Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating & Drinking
There are a few cheap Thai and seafood places off the roundabout (including a
number of beachside seafood houses under one louvred roof 100m north of it) and
a similar group on the main road near the southern end of Hat Karon.
PAD THAI SHOP $
(Th Patak East; dishes 40B; breakfast, lunch & dinner)
On the busy main road be-
hind Karon, just north of the tacky Ping Pong Bar, is this glorified food stand where
you can find rich and savoury chicken stew (worthy of rave reviews in its own right)
and the best
pàt tai
on planet earth. Spicy and sweet, packed with prawns, tofu, egg
and peanuts, and wrapped in a fresh banana leaf, you will be grateful. It closes at
around 7pm.
Thai
NAKANNOI
( 08 7898 5450; Karon Plaza; 5pm-1am)
It's a boho arthouse hideaway with
original canvasses on the walls, found-art decor (including antique motorcycles and
bicycles), a concrete island bar and a permanent bandstand, where the owner jams
with his mates after 8pm almost every night.
Bar
Hat Patong
Patong is a free for all. Anything, from a Starbucks 'venti latte' to a, ahem, compan-
ion for the evening is available for the right price. And while that's true about dozens
of other, phonier, destinations, Patong doesn't try to hide what it is.
Of course, that doesn't mean you're going to like it. But when you arrive you'll
take one look at the wide, white-sand beach and its magnificent crescent bay, and
you'll understand how all this started.
Diving and spa options abound, as well as upscale dining, street-side fish grills,
camp cabaret, Thai boxing, dusty antique shops and one of Asia's coolest shopping
malls.
