Shark Club closed permanently 30.01.2002. A day that will be remembered as a black day in Patong's history. There is no one that can replace Shark Club as the best place to party and meet girls. Shark Club will never be forgotten. Address: Opposite Rock Hard <<The closure of Shark Club>>

Soi Bangla is the heart and soul of Patong where most of the action is taking place. There are more than one hundred bars around Bangla with five different category of bars: Beer bars (girlie bars), Go-Go bars, Nightclubs, Karaoke bars and Western bars.

A majority of the bars are beer bars and this is where the action start first. When most people go to the beach others prefer to start the new day in a beer bar. But it's not before after 9 PM tourists slowly start to fill up the bars. Thats after tourists finished dinner and when their wife's have used up the money on shopping for the evening (husbands be warned that shops don't close before midnight).

Some beer bars open early but most bars don't open before nine o'clock in the evening. Closing time is flexible at the moment. Some bars close 2 AM, others close later.

If you want a few cheap drinks early in the evening, look out for happy hour when bars sell drinks for half price. Check for signs outside the bars since it changes all the time. Happy hour vary a lot from bar to bar, time of the day and from week to week.

Beer bars are small open air bars with up to 8 girls working and they will do everything they can to lure customers to their bar. Try to walk past a bar without your girlfriend, then up to five girls will surround you trying to drag you into theirs bar while grabbing your arm or something more private. It's lots of fun but if you don't want to drink at that bar you will have to fight your way out.

After ordering a drink one of the girls will try to start a conversation. They usually begin with asking: What is your name? Where do you come from? Do you like Thailand? How long will you stay? Have you Thai girlfriend? If you answered no on the last question expect to get lot of attention, you will not be bored. And later she will be more than happy to accompany you to a disco and show you around in Phuket for so long you want. If you decide to take her with you, a bar fine has to be paid.

In some bars a girl or two will dance around a pole, feel free to jump in with the girls. But only fun in a bar where they play their own music. Don't be shy to ask for your favorite tune.

Playing bar games with the girls are always popular among tourists. Like paying 100 Baht for every pice of cloths they take off.

More normal games are four in a row, wood games, dice game, hit nails with a hammer and backgammon.

Girls playing hit nail with a hammer.

As Thai girls love to gamble many will play about drinks. If you are good at it you can win free drinks. But since the girls are used to play every day there is a very big chance you will lose more than you win.
It's a good idea to practice before going to Thailand.

The purpose of the game hit nail with a hammer is using the sharp end of the hammer to drive the nail deep into a wood block with the fewest tries. Some of the girls only need one hit with the hammer to drive it deep down into the wood, but usually they will need several tries before hitting the nail.

Because you are on holiday don't mean you have to sacrifice soccer on TV since every bar have satellite TV showing Premier League, Champion League, Formula One and so on. Outside many bars will you find a sign with today's matches. Choose a quiet bar so you can hear the TV's sound or go to a sport bar with air-condition.
All over Patong are small quiet bars that is perfect for watching soccer since you will not be disturbed by loud music or distracted by the girls.

Almost every beer bar look more or less the same. So it's difficult to say that one is better than the others. And the girls you had fun with last year will often have moved on to another bar or if they are "lucky", a new life in a farang country.
Instead walk around, take a look, sit down for a beer, walk more and soon or later you will find a bar that will suit you.

The least popular bar soi in Bangla Road, except for 2.floor where there are a new very popular disco named Hollywood.
Unlike most of Bangla, soi easy is not an open air soi.

Address: Soi Bangla Soi Gonzo
Soi Gonzo is seldom crowded.
My favorite bar soi because of a "crazy" girl working in one of the bars for many years and I get strong drinks in that bar too!

Address: Soi Bangla Soi Crocodile
is the only soi that is packed with people every night.
Katoeys rule the first part of the soi where early in the evening sexy "girls" put on a display in colorful costumes for tourists who can't get enough of them.
Pay 100-200 Baht for a picture together with a ladyboy showing off his newly created silicon breast. Something to show to your friends back home that won't believe she is a man.

Address: Soi Bangla Soi Eric
is a popular but little bit boring bar soi. Only Soi Crocodile have more people.

Address: Soi Bangla Soi Seadragon
is the place to go if you like visiting go-go bars.

There are more go-go bars here than anywhere else in Patong.

Soi Seadragon is where you go for intimate contact with the girls in an air conditioned bar while enjoying the girls dancing on the stage.

Have beer bars in the middle of the soi with go-go bars on both sides.

Address: Soi Bangla Soi Lion
With ten bars Soi Lion is a small and very compact bar soi. Have girls in short skirts table dancing.
Bangla Bungalow is located at the back of the soi.

Address: Soi Bangla Tiger Entertainment Bars
is one of the best bar soi's in Bangla Road. Located at Tiger Entertainment Complex you have a choice between going upstairs for dancing at the packed Tiger Discotheque or sit down for a drink in one of the maaany bars located under the disco.

My favorite bar is what most be the wildest beer bar in Patong with girls table dancing in very short skirts. You find it at the entrance of Tiger Discotheque on the left side. The bar name is Sharky's Bar and is impossible to miss. For pictures from Sharky's Bar click here.

Baronbonk has a  good description  of Tiger Bars.

Address: Soi Bangla

Go-Go bars, in theory, have the hottest, prettiest and most sexy bar girls. But that is only in theory, in practice the smaller and less popular go-gos have girls in all shapes and looks. Standard in every go-go bar is a stage with steel poles which the girls use to dance around. Some girls will only hold on to it without moving while they have a bored expression on their face. Others will dance with their sexy butts moving up and down only a few centimeters from your face.

A Go-Go bar have from 2 to 10 girls dancing at one time. When it's not theirs turn to dance, one of the girls may approach and sit down next to you, starting a conversation and maybe ask you to buy her a lady drink. After a while it's her turn to dance again and who knows, maybe she will be back!

At the moment it's not allowed for the girls to reveal too much skin under "The New Social Order" by Interior Minister Purachai and continued by his successors. So the best place to see semi naked women is on Patong Beach where tourists and a few Thai girls are showing much more than what is allowed inside a bar where only people over 20 year has admission!

Some of the bars has or had shows, but in these hard times they risk being closed down by the police. But you can still be lucky to see a nude show in some bars in Soi Seadragon. A few bars in Soi Seadragon have boring puzzy shows performed by often less attractive girls.

Banana, Tiger and Tai Pan can be crowded but to the rescue comes go-go bars where you can relax and enjoy the girls without the need to fight your way out of a room packed with tourists.

Drink prices in A Go-Go bar vary a lot, with the bars in Soi Seadragon as the cheapest. In some bars you can take the girl to a room upstairs.

There are not many go-go bars in Patong that is worth a visit, instead you should check out the go-go bars in Pattaya. Stickman say, "Pattaya is a far superior option to Bangkok", and therefore also Phuket.

Even if there are no reason to come to Patong entirely for the go-gos, they can be lots of fun for a lonely farang.

At midnight it's time to move your body after sitting on a chair several hours. If you are not in party mood it's only two-three hours left before closing time, so get in mode before it's too late!
The most popular nightclubs are Banana Discotheque, Tiger Discotheque, Tai Pan and Safari Disco & Pub. And some of this places are popular among freelancers.


Tai Pan
is one of the hottest places to party in Patong.
Here Thai girls party heavy while farang men try to impress them with their fancy moves on the dance floor. But when the light is turned on everyone should have found their company for the night. After all this is Tai Pan!!!
Except for the girls that was not so lucky, but waiting in line to hopefully grab a man at the excite.

Tai Pan is rocking every night with party music pounding out of the speakers. And maybe you will be so lucky to win a few thousand bahts in the lucky draw, after spending one-two thousand baht on drinks. But the girls are happy when they win and that's all what counts.

Tai Pan has established them self as one of the best nightclubs in Patong. Starting as a small bar some years ago, but expanding every year to be one of the most successfully clubs here in Patong.

Address: Rat-U-Thit / Soi Bangla



Tiger Discotheque
is wall-to-wall packed with people every night.
So Tiger is not the place to go if you suffer from claustrophobia.
And with so many drunk people packed together a fight can strike suddenly. Myself will stay away Tiger for a while after the crazy fight earlier this year.

Tiger is divided into two areas on 1.floor.
Largest area is where everyone dance. The smaller area at the entrance is where you can relax with your girl for a drink or two. Or head for the quiet second floor overlooking the packed dance floor.

You will not be disappointed with a visit to Tiger as this is the new "Shark Club". There are no lack of girls at Tiger, with lot of freelance girls eager to meet a handsome farang with a fat wallet.

Hot spot number one is without doubt Tiger Entertainment. Great atmosphere and a good place to meet freelancers.

Entrance fee at 100 Baht includes one drink so long you only go for the cheaper beers or shots. Else you have to pay extra!

Address: Soi Bangla



Hollywood Discotheque
is a new disco on the 2.floor of Soi Easy.
Very popular among Thai girls since they get a free drink. When I asked the girls where they where last night, everyone had been to Hollywood. Was packed with people every time I checked it out.

Address: Bangla Road, Soi Easy



Safari Disco & Pub
is a entertainment center with 5 bars and very different decor from the rest of the bars in Patong. It was designed to look like something primitive from prehistoric times.

Update 10.March, 2005: I haven't been to Safari in a long time. But the rumor say that when Patong close everyone go to Safari.

Address: at top of the hill south of Patong heading towards Karon



Banana Discotheque
is a good place to start if you are young and like dancing. Always popular among tourists.
First go upstairs to second floor where you can relax with a few drinks while overlooking the dance floor. Later when you are in mode hit the dance floor with all you got. If you need space to show off your great moves it's best to come early since it can be very crowded.

Be aware of that Banana close earlier than many other nightspots in Patong, so remember to save money for the rest of the night.

Karaoke bars are advertised as places where customers can sing to their heart's content. Thais are crazy about karaoke. Party time for Thais are singing all night.



Patong has a vibrant gay scene at Paradise Complex. Read all about it at www.gaypatong.com


Page updated 28 July 2007 and partly updated 18/20 March 2009