karon or patong?

We still have not comfirmed our accommodation for phuket and we will be arriving in 3weeks time. Struggeling to decide whether we should stay at karon or patong beach? We are looking for vibrant night life but don%26#39;t want thousands of people around during the day on the beach? We are 3 girlfriends in our mid 20%26#39;s.

karon or patong?

I would recommend Karon then as there is plenty to do there but not as busy as Patong, and Patong is only 20 mins away in a Tuk Tuk, or Taxi, some accomodation does shuttle service in Patong too, the other option is to stay in Patong but somewhere like the Mercure, Merlin Beach Hotel. Have a great time, I will be there in 3 weeks myself. Julie

karon or patong?

Hi Miki121,

I would also recommend Karon Beach. Exactly for the reasons mentioned above. It%26#39;s quiet enough to get that tropical feeling, but it also has plenty of shopping and dining oppertunities. There%26#39;s plenty of nightlife too, but traditionally Patong is better in this aspect. Karon Beach is only a 3km drive away from Patong, so I would suggest that you base yourself in Karon Beach, shop, eat and chill there, and head over to Patong at night for some nightlife activities.

Ps: being from South Africa I%26#39;m sure you have been to Durban%26#39;s main beach over a Christmas period before? Patong beach is very similar to that. Busy as hell.

Karon is a small lively resort with a good beach and things to do in the evening in terms of bars and places to eat.

Personally I do not think Patong is as bad as some make out, but its a personal choice.

3 girls in your mid 20%26#39;s ? From the city or from the veldt ? Really, it makes no difference. For 3 girls in their mid 20%26#39;s, it%26#39;s a no brainer, stay in Patong. 20-25 minutes by tuk-tuk in any direction will find you a far less busy beach, or even by staying somewhere at the north end (eg Gracelands) and it%26#39;s not so busy on the beach right across the road.

Best advice I ever got was to split my stay b/w two areas. If you are going for 10 days or more, and it wasn%26#39;t going to cost more because of some deal, I would do that.

I would split the trip. Why not try them both. We do all the time. It%26#39;s more of an adventure. I love them both and we are a husband and wife in our late 40s. Even though Karon is quieter, for people your age, I bet you would have a ball in Patong.

We have decided to book the mercure hotel in patong beach. Would have loved to split our stay but as we are only there for 5nights we want to stay at one place. Will definitely make a trip to karon beach. What are the general prices for a taxi or tuk tuk between the patong and karon and between Patong and the airport. Do we need to prebook the transfer or can we just hail a taxi down? And what daytrips do you recommend taking into account that we want to spent some time at the beach? And another question...is atm%26#39;s widely available and credit card facilities or do I need to bring cash?

The two most popular trips are to Phi Phi and James Bond island, both are fullday trips. I%26#39;d recommend both, we loved it. It%26#39;s very affordable and makes for a fabulous day out.

Tuk Tuk from Patong to Karon should be around 300b.

I may see you there then, Im there from the 15th till 18th, but in another hotel prior to that for a week from 7th till 15th Nov.

Julie