Phuket
Attraction (Karon Beach)
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Interest Beaches
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Attractions in Phuket Thailand
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Karon Beach
Karon, featuring an incredibly long
stretch of squeaky white sand, is less hectic than Patong but it
still offers a full range of facilities, dining and activities.
While it's a fast-growing area, Karon is nicely spread out and rarely
feels crowded.
At 4km, Karon is one of Phuket's longest beaches.
Although there are a few large resorts and hotels, they are spread
out and the area feels very relaxed. As in Patong,
the hotels are separated from the beach by a road. However, unlike
Patong, the beach is always fairly quiet. The beach
itself is quite exposed, with little or no natural shade.
The sand is so fine and powdery that it squeaks when you walk on
it.
Karon is concentrated around three main areas. In the
Karon Plaza area on the south end there a number
of budget guesthouses, restaurants and bars. The side sois are worth
exploring, particularly the one that leads to a small art community,
where some budding Thai painters have built a complex of huts, pubs
and art galleries in which they live and work. Nearby, on the beach
road leading to Kata, is the newly opened football stadium, which
hosts both local and international sporting events.
The sprawling grounds of Thavorn Palm Beach Resort and the Phuket
Arcadia Resort and Spa dominate much of the central part of Karon,
then just north of these is Aroona Plaza. Aroona, which opened a
few years ago, houses a range of nice handicraft shops, good restaurants
and cafes, a few bars and a hotel
modeled after the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old Phuket. The
nice, wide avenue is ideal for taking an evening stroll and doing
some shopping.
The north end features the Karon Circle, which has sculptures of
workers commemorating Phuket's tin-mining and agricultural past.
The busy Patak East Rd leading back from the circle is a jumble
of bars, restaurants, all kinds of shops and small hotels. While
Karon's nightlife is more subdued than Patong, the bars along this
road can get lively and loud in the evenings. Just north of the
circle is a small lake, around which a public park and outdoor theatre
are being developed.
Unlike Patong Beach, big-name restaurants
and fast food chains have yet to arrive in Karon,
but it is by no means lacking in dining options. The restaurants
of the larger resorts offer gorgeous settings and fine food, while
the streets are clogged with a range of seafood, Thai and Western
restaurants. For a spectacular sunset view, drive just a few minutes'
north of the beach and stop in at one of the cliffside restaurants
up the hill.
For lunch, the stalls set up on the
beach just north of the circle are worth trying for their curries
and other Thai dishes at reasonable prices, and also for the sheer
pleasure of feeling only sand underfoot and an unfettered view of
the sea as you dine.
Partner Sites
www.phukethoteltour.com
| www.phuket-hotels-links.com
| www.hotel-phuket.org
| www.1phuket.com
| www.patong-hotels.net
| www.katakaronhotel.com
| www.phuket-map.net
Provided
by Tourism Authority of Thailand
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