Entertainment in Phuket Province
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A
Banana Disco
If you're after a more sophisticated nightclub experience, this is your ticket. A corny Aztec theme prevails, but at least you can dance without skidding around in puddles of beer.
reviewed
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After Beach Bar
It’s difficult, make that impossible, to overstate how glorious the view is from this stilted, thatched, patio bar hanging off a cliff above Kata. Think 180-degree views of the sea, rocky peninsulas and layered palm-dappled hills. Now turn on the Bob Marley and you’ve got the best reggae bar in Phuket. The menu is packed with northern and southern Thai faves, at sunset the sky performs a light show, and when the fireball finally drops, the lights of fishing boats blanket the horizon. Not bad at all.
reviewed
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Watermark
Although it’s located at the Phuket Boat Lagoon marina on the east coast, Watermark is one of the best spots on the island for a sundowner cocktail. The espresso martini and passionfruit margarita are the house specials, although the tome-sized wine list is also very tempting. This chic venue is the island’s preferred address for jet-setters and, for the last six years it has been featured in the Thailand Tatler as one of the country’s best restaurants.
reviewed
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C
Glastnöst
There is nothing better on a relentless Phuket City afternoon than to slip into this cafe that doubles as a law office and sip iced Ceylon tea or traditional Phuket coffee brewed by the lawyer himself, while jazz blares on the sound system. Sometimes the jazz is live – if the resident Bossa Nova man is in town. Call three hours ahead and you can have a traditional Phuket meal for four (2000B), cooked by the man who represents Greenpeace in Thailand.
reviewed
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D
Rockin’ Angels
This small but colourful Old Town bar is decorated with framed singles and LPs – Peter Frampton, Stevie Wonder, Van Halen, Survivor, Oasis and the Village People are all represented (yes, the Village People may have invented phone sex). Weekend nights can get wild when Patrick, the Singaporean-born owner, jams with his house band and whoever wants to sit in. The beers are cold, the drinks are cheap, and the crowd composed of Thai and expat locals.
reviewed
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E
Two Black Sheep
Owned by a fun Aussie couple (he’s a musician, she’s a chef), this old-school pub is a great find. They have good grub and live music nightly. From 8pm to 10pm there’s an acoustic set, then Chilli Jam, the house band, gets up and rocks till last call. Towards the wee hours local musicians, fresh off their gigs, filter in and spontaneous jams ensue. And they ban bar girls, which keeps everything rated PG.
reviewed
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F
Seduction
One of Patong’s most popular dance halls comes courtesy of a Finnish club impresario. Known for buying up Helsinki’s best clubs, he opened this one in 2006 and has since attracted international party people dancing to well-known global DJs. Design, lighting and sound system are all top shelf. The club opens before midnight, but the party doesn’t start rocking till the wee small hours.
reviewed
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Ka Jok See
Ostensibly, this is a restaurant, and, by all accounts, a quite good one. However, it has two identities, and once the tables are cleared it becomes a bohemian madhouse and the kind of party you’ve always wanted to go to. The superb music bounces between soul, rare groove, ambient and hip-hop. Some folks get on the mic, others bang away on bongos and everyone must dance.
reviewed
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Timber Hut
Thai and expat locals have been filling this big, old wooden clubhouse every night for about two decades. They gather at the wooden tables on two floors, converge around thick timber columns, swill whiskey and sway to live bands that swing from hard rock to funk to hip-hop with aplomb. Unlike many of the island’s nightclubs, this place has soul to spare.
reviewed
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I
Tiger Entertainment
The strangest building in Phuket features concrete cave styling and a menagerie of unsettling - and extremely well-endowed - anthropomorphic tigers. More a congregation of go-go bars - topped with a nightclub - than a single entity, this is the first, and often last, stop on any odyssey through Patong's bar scene.
reviewed
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Candlelight Bar
Tucked into a small corner of Karon Plaza is this dive courtyard bar furnished with timber tables, and decorated with beads, shells and coral. It’s the perfect venue for a reggae band, which it hosts every Sunday night. It also fires up the fish grill. Shirts and shoes optional. Live music starts at 9.30pm.
reviewed
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The Royal Phuket Yacht Club
Formerly the Royal Meridian Yacht Club, this once-great resort is the reason for all the yachts in the bay. Time has left her mark on these old bones, but that patio bar… Wow! From here there is nothing but turquoise sea and island views. It’s a location that demands a beverage. And another one after that.
reviewed
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Rock City
Let the grunge begin! This dark den of rock lives on the glory of cover bands. There’s live music nightly, there are AC/DC, Metallica and GnR tribute bands, and other rockers who channel the Chili Peppers, the Stones and Bon Jovi in one show. Free entry before 11pm, so get there early and keep it rockin’.
reviewed
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M
At Peach Hotel
Ladies and gentlemen meet your host, Thai Elvis. He’s a young Elvis – round about when he first discovered the power of his legendary pelvis. But his deep, velvet croon betrays his age and hidden heartache. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stick to the Elvis songbook, but when he does the place goes wild.
reviewed
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Jammin' Music Club
Gun owners and under-20s are prohibited entry, but this live-music venue is a good bet for a late night knees-up. Expect bands playing everything from rock and pop to jazz, but call ahead to see what's on. The action usually kicks off around 22:00 and Thai youngsters are at the heart of it.
reviewed
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O
Reggae Bar
Spilling out from an old wooden shed and into a dirt lot is this wonderfully cluttered lounge, ringing with classic roots tunes. Leather-smiths by day, it hosts impromptu jams and (almost) monthly concerts and barbecues, featuring some of Thailand’s most legendary Rastas, including Job2Do.
reviewed
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O'Malleys
Travelling thousands of miles to sink Guinness in an Irish pub always feels a little daft, but Phuket's homesick flock to this cosy Celtic watering hole for pool and assorted shenanigans. It has a generally welcoming atmosphere and the interior is almost authentic, if a little clean.
reviewed
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La Gritta
A spectacular, modern restaurant, La Gritta doesn’t fit with the ageing bones of this once-great property, but who cares? With tiered booths, massive yet muted light boxes and a deck just centimetres above the boulder-strewn shore, there’s no better place for a sunset cocktail.
reviewed
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Simon Cabaret
About 300m south of town is a drag cabaret that even the staunchest hetero would love. The 600-seat theatre is grand, production value is high, the costumes are gorgeous and the ladyboys are, well, quite ladylike. Performances begin at 7.30pm and 9.30pm nightly – book ahead.
reviewed
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Bangla Boxing Stadium
This punch-drunk fight club feels like the kind of place Rocky was discovered at before he got his long shot. But it also happens to be the top stadium in Phuket. It has bouts four nights a week, and each fight card usually has nine bouts. Your bloodlust will be sated here.
reviewed
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Sunflower Bar
If it’s a beverage you seek, come to Sunflower Bar. Poetically ramshackle, the owner cobbled it back together post-tsunami with reclaimed wood. The four booths, built from long-tail hulls, are named for the four loved ones he lost in the flood.
reviewed
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Bang Bar II
Built from flotsam and jetsam collected on the beach, this chilled-out bar is perfect for sundowners. It features your standard brand of Rastafarian décor and a collection of surfboards. A sun-bleached tarpaulin provides shelter during monsoon downpours.
reviewed
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Monte’s
Now this, my friends, is a tropical pub. It has a thatched roof, a natural wood bar, dozens of orchids and a flat screen for sports games. The barflies swarm on Fridays for Monte’s famous Belgian-style mussels, and on weekends he fires up the grill.
reviewed
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Mr Kobi
The sign says, ‘Broken English spoken here perfect’. But, truthfully, the gregarious Mr Kobi speaks English very well. When the other beach shacks close, Mr Kobi’s blender whirs on, and his kitchen doesn’t close till the guests go home, or pass out.
reviewed
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Ska Bar
Tucked into the rocks and intertwined with the trunk of a grand old banyan tree is our choice for oceanside sundowners. The Thai bartenders add to Ska’s funky Rasta vibe, and the canopy dangles with buoys, lanterns and the flags of 10 countries.
reviewed
