This is my first trip to Phuket to check out the action. here is some info i have gathered for other first timers going there.

TRANSPORTATION
If you scour the air ways you can get promotional deals for as low as 4250 Baht round trip from BKK. it used to be a lot cheaper. maybe the prices will fall in low seasons or in a better economy. but it is the fastest and best way to get there. another choice is train or bus. i do not recommend the trains at this time as there are few running and they are old and have a tendency to break down. busses, well that is the 13 hour option but if you have the time to spare as i do, it is only 475 Baht one way. On this recent trip i passed by a lot of areas in the South that were flooded which made the trip longer. i also want to note that luxury busses will run 990 one way but you get a big seat. over night busses are best as you can just sleep all the way there.

what took me for a ride was getting to Patong from Phuket Town cost me more than the bus from Bangkok! from the airport or bus station there are very few options. the meter taxis are red and non-exisitent! other taxi drivers will start negotiations at 500 Baht. Tuk Tuks will over charge and i don't think you want to go on a motorbike for 40 minutes over those hills. get you hotel to pick your up!

and yes, those are your transportation options. in Patong, Taxi drivers do not have meters. Tuk Tuks have the monopoly. Motor bikes are more fair but you will have to negotiate always! you can also rent your own motor bike which will run about 250-300 Baht a day which is the best option, but walking is fine especially during the cool nights. the hots spots are basically in one place. to get to Phuket Town from Patong and vice versa, there are blue busses that run from 6AM to 6PM for 25-35 Baht.

ACCOMMODATIONS
i stayed at the Sea Pearl Resort which is right at the bottom of Patong Beach. it's decent. right across the street is the Sunset beer bars, an internet cafe, restaurants and you are in spitting distance from the beach. it was a nice place but part of the Absolute Hotels time share thing which means you will have to sit through their promotion deal.

Again most of the action is in Bangla Road and the closest hotels in that area are The Patong Beach Resort (higher end)

http://www.tharapatong.com/

or for more budget rates The Sand Inn which is across the road from Bangla.

www.sandinnphuket.com/booking.htm

as always do your research.

FOOD
Phuket is known for seafood. there is a seafood festival in May. some good eats... Savoey on Thaweewong Road (aka Patong Beach Road) and also Tropica Restaurant which again is along the beach road. there is a place called The Port with good seafood and Thai food.

OTHER
Phuket island is big. there is a lot more too it than Bangla Road. You have the standard elephant show, shooting range and butterfly farm but for scenic lovers, there are a few beautiful waterfalls. the beaches in Kata are nice and the diving is decent. However there is Phi Phi Island where many expats choose to hang out. it is a nice and quiet place but a very scenic island with cave exploration which i found quite awesome!

shopping is always last on my list. there is nothing to shop for here but if you seek air conditioning during the day and perhaps want to catch a movie, Jungceylon (which has a Robinsons Store) is the biggest mall in the area. Starbucks and McDonalds included.

NIGHTLIFE
The Sunset Plaza near my hotel had a few beer bars (corner of Patong Beach Road and Prachanukhro Road). There was also a group of bars behind the OTOP Shopping Market (Raj-u-thid Road). There are many many massage parlors that will give P4P specials all along Beach Road and Raj-uthid Road too.

foot massages will run an average or 250-300. oil massages are a bit more. hand jobs or body to body oil massages, girls may ask for 1000. FS they will ask for 2000 but negotiate. one girl asked me if i wanted a BJ and i said no, i told her i wanted everything. she asked me how much i would pay and i told her 1000 and she took my offer.

There is one soapy massage on Raj-u-thid road called Christin Massage (it's a huge building, you can't miss it!) but when i walked in at about 4 the pickings were slim! they charge between 2500-3000. maybe the good looking girls went home for Songkran but i didn't waste my time waiting around for someone decent to show up!

if dancing is your thing, there are great looking girls that dance at Banana Discotheque. i didn't get the sense that they were girls from the bar scene. mostly visitors and more wealthy locals but wow! there were a few hotties in the crowd and if you got game, go for it! there is also Hollywood Disco (which is a popular chain here in Thailand) and Baya Night Club where the working girls go after the bars close. there you can find some action!

BANGLA ROAD
this is the red light district of Phuket. there are many more beer bars than go gos. i didn't bide my time much at the beer bars. as far as go gos go, i actually avoided some. why? there were cover charges at the ones with the "ping pong" shows! then there were the high end ones like Roxy that catered to Japanese tourists. 800 Baht for a beer!!! no thank you!

if you like young spinners then the Suzie Wong Group of gogos is the place to find them! yowza! i took two but i want to go back for more! i didn't have enough days! solid 8s at Suzie Wong I.

if you like the slightly older more experienced girls Rock Hard A Go Go is the place to be. i had a great time there and took a couple of the girls out. if you do not build a good relationship with them then beware. they will go by the book. a ST is one pop and LT will see the girl leave as soon as the sun rises at 6AM. i got to know one of the girls well and she just about moved in with me in my hotel while i was there. thank god for the short time hotel (600 Baht for a few hours above Rock Hard A Go Go)!!!

there are freelancers scattered here and there along Bangla Road and across at the beach. ST is 1000 Baht. but most were ladyboys and some who have seen too many years. There are a few bars and at least one A Go Go in Phuket Town but i felt it was way too far if you are staying in Patong.

SUMMARY
it was a decent trip but knowing what i know now, i can cross it off the list of places to go. if you come to Thailand for mongering then you will have much more options in BKK or Pattaya. if you want to relax and see some nice beaches and have a little fun on the side then go to Phuket.

the prices for girls are about the same. beer bars will let the girls go for 300-500. go go girls BF is 600-700. ST will run 2000 and LT up to 4000. drinks were more expensive here though! beers ran 120 and up! ladies drinks were around 170. the beer bars had the standard connect 4, that craps game where you flip up a letter and the Jenga but all the bars also had this block of wood and you take turns trying to pound a nail in with a hammer. it was fun especially if buzzed a bit. hehe.

i know, where are the pictures? i usually post a dozen or more with all my trip reports of the girls i found, but this time around i went to Phuket for the Songkran holiday which means water fights city wide and well... my poor phone will not recover. sorry guys. i usually take pics with my phone for convenience. they are never quality pics but a remembrance for myself. my camera survived and i will share some girls from Songkran, i am sure they work in the bars so you have a taste of the talent there. anyway, i just wanted to update some info for Phuket for future travelers! cheers!

The girl in the last shot has her eye's on you....I don't know how anyone could take pictures during Songkron without at least a weather proof camera.

Informative report TWL, thanks for sharing. I'm encouraged to read about the $10.00 to $15.00 BF's. That works for me especially since it's a casual beach location, something I would enjoy but $25.00 for a beer? Yikes! I'm curious on what you paid the gal who "just about moved in" and how much time you spent with her? Look forward to the gals photos.

Damn nice pix. Plenty of hot babes for sure.

I've been planning a trip to the Krabi-Phuket area and this report only adds fuel to the fire.

Every bit of research indicates that the transportation system there is the biggest downer, although I thought I read where there are some sort of bus/minibusses at the airport which go straight to Patong for about 100 baht or so.

On the body to body oil massages, does the girl wear some sort of bikini or is she "au natural"?
Was that 1000 baht price you got the total damages (tip included)? If so, that is pretty awesome deal. Yikes...

Nice to see a Phuket report again after a while. Being there for Songkran makes sense as you're on a water holiday when you're in Phuket anyway. I could seeing pulling a trio of super soaker girls back to the hotel for some wet fun.

the cheapest way to patong from the airport is the shared mini bus program. you can sign up for these at any of the transport desks inside the airport. i don't know how much they charge as i take the private car (which is now 650thb, i'm in patong now). patong isn't real big so stopping at multiple hotels in the shared van probably doesn't add much time to the trip (i assume they load a patong van, a kata van, etc...).

motorbike rentals are typically 200thb/day.

good to know that suzy wong is a legit place. i've avoided all go go's as last time i was here they were all total rip offs (including suzie wong). but that was about 18 months ago. i did look at rock hard two nights ago but the girls didn't look real good (but i spend alot of time in bkk, i imagine they'd look great if i was coming from the US).

there is a Lólita's lounge on soi sea dragon. last bar on the left hand side (same soi as suzy wong). the bar is not named Lólita's but once you go in, you see a sign that says Lólita's lounge upstairs (although they spell lounge, launge).

i always stay at pacific light hotel. 900thb/nt (breakfast NOT incl). the restaurant right next to the hotel is really good. i've read reviews about the hotel and alot of people talk about the restaurant. the rates on the hotel website are just a big lie (1,500/nt i think). i just show up w/o a reservation.

airfare to phuket from bkk has increased quite a bit over the last couple yrs. even air asia is roughly 6,000 r/t unless you book well in advance. i paid 10,000 and went business class on thai. 747-400 with sleeper seats on both legs. i've found economy class can be a little rough even for the one hour. jam packed with people from all over the world. many connecting from an overseas flight that haven't showered in a day (or more depending on country of origin). and of course you then get to sit with them in the shared mini van if that is your choice of transport from the airport in phuket. when i'm paying 900thb/nt for the hotel, not hard for me to justify the option of private taxi and business class.

No report on Thailand is complete without some pictures of the ladies back up in the hotel room. I've heard enough about the food and hotel, lets see the pix!

Yeah Twoweekslate, why don't you post some pictures of some trannies so Portege, the troll, will have some jack-off material.

By the way, thanks for your report.

(Message edited by laguy on April 18, 2011)

Thanks for the Phuket update, TWL. I like Phuket because you can get away from Soi Bangla and chill on quiet beaches not far away, but return and find plenty of options no matter what your tastes. Not much daytime activity, but I like to relax on the beaches, and you can always arrange to take a BG to the beach with you.

It's looking like I'll be in Phuket in August, breaking up a business trip to BKK and KL. Last time I was there was just before the tsunami, so some things have changed a bit.

I stayed at Tara Patong last time and was disappointed in the quality of the room. Next time I'm staying at Baipho Guesthouse. Well situated, a bit upscale but not too pricey, and guest-friendly (no joiner fees).

I took a peek at Pacific Light Hotel which looks like C&N hotel in Patong only at a better rate since C&N remodeled and jacked up the rates. I cringe when I see a good hotel renovating its lobby because you'll pay more for your room to finance the lobby.

C&N resort (not the hotel) is still a good option IMHO esepcially if you stay 7 days plus. You'll have to use moto taxis for the 5 minute ride to Bangla though.

What's with all the douchbags with shaved heads and tats?.....is Phuket full of Russians, Brits, Aussie versions of our whitetrash Jersey-shore types?

It is Songkran not to many yuppies care to participate. Besides, I'd rather shave my head than sport a Thomas Jefferson any day.

"What's with all the douchbags with shaved heads and tats?.....is Phuket full of Russians, Brits, Aussie versions of our whitetrash Jersey-shore types?"

No, they're all from Jersey.

thank you everyone for the comments. and again, sorry no pics of my girls this round. my phone is out of commission which means i get to buy a new one! woo hoo! haha

@ Popcorn: i gave the girl who stayed with me enough to pay her BF every day. bought her food and a little dress and 2000 at the end of 3 days. she was ok with it.

@Quilombo: yes, the body to body massage i got was all natural! i liked it even better than a soapy! i must do that again!!!

@BigPoppa: ahhh. a trio! soaked for songkran! that will be my new motto! and my next goal! hehe

@ Buick: thanks for the update!

@ Chincoleche: it was also the annual bike club week. riders from all over the area from Thailand, Malasyia, Singapore etc rode their hogs in for the festival so that's why there were tatoos galore but yes, there were much more Australians and Russians here. the girls seem to cater to them more than the Asian clients which i didn't see many of.