Each to their own! My last visit to Patong lasted about the length of my dinner and a little walk around the shops before leaving back to a lovely secluded hotel. Won't be going back in a hurry. Or to Chaweng or Pattaya to be honest!

Thailand has something for everyone, and I guess some people like Patong, the cheap drinks, the prostitutes, the sex bars, the underlying current of violence. Each to their own! I don't see the point of going so far for something I can experience most Friday nights in many English town centres....

While I visit Phuket quite a bit I've not been to Patong since 92...didn't like it then, certainly don't like the sound of it now. My one visit to Pattaya had me rushing off to Samui within a few days, even though my Pattaya hotel was pre-paid for the duration.

Have to say that Patong has always been off my list of must sees. I'm sorry you were disappointed winterpansy. Not sure how much of Thailand you have seen but I don't it doesn't put you off trying somewhere else.

I agree its each to their own, theres a lot more to Phuket than Bangla Rd and Patong Beach. Though have to say I have never seen anything like you described re the violence, I feel very safe there.
Cathy

Had one day in Patong last week and neither my wife or I liked it.No we would not go back and yes it's full of Bars and money grabbers but maybe it's the europeans fault for flaunting cash in front of people that do not have any.Whatever, we will not visit again.

Ian

Rik and Winterpansy ;
Re the bars and money grabbers.

With the greatest of respect in order for a market to exist there has to be both a buyer and a seller.

The holidaymakers wish is to be entertained and the vendors wish is to be paid.
A market exists with 2 people coming together to trade.

This whole planet we live on is based on the premise of "GRABBING" cash for ourselves and our loved ones and so then .... we in turn can give it to some other greedy sods
Its called the game of life.
And sometimes the gathering of nuts

Happy holidays

Taxi

Stayed at Karon last December with my wife and had 3 nights out in Patong which is much livelier than Karon.

Had some good meals and drinks in various bars and 2 great nights in Rock City and never saw any trouble.

With Patong you know what you are getting so if you don't like that sort of thing, avoid it.

I loved it and it was a good alternative to the quieter Karon when required.

Was very very tempted Datsun with the Paradise in Karon.
Only thing that put me off slightly was the distance to beach.
Looked a very nice place.

I think you are correct with the Patong issue.

One mans poison is another mans .. and so on.

We are all different in our mannerisms (spelling)

For me an absolute hell on earth would be to be dropped off at a quite peaceful beach with jack diddly squat to do except gaze at the ocean, smell wild flowers and see how many times my flat pebble bounced and skimmed across the water.
I would consider it a punishing ordeal to say the least.

I see holiday makers who travel to the ends of the earth to only then sit by a pool and cook at gas mark 5 for 8 hours daily for 2 weeks until crispy brown or lobster red.
AND YET that is what rocks their boat so happy days all round.

We all have different holiday requirments.
I can see me and my mrs "or should that be my mrs and I" singing knees up muvver brown in some lookalike english pub on bangla street 2 AM in the merry morn as happy as larry the lamb and full as a bucket on cobra and tiger beer. Not lager louts mind just 50 year old gits having a fantastic time.
And likewise when we want it quiet we will frequent a nice quality restaurant have a lovely candelelit meal for 2 in peaceful kata or karon only 10 mins up the road followed by the proverbial after eight mints coffee and a romantic stroll in the moonlight down the tiddly prom prom prom.
Horses for courses

A bizare holiday OR disturbing holiday experiance for me would be
Peeps who go skiing.
Why would you want to go on holiday in the snow why would you climb up hills only then to slide down again
And yet they love it to bits

Taxi

Kat and Karon quiet And here's me worried that Nai thon is getting too busy

Taximania, are we related? loved your reply sounds like us, must be because we are 50 something gits as well hahaha.
Cathy

we have just returned from our first trip to Thailand. we visited Patong once and once only. Nuff said.....

Admitedly, it's been two years since we were there, but we loved the place. We stayed well out of town, at Amari Coral Beach Resort, where everything was excellent, especially the staff. It was secluded and peaceful, yet you could be on Patong Beach within 5 minutes in a tuk tuk.

My wife is not remotely adventurous, and tends to feel nervous in bustling noisy places, yet neither of us felt remotely threatened. Sure, you get guys trying to get you into their bars, restaurants and shops, but that's only natural in a place where people are born poor. If you ignore them, they don't pursue you, but simply move onto the next target walking along the same road.

We will go back there one day, but would definitely stay at Amari Coral Beach again. You get the best of both worlds there.

I think there is so much going on there that people inevitably flock to the place. I stayed in Nai Yang (near the airport) which is a National Park area and is very pretty.

I had been to Phuket previously, once before, and stayed in Patong. I hated it, very much like Blackpool was what I thought. I paid for three nights and left after one. However, this time we went there for a bit of souvenier shopping and walked along the beach. The beach is lovely and there was some great shopping to be had and bargains to be found.

There is tonnes going on and, each to their own is what I say!

I have seen Patong feature as one of the best ten beaches in the world on some telly prog, so it's a great beach its just whats built up around it over the years.

UNCLE CATHY AND AUNTIE GARRY
Is there a prob with the singapore info

I just get a yellow flash down the side of the page with no info or nothing

Credit were credits due, got to be one of the most "usefull" info sites on asia doing the rounds.
All the info given is information a tourist really really needs, price of nick nacks were to shop, best places to sup and eat, how to get about what it will cost to get about, what to travel in and even what to do when you get to "about"
Loads of piccies maps places to vistit from experianced peeps who have been there done it and got the tee-shirt

http://cathyandgarystravelpages.com/

Dont normally as a rule give peeps a plug but in this instance a job well well done !

Had to slightly manipulate holiday travel plans as Qatar just said in email "major shedule change".

Pretty naughty really when I allready booked all our internals and hotels
Quatar airways book your ideas up you just cost me £350
Do it again and u lose our business !
Thats a promise

I had to extend our hols by 3 days

If I order a brown leather suite and pay 9 months up front then I dont expect to be told just 2 weeks later that its a gonna be a fabric jobbie and in pastel yellow
280 ish spleeps to go approx

happy easter
Taxi

Dear Nephew Taxi,
Thanks so much for the thumbs up haha.

I just checked the Singapore page and it is loading fine, its a blue page, though all the info is not finished yet, it will take me months lol.
Cathy

Taxi, Just realized what you meant re the Singapore pages, any pages that show up like you said are because they have not been completed.
Cathy

K thanks for that, looking forward to Singa pages getting completed

Had a pint or 3 at home last night and was at loggerheads what to do with the rest of night off sooooooo
I went for landing at changi airport full cockpit view 25 times courtesy of yxxtxbe
THEN...
Walked down sukumvit
Shopping in kao san road
Walked the full lenth virtual beach at patong
Went to phi phi island
And then spent the rest of night in Sentosa

ALL without even having to leave the armchair
THE POWER OF THE INTERNET

So the question now has to be

Is it really really all worth the bother of going now

I've been going to Phuket and Patong for nearly 20 years and enjoy having a drink in the lively Bangla area. In all that time I've never seen a single fight and have never remotely felt unsafe.