might
have been referring to this welcoming little spot.
Soi Lion
Located between Soi Tiger and Soi Seadragon, Soi Lion is the new
kid on the block at Bangla Road. With only ten bars, its compact
size makes it a perfect destination if you want to drink your way
from one end to the other, a practice that's almost guaranteed to
have you doing the 'Technicolor Yawn' on one of the larger sois.
69 and Pum Pui seem to be the main attractions here.
Soi Crocodile
Also known as 'Soi Katoey' for the prominent stage where ladyboys
shake everything they've got (and some things that were just recently
added).
This is the most consistently busy of the bar sois and even
on a weeknight in low season there are plenty of punters around. The Point Bar is always popular and The Rasta Bar at the back often has a large crowd of foreign ladies flirting with
the reggae boys behind the bar (see, it does work both ways).
The Crocodile Disco at the end of Soi Crocodile burned down in
early 2006 but there are plans to re-open it as a massive go-go
bar by high season of 2006. Check back here for more updates.
Soi Seadragon
Lined on both sides with go-go bars, Soi Seadragon is the place
to go to watch scantily clad maidens shake what they've got for
all they're worth.
Places like Playschool A-Go-Go, Lolita
A-Go-Go and The Bang Bang Club offer plenty of eye candy,
while those who would rather have a beer and a chat will find a
home at Two Brothers, Crow's Nest and Mickey Mouse. Scandinavian Bar is a perfect place to escape the bar girl
scene and has hosted such luminaries as Noel Gallagher and Liv Tyler.
Seadragon is one of the largest sois in Patong and has a guest house,
a tattoo shop and a couple of eateries, as well as the bars.
Soi Vegas
Soi Vegas,has thebrilliantly named Katoys' R
' Us - featuring flamboyant dancing on the bar counter, competing
with Big Spender and King Kong. On both sides several
new snooker rooms opened lately.
At the end of Soi Vegas is Sala
Muay Thai - a small Thai boxing stadium with nightly fights,
more a tourist attractions than a real fight, but at least you can
have a glimpse for tha price of a beer and decide you you want to
see the real thing at Bangla Boxing Stadium.
Soi Sukhumvit Road
Named after Bangkok's Broadway, Soi Sukhumvit Road is technically
not off of Bangla, being accessed from Rat-U-Thit Road right where
it meets Bangla. This two level complex is a fairly recent addition
and was known for years as Soi Moodies. This place has yet to take
off like the rest of the bar sois, so it's a good place to relax
and have some pizza or play a game of pool.
The Night Station is the biggest bar on the soi, and features lots of attractive go-go
dancers who tend to show off a bit more than is strictly legal in
Patong. It seems that with less people around they are willing to
do a bit more to get your attention. This place also features a
unified sound system to avoid the cacophony that is all too common
in bar sois
Soi Tiger
Underneath the outrageous edifice that is Tiger Disco there
are perhaps two dozen bars that make preludes or interludes to a
night of boogie action. One of the few sois that is completely roofed,
Tiger gets pretty steamy and crowded and the best refuge from a
sudden rain squall.
The lines that divide one bar from another are
even more vague here and it sometimes feels like one huge party. Sharky Bar, out front is always popular (it might have something
to do with the girls in schoolgirl outfits dancing on the bar) and Hot Rock is like a go-go bar without the huge drink prices. Crazy Horse is always popular and if you want to see ladyboys
head to Cocktail and Dreams Bar.
As rent prices on Bangla Road and the beach road continue to skyrocket,
many entrepreneurs are turning to Rat-U-Thit to try out new enterprises.
The intersection of Rat-U-Thit and Bangla is a happening spot, with
nightclubs like Tai Pan (FBI), VIP and Baya Beach
attracting large crowds. There are quite a few interesting spots
popping up on Rat-U-Thit, as well as long time favourites.
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Black Sheep is a popular place for locals to go and watch the
game, have some grub or just enjoy a beer without all the hassle
and hubbub of Bangla. The Sofa is a cool looking new place
with plush sofas for chilling out and digging the scene. (Read
More...)
The biggest attraction of Rat-U-Thit Road is The Paradise Complex,
the Bangla Road of Phuket's gay scene. Thailand is very tolerant
of different lifestyles (just take a look at the blatant transvestites
if you doubt that) and the Paradise Complex was purpose-built to
be a gay playground. The complex itself is massive, covering almost
an entire city block. Within Paradise you will find countless pubs
bars and discos.
The Flying Handbag is a tongue-in-cheek
British Pub, always great for a laugh, but don't forget to bring
your handbag. Also popular are James Dean, a pub dedicated
to the iconic loner, Connect, which also offers internet access,
and Wow Café and Karaoke if you're itching to do your Bette
Middler impression.
If you'd like something a little hotter then
head to one of Paradise's gay go-go bars, such as My Way, Spartacus or CU Tonight. These offer the same attractions
as their straight counterparts, the only real difference being gender.
(Read More... )
Thaweewong Road is better known simply as 'The Beach Road' since
it runs parallel to the beach for most of its length. This area
hosts slightly more upscale nightlife and is less geared towards
the bar girl scene. Along this road you'll find more cocktail lounges
than beer bars, as well as most of the best music pubs in Patong.
At the northern end of the road lies Rock City, which hosts
regular AC/DC and Metallica tribute bands as well as home grown
local rock and roll. A little farther down the street is Saxophone,
the place to chill out and enjoy live jazz and blues from one of
the better bands in Phuket.
Check out Molly Malone's, south
of Bangla, for authentic Irish music and Banana Club has
live bands downstairs before the disco gets going upstairs.
Beach Road North
Many of Patong's best cocktail bars and lounges are located on
the beach road, stylish places where you won't have to shout to
be heard and you can hobnob with the Beautiful People. La Salsa
is a Latin-themed cigar bar-cum-restaurant where you can get real
Cuban cigars to accompany your mojito while grooving to the DJ's
selection of hot Latin jazz.
The beach road rounds out the nightlife trifecta with a smattering
of beer bars and girlie bars. Most of these can be found behind
the Irish Bar, which features what is probably the world's
easiest to find three-leaf clover.
Behind this large and airy pub
lies a bar soi similar to the ones you'll find near Bangla Road.
For some reason these beer bars are among least pushy in Patong
and this bar soi is a real breath of fresh air if you start to feel
a little hassled on Bangla. Places here have names like Chill Out, Sailor Bar and Friendship Bar. Be sure to check all
the nooks and crannies, since there are more bars here than it looks
like. There's also a halfway decent taco stand at the entrance where
you can get some late-night cheap grub. (Read
More...) |
