stevenl
Contributor
Diving was very nice last week, especially at the Racha Islands and Shark Point area. At the moment the options are limited because of strong winds though.
Phucket - What a disgusting island full of scammers and conmen. AVOID AVOID AVOID
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I felt the same way about Miami
I cannot disagree with much of the above... but still, might offer to add a tiny bit of nuance.
We spent a week last year in Phuket solely for the diving. Would we go back? Certainly not - and the reason has mainly to do with the kind of tourism that the island attracts. In our case we went to Patong, had a coffee, looked around and went back to the hotel after 40 minutes.
Yet (and here comes the redeeming feature): we went diving the full week with Sub Aqua Dive centre which is located next to the Hilton, and rarely have we come across such a friendly and professional bunch (and we've dived in Malta, Italy, Greece, Bali, Indonesia, Oman, Egypt etc) . Equipment, organisation and safety standards were optimal. And overall, the diving infrastructure on the island is really good. Not to forget that it's also conveniently located to some great sites.
So, if you want to dive and only dive - it's not that horrible. But sure, there are many places which offer great diving.... and all the rest.
We spent a week last year in Phuket solely for the diving. Would we go back? Certainly not - and the reason has mainly to do with the kind of tourism that the island attracts. In our case we went to Patong, had a coffee, looked around and went back to the hotel after 40 minutes.
Yet (and here comes the redeeming feature): we went diving the full week with Sub Aqua Dive centre which is located next to the Hilton, and rarely have we come across such a friendly and professional bunch (and we've dived in Malta, Italy, Greece, Bali, Indonesia, Oman, Egypt etc) . Equipment, organisation and safety standards were optimal. And overall, the diving infrastructure on the island is really good. Not to forget that it's also conveniently located to some great sites.
So, if you want to dive and only dive - it's not that horrible. But sure, there are many places which offer great diving.... and all the rest.
meagicano
Contributor
I was in Phuket in April 2005, a few months after the tsunami. People were friendly, no traffic, beaches were quiet, prices were fair, etc. I've heard from a lot of people that what I experienced was an anomaly due to circumstance - they were rebuilding and desperately trying to attract tourists. I've heard from several people that Phuket and Ko Phi Phi have both changed drastically from when I was there due to the rebuilding efforts and the resurgence in tourism.
I don't know why so many people go to patong then complain they didn't like it. Its known globally as a sex tourist hotspot.
Phuket has a lot of nice beaches further south. I personally stay near the pier at chalong as its easier to go diving (i like to sleep in).
Phuket has a lot of nice beaches further south. I personally stay near the pier at chalong as its easier to go diving (i like to sleep in).
stevenl
Contributor
Batfish
Contributor
Of course ... not every place is for every person. I spent my first year in Phuket either working on dive boats or in Patong. Loved the diving and after a season in the Similans I decided to stay longer rather than move on and continue to be a roving instructor. That was 13 years ago and I am still here. These days (like Marcia) I go to Patong only if I have to. I have a family, we enjoy living here with really my only gripe being the traffic, as Phuket is a lot lot busier than it was when I arrived. Certainly the whole island is not over developed, only in some areas especially Patong, and some kind of relief roads are needed around Phuket City. I have never been cheated at a gas station and don't know anyone who has, and I had one credit card fraud problem about 10 years ago which my bank contacted me about and it was sorted with no fuss at all. If you have a card problem do not wait until you get home to contact your bank. Contact them as soon as you can.
Taxi ... 500 Baht from the airport is very cheap to any of the main beach areas, and 1400 Baht to get back is expensive. I work in Karon and the local taxis there ask 1000 Baht to the airport. Please remember that its about 50km, so that is in no way an unfair charge... whereas 400 baht from Karon to Patong is a bit silly. Renting scooters or a car is a good idea here. Make sure you have an international driving licence just as you'd need in any other country, and don't try riding a scooter for the first time here.
Diving prices. Well, the gulf specifically Koh Tao is run a different way, a few dive sites to choose from, close to the island, and the majority of divers are youngsters doing courses. Day trips in Phuket have to include transfers, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and the shortest trip is about 90 minutes to Racha Yai island. The prices here for a diving day trip are comparable to day trips for other activities... and in any case, serious divers really tend to come here for the Similan islands for which liveaboards are the best option - from late October to early May only. We are in low season now so diving options are more limited. If weather is good, the local dive sites in low season are just as good or better than high season.
Phuket island and the surrounding area - great place to live, full of life and culture. Last weekend for example I attended a street parade in Phuket Town for traditional Baba weddings, and coming up in a few weeks is a 3 day festival in Kathu village, between Patong and Phuket Town. Much of the island is green and agricultural. The tourists stick to small areas near the beaches. When I sleep at home at night, the silence is deafening, normally just insects chirping or frogs croaking after the rain. Nightlife? Yeh, I avoid Patong .. If I go out at all (not much, I am a quiet family guy) I go to Phuket Town which has many small bars and pubs, some with live music.
The real Phuket is not in Patong
Do have a look at my blog, which I have been doing since 2006 ... Jamie's Phuket Blog.
Cheers!
Taxi ... 500 Baht from the airport is very cheap to any of the main beach areas, and 1400 Baht to get back is expensive. I work in Karon and the local taxis there ask 1000 Baht to the airport. Please remember that its about 50km, so that is in no way an unfair charge... whereas 400 baht from Karon to Patong is a bit silly. Renting scooters or a car is a good idea here. Make sure you have an international driving licence just as you'd need in any other country, and don't try riding a scooter for the first time here.
Diving prices. Well, the gulf specifically Koh Tao is run a different way, a few dive sites to choose from, close to the island, and the majority of divers are youngsters doing courses. Day trips in Phuket have to include transfers, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and the shortest trip is about 90 minutes to Racha Yai island. The prices here for a diving day trip are comparable to day trips for other activities... and in any case, serious divers really tend to come here for the Similan islands for which liveaboards are the best option - from late October to early May only. We are in low season now so diving options are more limited. If weather is good, the local dive sites in low season are just as good or better than high season.
Phuket island and the surrounding area - great place to live, full of life and culture. Last weekend for example I attended a street parade in Phuket Town for traditional Baba weddings, and coming up in a few weeks is a 3 day festival in Kathu village, between Patong and Phuket Town. Much of the island is green and agricultural. The tourists stick to small areas near the beaches. When I sleep at home at night, the silence is deafening, normally just insects chirping or frogs croaking after the rain. Nightlife? Yeh, I avoid Patong .. If I go out at all (not much, I am a quiet family guy) I go to Phuket Town which has many small bars and pubs, some with live music.
The real Phuket is not in Patong
Do have a look at my blog, which I have been doing since 2006 ... Jamie's Phuket Blog.Cheers!
Triple "likes" for Batfish's post above. And +1 for his blog. I check in at Jamie's Phuket every once in a while for ideas. I've been on the island for 8 years now, and Jamie continues to know a whole lot more about the charming little corners of it than I do, but I learn at his feet!
It is no longer mentioned as a significant scuba diving destination, but several decades ago Negril Jamaica was certainly that. In fact, if I had infinite choices of where to spend a holiday week or year, or longer, in would be Negril: Negril as it was 35 to 45 years ago. It has, of course, been thoroughly destroyed by overbuilding to the ocean's edge, shoulder to shoulder, every square inch, with erosion, siltation from that vile highway they ( the Chinese) built so tourists could speedily be whisked from the airport to their favorite super club.
The diving has improved a tiny bit in recent years, but that's like saying Mandela is breathing a tiny bit easier today. The reality is that the spectacular green and blue paradise that the Global Reef Alliance tried to save back in the 80s is gone. Forever. I last saw Negril about 5 years ago and I literally shed tears. Almost everything beautiful was gone, covered in concrete, and the reefs and beaches were essentially embalmed remnants, sand trucked in as it quickly erodes to suffocate anything within reach.
One of the things that killed Negril was sex tourism on a global scale. Negril became, and still is, the destination of choice for thousands of European and American women, mostly in their 'middle years', seeking attention from dreadlocked young men who woo them with lines like 'Me nah wan kitty wen me can have cat". They have managed to turn much of Negril into a polluted slime pit, and drawn every confidence man, hustler, thief, and male prostitute from throughout the island and concentrated them in Negril. On one of my last trips to Negril the plane was packed with these pathetic creatures. I was one of no more than 20 men out of about 180 passengers. It was not a pleasant trip.
Sex tourism using young girls to lure middle aged perverts belongs in one of innermost circles of hell, I think, and is more exploitative than the dynamics created by beer swilling fat smelly loud crude stupid 50+ year old women from places like Ohio, Minnesota and Manchester paying 20 year old male prostitutes for sex on the beach. For sheer destructive force, though, sex tourism has few equals among human- made social phenomena.
The diving has improved a tiny bit in recent years, but that's like saying Mandela is breathing a tiny bit easier today. The reality is that the spectacular green and blue paradise that the Global Reef Alliance tried to save back in the 80s is gone. Forever. I last saw Negril about 5 years ago and I literally shed tears. Almost everything beautiful was gone, covered in concrete, and the reefs and beaches were essentially embalmed remnants, sand trucked in as it quickly erodes to suffocate anything within reach.
One of the things that killed Negril was sex tourism on a global scale. Negril became, and still is, the destination of choice for thousands of European and American women, mostly in their 'middle years', seeking attention from dreadlocked young men who woo them with lines like 'Me nah wan kitty wen me can have cat". They have managed to turn much of Negril into a polluted slime pit, and drawn every confidence man, hustler, thief, and male prostitute from throughout the island and concentrated them in Negril. On one of my last trips to Negril the plane was packed with these pathetic creatures. I was one of no more than 20 men out of about 180 passengers. It was not a pleasant trip.
Sex tourism using young girls to lure middle aged perverts belongs in one of innermost circles of hell, I think, and is more exploitative than the dynamics created by beer swilling fat smelly loud crude stupid 50+ year old women from places like Ohio, Minnesota and Manchester paying 20 year old male prostitutes for sex on the beach. For sheer destructive force, though, sex tourism has few equals among human- made social phenomena.
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