
View of Patong Beach, with condominium tower.
Patong Beach (
Thai หาดป่าตอง) refers to a
beach on
Phuket's west coast, and to the town adjoining it. It is the main
tourist resort in Phuket. It also contains an important center of Phuket's nightlife and is the center of inexpensive shopping on the island. The beach became popular with Western tourists, especially Europeans, in the late 1980s. Numerous large hotels and chain hotels are located there.
Patong Beach is as equally famous for its
nightlife as also the 2-kilometer beach that runs the entire length of Patong’s western side. Nightlife is centered on two main areas Bangla Road and Paradise
Complex, with Bangla Road being predominantly
straight and Paradise Complex being predominantly
gay. Both roads are lined with many themed bars, discotheques, and go go bars. Prostitution is culturally acceptable, especially on Bangla Road where there are many older Western men drinking with much younger Thai women and transvestites. Most discos in Patong charge a 100 baht admission fee but rather than being a cover charge, this is actually a drink minimum since you get a voucher and most clubs charge 100 baht for almost all drinks.
On
December 26,
2004, Patong Beach along with many other areas along the western coast of Phuket and Thailand were struck by a
tsunami caused by the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The wave caused a great deal of destruction to the waterfront of the beach and immediately inland, and many people were killed there. Patong was one of the worst affected areas of Phuket, although the destruction was not nearly as bad as nearby in
Khao Lak. However, the water in Patong Beach seemed clearer after the tsunami.

View of the Patong Beach facing South.

Row of
tuk-tuks on Thawiwong Road, Patong Beach.