Buying Property In Patong
The ‘city’ of Patong is located mid-way along the west coast of Phuket and is, by a considerable margin, the entertainment and tourist hub of Phuket. Because of the sheer amount of people per square mile in Patong, each with their own individual tastes that demand to be catered for, there seems to be a lot more choice here compared to other places on the island.
For those that are interested in owning property in Patong, it means that you’ll be closer to more shops, restaurants, bars, markets and entertainment. That means more shopping, more restaurants, more bars, more street markets, and lots of entertainment.
Why Patong is a Great Place to Invest in Phuket Property
One of the biggest pulls of owning property in Patong is that the area is just massively entertaining with a faster pace of life than other parts of the island. It’s a real hub of life for the surrounding areas.
Entertainment aside, Patong is one of the best areas in Phuket when it comes to restaurants, supermarkets, shopping and all other conveniences. While these amenities are certainly an attraction to some, the majority of the people that look at buying property in Patong choose this area be close to the bright lights and have entertainment on their doorstep.
On the other hand, there are those that passionately dislike Patong as they view the area as a little bit seedy, but they do seem to be outnumbered by those that love it, this includes residents and tourists alike.
Ultimately what that means for Patong property owners is that the potential for renting your property is pretty good, even more so in Phuket’s Peak Season, when the entire of Patong is buzzing with activity.
What this means for property owners is that rental potential in Patong is pretty good, especially in the peak season, when the entire area is absolutely buzzing.
Because so many people currently live in Patong, and this number seems to grow every year, as long as you buy wisely, your property investment will likely see some good capital growth.
Patong itself is home to the famous Bangla Road, which is more or less the epicentre of Fun in Southern Thailand. You will not find more of a party atmosphere in Phuket than you will on Bangla Road, with the evenings getting busy throughout the year.
There’s lots of laughter, enjoyment and general noise on Bangla Road and for anyone that’s looking to have a wild night out, it’s the place to be. The nightlife of Patong attracts tourists all year round and even after current events from the 2020 / 2021 period, there’s no reason to think that this will change.
Investors into the Patong Property scene can rely on a consistent demand of tourists looking to rent properties for their holidays, especially in the ‘High Season’ from November to April each year.
Villas and Condos For Sale in Patong and Tri Trang
Most of the land located near to Patong beach has already been used by Hotels and Commercial properties such as bars and restaurants. This means that there is not much new development going on in Patong any more. You will occasionally get a new development project appear but the units tend to go very quickly.
Over the last few years many of the back roads of Patong have seen condominium developments but the options are fairly limited by todays standard. Perched up on the mountain side and over looking Patong however, there are a few developments available that feature stunning views of Patong Bay.
If you want to be close to the nightlife but would rather it wasn’t right on your doorstep, you might opt for the southern end of Patong, which is a little closer to some of the quiet but equally stunning beaches of Freedom, Paradise and Tri Trang.
Life in these areas go at a much slower pace and there are far fewer crowds on the streets and less cars on the roads. There are a number of new condominium developments in that area also with some still being in the planning stages. Alternatively there are some high end condos and villas available that offer stunning northerly views of the Kalim Bay.
The area of Kalim is also another option for property investors to choose if they want to be away from the hustle and bustle. Many of Patong’s residents like to have the fun stuff on their doorstep but also don’t like to directly be in the thick of things. From Kalim, you’re still well within walking distance, or a short Tuk Tuk drive, to the more livelier areas of Patong.
You can view some of the properties for sales in Patong here:
Patong Beach
The famous Patong Beach itself is around 2.8km long, which is slight shorter than the nearby Karon Beach. On any given day though, Patong Beach is more crowded. In fact, it’s probably the busiest beach on the island and attracts not only sunbathers, but also people that like to enjoy water sports. You’ll see plenty or Parasailing and Jet Skiing there.
The central area of the beach does have its downsides though as when there are more people, there is more waste. General cleanliness does seem to improve though as you travel slightly further north of the beach towards Kalim.
If a crowded beach is not something that appeals to you, and you seek a bit more peace and quiet, then Tri Trang Beach, Freedom Beach and Paradise Beach are great alternatives. There is also the aptly named Merlin Beach located behind the Merlin Hotel.
In addition to offering peace and quiet for it’s visitors, all of the beaches mentioned offer up clean waters and some incredibly stunning scenery. These areas make you feel far removed from the much more raucous scene of Patong.
These are far removed from more raucous scene in Patong, and in addition to relative peace and quiet, each of these beaches offers up some stunning scenery and much cleaner waters.
A Great Choice of Restaurants and Dining in Patong
Patong boats the largest selection and variety of restaurants in Phuket. It’s not only international cuisine on offer either, there is a wide range of food from different cultures and countries available.
For example – If you’re seeking Middle Eastern food and cuisine from say the Indian Subcontinent, there are a slew of restaurants that market themselves as Arabic or Middle Eastern, offering tastes of Egypt, Morocco, Persia, Lebanon, Turkey, India, Pakistan and so on.
When it comes to Indian restaurants, there’s even a good choice of both Northern Indian and Southern Indian good on offer. If you like to keep it simple and easy though, your never too far away from a good Kebab shop either.
It comes as no surprise to any foodies out there that every kind of popular European Food is available. British, German, Scandinavian, French, Spanish (including tapas), Swiss and of course.. Italian pizzerias. Steak lovers are not forgotten about either with a variety of American & Australian grills and Argentinian steak houses available too. You name it, Patong has you covered for culinary delights.
For those of you that enjoy a bit of atmosphere with your meal, Patong is host to the very popular Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters, conveniently next to each other.
Fine dining is also available in many establishments around Patong if you’re treating someone special, with a lot of the 5 star Hotels opening up there restaurants to visitors as well as customers that are staying in the hotel.
Last but certainly not least, there is a vast array of well priced and incredibly tasty Thai restaurants, all selling great Thai food.
Grocery Shopping in Patong
Jungceylon shopping centre, conveniently located at the top of Bangla, has a large ‘Big C’ supermarket inside. The sell a wide variety of foreign and local branded food products and should certainly take care of the majority of your shopping needs. It’s also quite reasonably priced too!
On the opposite side of Rat-U-Thit Road, you’ll be able to see one of the more recent additions to Patong, the Central Food Hall. This is certainly more catered to tourists and foreigners in general with lots of European food outlet’s and shops. Central tends to cover you for things that you might miss from back home.
To the rear of the Jungceylon centre though, you’ll be able to find the Banzaan Fresh Market. This sells a great deal of Thai street food and fresh produce and around the early evening of around 5pm – 6pm it’s quite a vibrant and busy area.
Schools in Patong
Unfortunately, this is an area that Patong lacks in. There is a local Thai school for children ages but there are no International Schools, Kindergartens or Nurseries. For this you will need to travel a little further afield.
To be frank, Patong is not the ideal location to raise a family. Due to it being the tourist hot spot, the atmosphere of the area is not a particularly family orientated one. That’s not to say that you don’t get families enjoying shopping trips and beach days, it’s generally not geared towards families or children. If you’d like to also keep your children moderately oblivious to the more seedier sides of the nightlife that Thailand has to offer, living in Patong would make it very difficult.
Nightlife and Entertainment in Patong
Patong is without doubt Party Central. It’s full of fun, laughter, noise and music. It’s packed with restaurants, pubs and a vibrant bar scene. If you love bright light lights and neon, it’s something you should try out!
As we touched on briefly before, Bangla Road is certainly right at the heart of the action of Patong. All kinds of people from different walks in life seem to give Bangla Road a visit and you’ll find people of all nationalities congregating and having a great time.
Patong has a certain vibe to it that just isn’t found anywhere else in Phuket. The closer you get to Bangla road, the more you can feel the energy surrounded it, and it’s not just a one off – it’s seven nights a week!
Bangla Road boasts a huge selection of ‘Girly’ Bars on the main strip itself with a lot of side streets to explore. A lot of these bars though do cater for people who just want to make some friends, listen to some good music and enjoy a hassle free atmosphere, bars like the Kangaroo Bar, Aussie Bar, Black Horse Bar and the Rock Star Bar. If you’re feeling a little more risque though, Soi Sea Dragon hosts the popular gentlemen’s club, Suzy Wongs, one of Patong’s oldest and most well known establishments.
If you like to cut up the dance floor then Patong will not disappoint you. There’s some world famous nightclubs here such as Sugar, Illuzion, Tai Pan, Seduction and Hollywood. Normally these are open well into the early hours of the morning.
There’s also some great live music covers bands available in Patong. The biggest being The Hard Rock Cafe which is closer to the southern part of Patong and nearer the beach, but back to Bangla Road you can enjoy some great live tunes at New York Bar, Monsoon and Red Hot. Honestly, no matter where you are in Patong, you’ll only ever be a stones through away from a bit of entertainment and atmosphere.
Other Areas of Interest and Tourist Attractions Around Patong
As Patong is the number one tourist hot spot in Phuket, you can expect to have plenty of entertainment available to you day and night. During the day time you’ll be spoilt for choice for Spa’s and Massage Parlours. For the more adventurous visitors there’s Rollerball (or Zorbing) available in Kalim. This involves jumping into a big plastic sphere that floats on water and then rolling down a hill – great fun!
The famous Tiger Kingdom & Go Kart track are 10 minutes away just over Patong hill in the village of Kathu. There’s also the Phuket Wake Park, Flying Hanuman Zip Line and the Jungle Bungy in the same area. Golfers are really spoiled for choice in Phuket as the island features many world close Golf Courses, also in the Kathu area.
Not far from Patong there are lots of ATV, Zip Lining and Elephant rides and sanctuaries to visit. Patong has a large Thai Boxing community too where people come from all over to train and get fit, and some of the local stadiums but on Thai Boxing events too which is always entertaining.
As we mentioned before, the Tri Trang area has some of the most amazing beaches for you to explore and because of Patong’s convenient location, there are so many beautiful parts very close by. These include Kata and Karon beaches which are a few minutes drive away, and even Kamala beach which is still quite close and a great place to relax.
If you’re a shopaholic and still need to find more than what Patong has to offer, just over the hill has the main Central Festival and Floriesta shopping malls featuring high end brands and great food.
We’ve touched on Patong’s nightlife scene but if, as the great Lou Reed once sung, wanted to ‘take a walk on the wild side’, then should visit the Simon Cabaret, the best know “Lady Boy” cabaret in Phuket. It’s been there for many years and is still one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island. Kamala also hosts the Phuket FantaSea, a theme park style area that features an evening show about Thailand’s history and culture, this has been running for over 20 years now and is also incredibly popular for tourists.
