If you want to strike a balance between rowdy and relaxed, Karon
is a good bet. It attracts enough foreigners to support the beer
bars but it's not the party Mecca that Patong is. The variety of
atmosphere is a big bonus since in Karon you can be in a relaxed
pub and not even notice the more raunchy beer bars only ten metres
away. Going from sedate to scandalous and back again without moving
more than half a block is the nightlife equivalent of a good sauna:
get heated up and sweaty, go cool down and then come back for more.
Where to go
The good news about Karon nightlife is that most of the bars are
fairly close together, but not right on top of one another. This
makes for good pub crawling, but without too much 'Battle of the
Bands' action. The bad news is that, after a few places, you'll
notice that it's all pretty much the same! This isn't terrible,
however, since for a big night out you'll probably be heading just
over the hill to Patong anyway.
Karon's nightlife is mainly centred on Luang Poh Chuan Road and,
to a lesser extent, the Aroona Karon complex. Both of these areas
have enough pubs and girlie bars to keep locals happy and Luang
Poh Chuan has a couple of more upscale and trendy watering holes
for the urbanites among you.
Luang Poh Chuan Road
Luang Poh Chuan Road is Karon's version of Bangla Road in Patong,
with a bar soi at either end, similar to places like Patong's Soi
Gonzo or Soi Crocodile, but on a smaller scale (and lacking the
ladyboy stage). At the western end (closer to the beach) is an L-shaped
soi with Black Cat at the angle. Other bars in
the area include Nan's, Hot Shot
and Winner. There's also a side street with a few
shops and restaurants here. Almost all of these bars have pool tables,
which make for an amusing distraction while you are getting chatted
up by the girls (‘where you flom?'). At the far end there's
another bar soi with a little more lascivious feel. The places here
all have names like Amazon, Bikini Bar
and Easy Bar. Go figure.
For something other than simple beer bars, try out Karma
Lounge, on the easterly corner of the road, Karma
Lounge is a trendy looking place with occasional live music.
Culture lovers will go for Nakonai Art Plaza, a
bohemian little colony with a coffee house and bar attached. Diagonally
opposite Karma Lounge is the aptly-named Farang Bar
(farang is Thai for westerner). In the middle of Luang Poh Chuan
is a short cul-de-sac known as Bangla Plaza. While
nothing like its Patong equivalent, this area does have Harry's
Steakhouse, a popular restaurant, as well as Sanook Sports
Bar.
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Aroona Karon
Further north along the beach and you'll see Aroona Karon. This
complex contains a mixture of bars and restaurants and is a good
place to go for dinner and drinks. Keep going a little farther north
and you'll hit the easily identifiable Karon Circle. From here you
can head north to go over the hill into Patong or turn east to enter
the other main nightlife area of Karon Beach.
On your left-hand side you'll see a small road which contains a
few bars, the best of which is probably Skylight Bar
which has a very good happy hour from 17:00 to 19:00 as well as
satellite TV to catch all the important matches. Also in this soi
you'll find Viking Bar, Magic Bar
and Allies Bar. At the far end of the street there's
another soi that mainly focuses on shopping and restaurants, but
has a few small watering holes.
Price Check
Expect to pay less than you would in Patong but more than you would
in Phuket City. The following prices represent beer bars and smaller
places' prices. More upscale establishments will have a commensurate
raise in prices.
Local Beer (Singh, Chang, Leo, Tiger, Cheers):
70-100 baht Import Beer (Heineken, San Miguel): 80-110 baht.
Spirits: 90-120 baht including mixer.
Karon offers many of the same attractions as Patong, mostly of
the friendly female variety. The standard rules of bar girls usually
apply (pay a 200 to 300 baht fine to take her out of the bar, whatever
else is negotiated between you two) but the price tends to be a
little lower outside of the spotlight. Be cautious and use good
judgment (it helps to be sober) and there's no reason why you can't
have a great time.
Night Hours
The standard closing time of 01:00 is adhered to, well, randomly.
Most - if not all - lights go out and doors shut an hour or two
after midnight, but small pockets of late night activity can be
found if the particular bar management is daring, well-connected,
or ‘forgets' to close.
Night Awareness
If you've got the family with you then stop by Dino Park at the
north end of Kata, where the roads rises and connects with Karon
Beach. You'll find mini-golf, burgers and a photo-op with a baby
elephant. Sunset at Koh Chang Elephant Camp is always beautiful
and the resident monkeys will delight the kids. Kata also has good
shopping options, with tailors, souvenir shops and DVD vendors all
on hand.
G-Rated
If you've got the family with you then stop by Dino Park at the
north end of Kata, where it blurs into Karon. You'll find mini-golf,
burgers and a photo-op with a baby elephant. Sunset at Koh Chang
Elephant Camp is always beautiful and the resident monkeys will
delight the kids. Kata also has good shopping options, with tailors,
souvenir shops and DVD vendors all on hand.
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