Patong Beach In Thailand
Patong Beach is located on Phuket Island's west coast. Patong Beach was once considered as to be too remote for people to go. However, today it is one of the most famous beaches of Thailand. The beach became popular with western tourists, especially Europeans, in the late 1980s. Today one can find many large hotels and resorts in Patong. Patong Beach is approximately 15 kilometers from Phuket Town.
The beach is oval shaped and the coastline is filled with luxurious hotels and restaurants. Patong Beach is famous for its nightlife. Nightlife is centered around two main areas - the Bangla Road and Paradise Complex. There are many restaurants, discos and bars right from budget levels to luxurious star hotels.
Patong Beach is a public beach and it is open to anyone. There are certain beaches in Phuket which are reserved just for foreigners and do not allow locals on to them. A number of facilities are available at Patong Beach. Tourists and visitors can hire a boat to visit other beaches around the island. Visitors can participate in water sports and tourists can go for shopping in the innumerous shops that sell items rather cheaply.
On December 26, 2004, Patong Beach was struck by a tsunami caused by the earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The wave caused a great deal of destruction. Although the destruction was not as bad when compared to Khao Lak, it took six months to rebuild a part of the destroyed beach. At that point it was estimated that another year or so would be required to rebuild the beach to its former glory while removing all traces of the destruction caused by the tsunami.
