Hat Yai

Welcome to the urban hub of southern Thailand where shopping malls mingle with wafts of Cantonese street eats and curry from the eclectic range of busy street-food stalls, as old Chinese men sit and watch the world go by on rickety chairs outside junk shops. It's a mix of busy city and laid-back tropics and the town's tourism scene is still predominantly Malaysian mixed with a few Western expats. Come evenings, Hat Yai's cosy pubs and bouncing clubs come into their own.