Patong has a vibrant night life scene and 100s if not 1000s of bars and entertainment establishments.
General information
Below are some good advice (feel free to ask more from Jacob):
- Official closing time is 1 am. But many stay open until 3am
- Most bars open late afternoon.
- OTOP near Hard Rock Cafe is good for a quick drink outdoors late afternoon.
OTOP have 50 small outdoor bars with lots of girls to entertain you. - Hooters next door to Hard Rock is famous (and a bit more expensive) for a drink/bite
- Most discoteques open around 8 pm
- Be wary is a place ask you for a cover fee (including the discos/clubs)
- ALWAYS ask to see the price list before you order anything. There are examples of a single beer being sold for 2000 baht (USD 60). The normal price is 100.
- Never follow a tout into a place. You will be paying significantly more for your drinks as they will get a commission.
- Always settle your bill after every order (pay as you go). Doing this prevents the entertainment from spiking your bill.
This means you will not be surprised by the (high) amount when you leave - Most outdoor bars/places are ok to visit. But remember to check prices first.
- Avoid places behind closed doors, that are not mentioned below – they are typically ripoffs for tourists.
- If you are looking to make new short time friends (pay for play), then check this page.
Getting home safe
Police almost always have roadblocks and checks during the night so despite driving under influence is dangerous (and stupid), the risk of being stopped is very high. If you have too much alcohol in your blood (more than 0,5 promille) you will be arrested and placed in the local holding cell until next weekday, where you will go to court and get sentenced. This can also result in your visa (or visa excempt) being revoked and that you will be banned from Thailand and evicted immidiately.
We therefore strongly suggest to NOT drive yourself, but take one of the numerous taxis or walk.
If you have been driving, and have been drinking, we strongly suggest that you leave your vehicle where you parked it and either walk home or take a taxi/tuk tuk. It is cheap and safe. Your key card have a QR code the taxi driver can scan to get the exact address of Sawan Sa villa on Google Maps.
Taxis (tuk tuks) wait at each end of Bangla Road and can take you to SawanSa for 2-300 baht (5-10 minutes drive). They will most likely try to get a better price. You can ask other drivers until you get a price you want to pay.
Entertainment areas in Patong
Patong has a handful of entertainment areas, with Bangla Road the “capital”. Below are a short description of each – and they are also shown on the map in the guidebook
- Rat-U-Tit road. THe 2nd road from the beach. The road you can see go south from Sawan Sa is the main road in Patong and leads to the center with Jungceylon and Central shopping malls and Bangla Road. There are hundreds of restaurants, bars and massage shops on this 5 km long road. The road is one-way and the road you use to go to the beach if you are driving as the beach road is one-way in opposite direction
- Bangla Road in the centre of Patong is a 400m long road with a few side roads. The road is dotted with entertainment venues and there are a handful of discos, 50+ beer bars and 10+ agogo bars.
- Soi Seadragon, a side road in middle of Bangla Road is the agogo street and have 8-10 agogos. Harem, Nidas, Suzy Wong and Devils are good (but beware, the girls are thirsty. It is ok to say no!).
- Discos/clubs in Bangla Road (from top of Bangla towards the beach): Sugar Club, Tiger Disco, Illuzion and Hollywood. Normally free entry. Some have drink packages
- Sansabai. The road exactly opposite Bangla Road. This street have many bars, restaurants and massage parlours and Chang pool club. The street leads to Patong Boxing Stadium and Baan Zaan market (and onwards to Nanai road, see below)
- The Beach road. Like Rat-U-Tit road this road is also packed with restaurants, bars, massage parlours and souvenir shopping. The road is one-way from south to north (opposite Rat-U-Tit) and is normally very congested from 4pm – 10 pm.
- OTOP Sai nam yen. A Small outdoor entertainment area with 10+ bars located at the cross-section of Rat-U-tit road (2nd road) and Sai Nam Yen road. Close to Paradise hotel
- Paradise entertainment area. The gay area of Patong. Located immidiately outside Paradise Hotel (one of the few skyscrabers in Patong)
- OTOP. A large outdoor entertainment area with 40+ beer bars and many street food shops and souvenir shops. Located across the road from Hooters and Hard Rock Cafe.
- Nanai Road. The 4th road from the beach, the road closest to the mountain has many many bars, restaurants and massage shops
Entertainment types
In general there are the following kinds of nightlife establishments:
- Restaurants: Dining and drinks, most close around midnight. Near Bangla road they will be open until 4am.
- Beer bars: Typically outdoor establishments where there are girls (called bargirls) to entertain you and lure you to spend time and money in the bar.
- Music bars: Similar to beer bars, but typically with a local band playing live music
- Agogo clubs: Always indoor clubs, where there are many bikini-clad or topless dancers and sofa seating
- Discos / nightclubs: Always indoor and with very loud music and more often than not crowded with local girls and tourists looking for a good time.
- Massage parlors who besides doing traditional massage also offers extra services
- Soapy massage parlours, that offer soapy body-to-body massage
Most girls you find in these establishments are interested in becoming short time friends (adult content)
Drink Prices
The prices are more or less the same in all kinds of establishments (however hotels and high-end restaurants are significantly more expensive). Typical prices are (if they ask you much more, leave the place).
- Local beer: 100-200 baht (beer bar / agogo / disco)
- Drink for lady: 200-300 baht (beer bar / agogo)
- Drink for you: 200-300 baht (in discos can be more expensive)
- VIP room / area normally requires that you buy bottle service. Starting price is 3-4000 baht/bottle.