Chalong Temple Fair

The annual fair at Chalong temple (Wat Chalong) takes place every year around Chinese New Year. The 2012 event was on from 23rd to 29th January. The date changes every year. A great place to sample a bit of local life, the Chalong Temple fair has been part of the Phuket calendar since 1954 featuring fairground rides, clothes and handicrafts, furniture, flowers, fruit stalls, toy stalls, snack stalls, games, lots and lots of food, and live music in the evenings. It all takes place in the temple grounds at Wat Chalong, which is Phuket's largest and most visited temple.





I had not stopped at the Chalong temple fair for a few years. I mean, it's quite interesting if you're visiting the area for the first time, you get a lot of new sights, sounds, smells and flavours (go on, sample some snacks from the stalls!) - but I had no great reason to visit. I had originally blogged about the fair back in 2008, and this is an update of that blog post with lots of new photos. I stopped at Chalong temple twice last week on the way home from work in the early evening. Parking a car near the temple is hard work and anyone who owns a shop or house within a few hundred meters converts their land into a car park, at a price! This takes advantage of lazy people. I parked about half a kilometer away and walked a few minutes to the temple. The entrance is all coloured fluorescent lights - you see the same at just about any local fair. Follow the lights.



And the very first stalls right inside the entrance, were selling that tourist favourite (for a photo, maybe not to eat) - fried insects and insect larvae and... let's just say, I am happy to take a photo, but I can see no earthly reason to eat a fried insect. People say "it tastes like prawns". Great, I can eat prawns instead! I get put off by people saying "the legs get stuck in your teeth". The insect eating stage is where I would quit "Fear Factor" :)



The grounds of the temple are quite large, and with stalls packed in all over the place it's kind of like a maze! A map would be useful, or you can just wander around and hope to find something interesting. Some sections are more devoted to clothes, some areas have lots of food, and there was a big funfair section with rides and games for kids.



All kinds of food and snacks for sale, when you head to a fair like this, or the weekly weekend market outside Phuket Town, no need to eat dinner first! You can just keep buying different things to try.







(Might need to be brave to try some of the curries above!)



And I'd just like to add that there was a small shop set up in a tent selling pets. Mostly kittens and hamsters and such. And an owl. Not sure if the owl was for sale. But it was a very cool owl.



Markets and temples are great places for people watching and for getting a flavour of the real Phuket away from the tourist beaches. I realise not everyone will be interested, but really, there's more here than meets the eye. Phuket is there to be explored. I know it takes a bit of effort because Phuket is quite big. Some people come for beaches, some for b***hes, some for the sun and the food. Some people just want a holiday in a nice resort with no hassle. But, Phuket has so much more!


Related posts on Jamie's Phuket

• Chalong Temple
• Phuket Temples
• Phuket Weekend Market
• Karon Temple Market
• Phuket Festivals and Events

Wat Khao Rang (Rang Hill Temple)

OK so it's 2012 now and this Phuket Blog has been going since April 2006. I love temples, and have blogged more than 30 temples and shrines in the Phuket area. If you think temples are boring don't click here: Phuket Temples and Shrines. There are a few "on the list" to be blogged more for the sake of completeness than anything else. But imagine a sunny morning, driving through Phuket Town with my wife .. kids have been dropped at school and we've dropped a broken laptop off for repairs. We're driving on familiar roads, heading north near the Vachira hospital. There is a little-used side road by the hospital that heads up to the top of Rang Hill. My wife asks - do you know the temple up this road?

I must have driven this way before, but seem to have missed Rang Hill Temple (Wat Khao Rang). Hidden from view up that small side road by the hospital is something quite impressive! There's more than one Big Buddha in Phuket....



OK, it's not as big as "The" Big Buddha, but it's very nice all the same! We got to the temple late morning, but I did not have my camera with me (had not planned to stop anywhere), so we had a quick look, bumped into a local photographer who was taking photos for the Phuket dot com website, we dashed home, got the kids from school and told them we were going to a temple! Hooray, they said! Well, not quite, but I promised this temple would be one they'd not seen before. they thought the Buddha was pretty impressive too.



(above) Big Golden Buddha at Wat Khao Rang



(above) My kids say a little prayer in front of the Buddha. Rang Hill Temple was founded by the famous Monk called Luang Pu Supha, who some claim to be the world's oldest man (not ratified by Guinness). His image can be found on amulets for sale at the temple (there's a sizeable shop below the Big Buddha). He now lives at the temple named after him : Wat Luang Pu Supha, also in Phuket.



The view above shows the new temple building beyond the Big Buddha - the new temple looks to have been very recently completed and is reached by a separate staircase (also new) with Naga snakes guarding the entrance - the snake's bodies stretch all the way up to the top... indeed carry on around the perimeter of the temple.





I did not enter the new temple... rest of the family had seen enough and were waiting in the car.. in any case I will return sometime soon a bit earlier in the day, when the light is better for blue sky-golden Buddha photos. Anyway, it was very nice for me to visit a new temple, and one with something different to offer. There are a couple of other temples with Big Buddha statues in Phuket, both are reclining - try Koh Sirey Temple, or Sri Sunthorn Temple.

Phuket Temples Map


View Phuket Temples in a larger map

Phuket Hotels - Jamie's Recommendations

On Jamie's Phuket Blog, you will find reviews of some of the best hotels on the 3 main beaches (Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Kata Beach) and also plenty which are away from the crowds in quieter areas of Phuket. Phuket is a big place, it's worth spending some time to find the right hotel for you. I've been living in Phuket for over 11 years now, so I can certainly make some good suggestions when people ask me about Phuket hotels. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions on this page.

Online Booking - Phuket Hotels

There are so many hotels to choose from in Phuket and loads of hotel booking web sites. I recommend everyone to start by looking at Agoda.com before looking anywhere else. The rates are competitive, the choice is wide and the web site is well designed and very easy to use. There are lots of recent guest reviews for most of the hotels too. Agoda is also great for last minute bookings - you can book right up to the day of the stay with instant confirmation online... plus there's a rewards program where you gain points with every booking that can be used as a refund on future bookings.

• Phuket Hotels by Agoda.com - best place to start looking!
• Hotels all over Thailand at Agoda.com

Recommended Phuket Hotels

Patong Beach Hotels

• The Kee Resort and Spa
• Amari Coral Beach Resort
• La Flora Resort
• Yorkshire Hotel and Spa
• Phuket Merlin Beach Resort
• Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort
• Graceland Resort
• Aspery Hotel
• Burasari Resort
• Tri Trang Beach Resort
• Full Listing of Patong Beach Hotels

Karon Beach Hotels

• Pacific Club Resort
• Phuket Orchid Resort
• Boomerang Village Cottages
• Old Phuket Hotel
• Phuket Island View
• Le Meridien Beach Resort
• Marina Phuket Resort
• Karon Princess
• Full Listing of Karon Beach Hotels

Kata Beach Hotels

• Ibis Kata Hotel
• Mom Tri's Villa Royale (Kata Noi)
• Sawasdee Village
• Avista Resort
• Kata Palm Resort
• CC Blooms
• Katathani Resort (Kata Noi)
• Full Listing of Kata Beach Hotels

North Phuket

• Holiday Inn (Mai Khao Beach)
• The Surin (Pansea Beach)
• Sala Phuket (Mai Khao Beach)
• Dusit Thani Laguna (Bang Tao Beach)
• Indigo Pearl Resort (Nai Yang Beach)
• Phuket Airport Hotel
• Nai Yang Beach Resort
• Naithonburi Resort (Naithon Beach)
• Seaside Cottages (Mai Khao Beach)
• Kamala Beach Hotels
• Bang Tao Beach Hotels
• Surin Beach Hotels

South Phuket

• The Racha Resort
• Baan Krating Jungle Beach (Ao Sane Beach)
• Cape Panwa Hotel
• Novotel Beach Resort Panwa
• Evason Resort and Spa (Rawai Beach)
• All Seasons Resort (Naiharn Beach)

Want the very best hotels in Phuket? Check out the Best Hotels in Phuket list I made on the blog in January 2011, or the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket list I made in 2008. Quite a few hotels are on both lists. A few new ones on the 2011 list. And they're not all 5 star - quite a mix of budgets. Good place to start looking if you want a top hotel!

Phuket Town

Not next to the beach, but if you want a taste of the real Phuket or want to see some of Phuket's biggest festivals, or like a bit of history and culture, then Phuket Town is worth a look for a hotel - maybe not for your whole holiday, but for a bit of balance. I like Phuket Town, by the way.

• My suggestions for Hotels in Phuket Town
• Phuket Town Hotels at Agoda.com

Phuket Hotels - Google Maps


View Phuket Hotels in a larger map

(The map above includes locations for all hotels mentioned on this blog and my Phuket hotels blog)

Khao Lak Hotels

While Khao Lak is not part of Phuket (it's in Phang Nga province), it's not far away, about 70km north of Phuket airport, which is the nearest airport to Khao Lak, so basically we can consider Khao Lak hotels as being part of Phuket, since the whole region is serviced by Phuket Airport. Khao Lak is very quiet, there are a lot of very nice hotels on the beach, there is very little in the way of nightlife, a good place to just sit and relax. You are also within easy reach of Khao Sok national park and Phang Nga Bay.

• The Sarojin
• Khao Lak Hotels - Full Listing
• Cliff and River Jungle Resort (Khao Sok National Park)

Hotels all over Thailand

• Bangkok Hotels
• Phi Phi Island Hotels
• Krabi & Ao Nang Hotels
• Chiang Mai Hotels

More Phuket hotel reviews to be blogged as time goes by... Please note that this is a blog, and some of the hotel reviews were made years ago - things can change. You can find more hotels on my Phuket Hotels Blog. For most hotels you have a link for up-to-date reviews at the Agoda site, made by people who have stayed at these hotels recently, well worth checking the reviews!

This page is of course just a taster for the hotels available in Phuket. Do you have a question about Phuket Hotels? Please do add a comment below or join the Jamie's Phuket Blog Facebook Page. I will try to answer! Or look @ Agoda.com for more Phuket hotel information than I can ever hope to add here plus best prices for online booking... Enjoy Phuket!

Phuket Mini Golf at Bang Tao Beach

It was on Christmas Day that we took a drive looking for the newly opened 'Adventure Mini Golf' in the Bang Tao Beach area of Phuket. It only opened in November 2011, I had read about it somewhere online, sounded interesting. Phuket already has a very well known mini golf operation at the Dino Park, Kata Beach. We've been a couple of times. And many years ago there was a place called Pirate Mini Golf in Patong. It closed more than 10 years ago and yet is still mentioned on many websites! Well, being that is was Christmas, I figured the kids might enjoy some mini golf. I had imagined that this Adventure Mini Golf would be right by the beach with sea views and swaying palms .. of course that's daft - beach land is way too expensive! We drove up to Bang Tao from home, and we don't go this way too often. The mini golf is located on the quiet Bang Tao road at the south end of Bang Tao Beach near the Sunwing Resort. I think it has been years since I last drove on this road! Christmas Day but very quiet - this is a totally different area to the main Phuket beaches. There are hotels, restaurants, and then a patch of grassland with chickens or buffalo. No crowds round here! The mini golf was signposted, and we found it easily enough. Not too expensive for mini golf - Adults 280 Baht, kids 200 (and yes, it's half price for Thai people). There's a little practice green near the entrance. Our daughter got some tuition ...



My dear wife decided a cold drink was better than hitting a golf ball on a hot day (mad dogs and Englishmen). The Adventure Mini Golf has a bar and restaurant with a dozen tables. We found out later that they are open into the evening (until 11pm) with happy hour 5 - 7pm - the restaurant was not even open when we arrived - too early! I think we might go back again one evening for food and some mini golf. Me and the kids took a scorecard and headed for hole 1. It was soon apparent that the kids would not be keeping score. Come on, kids .. take your fun seriously! I gave up keeping score after a while too. Kids were on hole 12 by the time I'd done hole 6. I got a hole in one on the 6th hole, on the 3rd attempt :)



The place is very nicely built and very tidy. Maybe a bit too tidy - I was expecting a bit more Adventure! I think the gardens and trees need time to grow. Maybe some of the 18 holes need more features than just rocks and fake bunkers. There are a couple of water hazards but when I was a kid, mini golf courses at holiday resorts in England had tunnels and windmills and .. or maybe I just remember it being more adventurous when I was a kid! Our kids enjoyed this one, even if they did not keep score. It helped that we were one of only 3 families during the hour that we spent there. The location is a bit quiet, I hope they can survive, might need more promotion. The mini golf in Kata is in a prime location. This one in Bang Tao is harder to find. They do have a website, but I can't say I've yet seen this place advertised much.



The menu looks good in the restaurant. The staff were all friendly. We had a few Cokes, it was a hot day. I guess since it was not crowded, nobody was rushing us.. me and the kids could play the same hole several times, mess about, enjoy Christmas on the golf course :) Glad to have tried this place and we will be back .. would be ideal to go with friends, let the kids go play golf.. maybe "competitive Dad" would join them and go for a course record after a few beers and a pizza. My son is still perfecting his putting style ...



Adventure Mini Golf, Bang Tao Beach, Phuket - Map


View Adventure Mini Golf, Bang Tao Beach, Phuket in a larger map

The Phuket Blog - Best of 2011 (Part 2)

Continuing swiftly on from the Best of the Phuket Blog Part 1 (January - June) .. here's the best bits from the second half of 2011. I enjoyed 2011 - we had some very nice days out, our kids are growing up and learning about life every day. We had holidays with my Mum and Dad here in September / October. And I've had no trouble finding new places to blog about, although I have also "reblogged" a few things that were originally on the Phuket blog back in 2006 or 2007, mainly to keep everything current, also to add new photos, as some of the older blog posts don't have great images. I am still using a Canon EOS 20D, which is quite old, and will most likely be upgraded this year. Bring on 2012!

July 2011... A very good blogging month. Starting with a favourite little restaurant in Phuket called Kopitiam located on Thalang Road in the old town. They do good old style coffee (Kopi) and Chinese-Thai food like Hokkien noodles and the restaurant is full of old photos of Phuket. The Chinese connection continued - I blogged about the big Chinese shrine at Thau Reua, close to the Heroines Monument - most tourists will drive past this shrine on the way from the airport to the main beach areas. It was being built when I first arrived in Phuket in 1999. It was only completed in 2010 .. and this was the first time I had looked inside!



We found a new restaurant in July called Yellow Door, on the north side of Phuket Town and we've been several times since. And then on the weekend of 15th - 17th July was the 3rd annual Kathu Village Festival - a street fair with a great street procession on the first evening. We live in Kathu and I really like the area. Some superb costumes in the procession ...



I have friends in Phuket who are involved in all kinds of businesses. I wrote in July about a couple of friend's places... If you want to book a tour, hire a car, charter a boat, visit Phi Phi, just about anything - contact Diego or Ingo at Easy Day Thailand! And if you want Yoga classes, go and see Becky and The Little Yoga Room!

August - it's low season and one thing I love is that the evenings are longer - sunset is 30 minutes later than January, it just makes the day more relaxed for me. I had the chance to visit places after work, catch the sunset, take in some views. The viewpoint by the wind turbine in between Naiharn and Ya Nui beaches is great, and when I visited in August someone was paragliding too! The weather in low season is mixed but can often be like this ...



Also in August, another first - I had heard about the Por Tor festival (Hungry Ghost Festival) but never had a look before... another WoW! Very much enjoyed this - something very different for me, for the whole family in fact. It's a very local festival based around a small Chinese shrine in Phuket Town. Huge red turtle cakes are made as offerings.



The blog, being over 5 years old, is a little ragged in places.. can be hard to find some posts, so I wrote a couple of things to tie up some blog pages in neat packages - Phuket Museums and Phuket Waterfalls. In September, I realised that despite working for many years at Karon Beach, I had never stopped at the Karon Temple Market which takes place every Tuesday and Saturday evening. I have to make more of an effort! Hey, the Chalong Temple fair is coming up soon 23 - 29 January 2012 - I will be stopping there to get some new photos for sure. From local markets to new resorts, I actually got invited to the opening party of the Holiday Inn Mai Khao Beach, they obviously think I am a full time blogger with lots of spare time! Could not make the party, but did blog about the resort.

On another sunny evening, I visited the Nai Harn Temple for the first time. It's a stones throw from the beach. As the evening sun bathed the temple in light, Monks chanted inside. A spiritual experience? Well, a photo op for sure!



The 2011 Phuket Vegetarian Festival started on September 26th - my favourite Phuket event! The history and the traditions and the bizarre piercings and all the firecrackers - love it! The next 6 blog posts in September and October were all about the festival and it's many ceremonies. We attended the opening ceremony at Kathu Shrine - raising the Go Teng pole for the Gods to descend. We went back at midnight too. First time I'd done that.



The festival lasts 10 days. Best 10 days of the year! A few days after the start we investigated the "Birth and Death Gods" procession in Kathu village, and during the festival we also saw early-morning face piercing at Sam Kong Shrine, a big street parade in Phuket Town from the Bang Neow Shrine, we were at our "local" Kathu shrine early morning for more face piercing. And we were back at Kathu on the last night of the festival for the bridge crossing ceremony which seemed to attract the whole local population! A few photos from the vegetarian festival ...







Early October was a busy time for photos! Mum and Dad here for holidays and I took some time off work, we were out most days, though the weather was not very kind - most of the blog posts from October right into December were based on things we did during the holidays - we investigated quite a lot of new restaurants such as Thanoon Seafood, next to the Sarasin Bridge between Phuket and Phang Nga. And also the restaurant at Cape Phromthep, which somehow we had never tried before in all these years .. what a view!



We also ate at Kin Dee Restaurant in the north of Phuket and I blogged about the floating restaurants at Coconut Island. We had been busy bees on holiday and I was glad to have a backlog of new things to blog - once I was back at work, things were busy! We visited the old Chinese mansion in Phuket Town called Chinpracha House, open to the public for taste of early 20th century Phuket life. Nice to be on holiday! Another day we headed to the south of Phuket and visited Rawai Beach and Ya Nui Beach.





(above) Fishermen making a fish trap at Rawai beach - and my Mum at Ya Nui beach :)

December 2011 - new pages on the blog included the very good Thai Hua Phuket History Museum and the new bridge from Phuket to Phang Nga that you can walk across - quite a popular new exercise area for local people. And the year comes to an end ... already a couple of new places ready to blog :) I have less time at this time of year, high season and the dive shop is busy. A day off is more likely to be relaxing at home, not driving and exploring Phuket! Thanks for reading the Phuket Blog ... much more to come! Please do join the Facebook Page, please do keep reading! The photo below was taken yesterday. Not blogged yet!



And as we enter 2012, here's a photo I took on New Years Eve. We (meaning my family) avoided the crowds and had a NYE dinner at a small restaurant by the beach in a less touristy area. The whole idea of the Phuket Blog was to show Phuket in a different light, hope that is still obvious, hope it will continue through 2012.



Happy New Year from Phuket!