Phuket has a wide variety of bars to suit most tastes and budgets, from small bamboo huts on the beach to sophisticated hotel lounges, with a colourful mix of the weird and the wonderful in between.

Sports Bars

Quite a few bars will show live sports matches from around the world. The English Premiership is particularly popular but other leagues and sports are also shown, including rugby, Aussie rules and formula one. Most bars showing sports events will advertise viewing times on blackboards out front.

The better bars are normally in the main tourist centres and often have numerous screens allowing different clients to watch different sports.

Most of the night life in Karon revolves around the numerous restaurants that can be found in the main centre near to the circle along with a number of small bars many of which have live music playing most nights.

There is a walking street just up from the circle and here you can get a drink, food, live music or a massage making it a perfect place for the family earlier in the evening.

There are a handful of beer bars to be found in the main part of Karon but on the whole this is not the place to go if this is what you are looking for – head south to Luang Pho Chuan Road located 2/3 of the way down the beach road towards Kata where you will find a number of bars down the side streets.

For more information on Karon Beach, see our Karon guide and Karon map.

There are a number of nightclubs around Phuket that cater for different markets and are of different standards. The largest and most professional are located in Patong. Some have live music, others DJs with a handful having a mixture of both
Be prepared to pay a higher price for your drinks in these locations although you can often party for most of the night depending on their location and the current Government ruling regarding closing time.

Patong

TaiPan

The longest opening night club in Phuket Taipan caters for the holiday and local crowd with live music in the early evening and then a DJ through to the early hours of the morning. TaiPan are renowned for their T Shirts which you will see all around Phuket as they give these away free of charge several times during the night. Located at the top end of Bangla Road and where many of the girls go to when the beer bars they work in close.

Seduction

Styled on nightclubs that the owner had previously had back in Sweden Seduction is thought by many to be the best of the nightclubs in Patong and often has guest DJs from around the world playing especially during the high season. Situated near the top end of Bangla Road.

Hollywood

Formerly the island’s largest GoGo bar Hollywood is now one of the largest discos on the island and is a popular place for Thai girls to hang out with their friends, especially at the weekends. There are 2 distinct areas to the disco so if you do not like the music being played when you get it make your way through to the 2nd area where the style will be completely different
Hollywood can get very busy at times.

Famous

Located on the top floor of Jungceylon Famous Night Club and pool offers something completely different to other nightclubs on the island as it opens both during the daytime and night and offers spectacular views down on Patong
There are private Cabanas around the pool making it perfect location for a party or private night with a loved one but still with the vibrancy provided by visiting DJs from around the world.

Banana Disco

Patong’s oldest disco is located on the Beach Road just south of Soi Bangla and has recently re-opened. Generally closes a bit earlier than the other discos in Patong.

Rawai

Go just about as far south as you can in Phuket to Rawai and you will find not one but 2 nightclubs. Not noted in the past for its nightlife an explosion in the number of bars in the area make it an ideal place to party until the small hours of the morning.

Laguna Night Club

A recent renovation has changed this nightclub from what was no more than a bar with thick walls and air-conditioning to a night club that would not look out of place in London or New York.

The club does not open its doors until late at night but often parties until the early hours of the morning.
The 30 bars outside offer a great feeder in to the night club and it is very easy to spend the whole night in the bars and then move on in to the nightclub where you are joined by the girls from the bars outside and surrounding area, many of whom are looking for company.

Phuket Town

There are nearly as many nightclubs and discos in Phuket Town as there are in Patong but they tend to cater for a very different crowd. Here you will find hard working locals taking time out to enjoy themselves and the atmosphere is very different to that of Patong. If you have the opportunity go with a Thai friend or acquaintance and sample the atmosphere
Timber Hut.

Timber Hut

The oldest of Phuket Town’s night clubs, Timber Hut is where you will find a mix of locals and expats with a smattering of holiday makers. The night starts off with a selection of live bands who mix in with local DJs proving an wide range of music styles. This is an excellent location for a night out and perfectly safe if you go alone or with a friend.

Bar Fines

Ladies working in can be taken out of the bar for the evening. If they agree to go with you and you wish to take her out before the bar closes, you have to pay a fee (around 300-500 Baht) known as a “bar fine”. This is to compensate the bar for the time that she is out of the bar, where she would normally be entertaining and attracting more customers. She will normally also receive a share of the bar fine.

The bar fine only entitles you to take her out of the bar. Anything else has to be negotiated between you and the lady in question. However, the bar fine system does offer the customer some protection. In the unlikely event that there is a problem you can go back to the bar the next day and the bar will be able to assist you in resolving any problems. At the very least they will be able to ID her.

Lady Drinks

You’ll come across this in beer bars and à go-gos. When you buy a girl in these bars a drink, they receive a commission. Its entirely up to you if you buy them or not and you should not feel pressured to do so. However, if you like the girl buying a few lady drinks will make her look good to her employer while she is entertaining you.

Freelancers

If you prefer to meet girls outside of beer bars and go-gos, head over to the discos in Patong later in the evening (after midnight). Many of the bar girls will be freelancing there after their bar closes. Payment is sometimes discussed beforehand and other times not, however, if the girl normally works in a bar it will be expected for you to pay her for her services. (Having said this, please don’t assume that every girl you meet in a disco is on the game, although in Patong is this often the case).

A word of warning: Although enjoyable company can often be found in this manner, it is much riskier than taking a girl from a bar or go-go. You could end up being robbed and you would have no come-back if something goes wrong. If you don’t know your way around its better to only take girls out of bars they are working in. This is especially important in the case of ladyboys who are often found freelancing on Bangla itself in the early hours of the morning.

Ladyboys

Phuket has quite a few ladyboys or katoeys, as they are known in Thai. Just a heads up to avoid confusion on your nights out. Love them or loathe them they can be found in Soi Crocodile just off Bangla Road. Many can be stunningly beautiful and can easily mistaken for real women. Some things to look out from a deeper voice (which can be disguised) is their height, ladyboys being males (at least genetically) are often taller than regular girls, and have larger hands and feet.

Health

Thailand has an epidemic of HIV infection and AIDS. Heterosexual transmission accounts for most HIV infections in Thailand, though HIV is common among prostitutes of both sexes. Always wear a condom.

Safety

Phuket is generally safe and there is very little chance of trouble finding you if you don’t go looking for it. In general, if you keep your wits about you and act respectfully towards other people you will have no problems. Don’t be aggressive towards people and they won’t be aggressive back. You definitely don’t want to get in a fight here, especially with locals. You will always lose.

You should be wary of thieves and pickpockets, especially if you’ve had a few drinks. Also, your date may have sticky fingers so keep an eye of your valuables and be sensible. This is one of the reasons why its better to barfine a girl from a bar than to pick up “freelancers”. If something happens you will be able to take your complaint up with the bar.

The food mall at Jungceylon is probably misnamed as there are some great value restaurants here including the Irish Times, Churassco and Wine Connection.

Elsewhere in Patong fine dining can be found up high in the Royal Paradise for Indian and Chinese and at the 9th Floor for International cuisine.

Show times are available for SF Cinemacity Jungceyon and SFX Coliseum. These change weekly, with new releases beginning on Thursdays. Both cinemas have movie hotlines which you can call to get updated movie schedules and book your tickets. The air-conditioning is usually turned up quite high so its advisable to wear a long-sleeved shirt if you get cold easily.

SF Cinemacity Jungceylon – Patong

SF Cinemacity is Phuket’s newest cinema and the first cinema in Patong. The cinema boasts 5 large screens and is located on the third floor of Jungceyon Shopping Complex above Robinsons Department Store. Prices start at 140 baht (Mon – Wed) and 160 baht (Thu – Sun) for regular seats. Call 076 600 555 to check movie times or see SF Cinemacity Jungceylon showtimes

SFX Coliseum (Central Festival) – Phuket City

SFX is located on the third floor of Central Festival Phuket. Billed as Phuket’s first world-class cinema, SFX is very modern and is equipped with the latest digital sound systems. As well as standard seats, some of the theatres have VIP seats, which are quite a bit larger and more comfortable. These are located in the last couple of rows. There is also a separate first-class theatre, with luxury seats and complimentary soft drinks and popcorn. Prices start at 120 Baht (Mon – Wed) and 140 baht (Thu – Sun) for regular seats. Call 076 209 000 to check movie times or see SFX Coliseum showtimes.

Coliseum Paradise Multiplex – Phuket City

Coliseum is the older of the two cinemas in Phuket City and is slightly cheaper, although the auditoriums have undergone a recent refurbishment and are on a par with the newer cinemas above. The target audience is predominantly local and as a result they show less films with English soundtracks than at Jungceylon or Central Festival. A couple of the theatres have VIP seats in the last two rows which are larger and more comfortable. Prices start at 90 Baht for regular seats.

Further contact details

Film schedule commencing Thursday 13 Jun 2013

In recent years there have been a number of Beach Clubs open on Phuket offering a wide range of services to their guests who are taking full benefit of what Phuket’s beaches have to offer in comfort and style.

Located right on the beach front the Beach Clubs provide a relaxing location to chill out whilst soaking up the sun, dining out or enjoying some great evening entertainment often with live music or internationally renown DJs from around the world. They are also a great location for families as there are often a wide range of activities for all ages, especially children.

It is quite possible to spend the whole day at a Beach Club starting with a late breakfast, a light lunch and then on in to the evening with sunset cocktails and an evening meal.

Currently all of the Beach Clubs are located on the West or South coasts of Phuket. For more information on each beach club see the listings below.

Beer bars are usually smaller bars that have female hostesses that will entertain you during your time in their bar in exchange for drinks that you buy for them for which they earn a commission. This can be in the form of playing games such as Jenga and Connect 4 or just chatting and smiling.

Many of the bars also offer you the opportunity to take the girls away from the bar either to show you around the area that night or overnight back in your room. This involves the paying of a “bar fine” which varies from area to area and also time of the night. It should be noted that some hotels do not allow additional “guests” for security reasons.

Most of the areas that attract tourists now have beer bars and they can be a very entertaining location whether you are single or with a partner. The majority of beer bars in Patong are located just off of Bangla Road within covered complexes such as Tiger, or down side streets such as Soi Eric, Soi Seadragon and Soi Crocodile.