Travelling & Living: Patong Beach VS Kamala Beach (Why Patong Beach Is Overrated)

Jungceylon Shopping Mall
Image from Locky's English Playground

Before I go into explaining the title of this post, I must first state that Patong beach is one of the, if not the most, famous beaches of Phuket. It doesn't just become famous for nothing. But I am more of a traditional person, so what I am about to explain is why Patong beach isn't my cup of tea.


Attractions
Shopping malls

If you like shopping malls, Bangkok has tonnes. Well, Hong Kong has tonnes too. Since I live in Hong Kong and have already exhausted the malls in Bangkok, another Jungceylon, a mid-quality shopping mall, isn't going to give me too much of a surprise.


Night life

Streets of Bangkok in The Hangover part 2
Image from WSJ

Patong beach looks very much like the streets seen in The Hangover Part 2, definitely a place for pubbers and clubbers. You get Thai girls, Thai lady boys, Thai monkey-keepers who are trying to earn your money from your curiosity. Wanna take photos, you better have cash, because they will ask you for it once you press that shutter button.

Mike Tyson tattoo as seen in The Hangover Part 2
Image from intobolivian

If you wanna get a Mike Tyson tattoo on your face, shops are everywhere! Some people even hold large body-sized signs with tattoo samples at the beach to promote! Why? Because there are indeed a whole beach of men and women with tattoos on the beach, so much that I don't even dare to take their pictures.

The only photo I dare to take walking down a street down Patong beach
Image from Locky's English Playground

Beach
Beach was sandy, very fine and smooth, the water was very clear, but the fact that nobody seems to be playing with the water and almost everybody lying on the beach made me feel that leaving my property on the beach would be an incredibly stupid idea. As a result, I did not have the chance for a swim.

Couples looking at the sea, or something else
Image from Locky's English Playground

There is a so-called rule which says that if you rent a beach umbrella and sunbathing seats, then the lessor will look after your belongings for you. But with so many tattoos sunbathers right beside you, would you dare to leave anything behind?

Exciting parasailing. The man behind does the handing for you
Image from Locky's English Playground

Supposedly, you can also have fun with water sports like parasailing,

I'm not taking photos of you, just the jet ski
Image from Locky's English Playground

or jet-skiing, but for exciting games like these, you will need to bring a lot of cash to the beach, which is very unsafe. If you are on honeymoon, then either one of you will have to sit on the beach and guard your belongings. Anyway, who wants to play risky sports while on honeymoon?

Friends chatting on the beach
Image from Locky's English Playground

In many ways, it would be much better if you go with a bunch of friends, then you will have someone to keep a watchful eye here and there. .

A rare decent-looking family at the super-crowded Patong beach
Image from Locky's English Playground

It is interesting to see that the visitors seem to know Patong beach isn't a beach for families, so decent families with children are rare to spot. If you are hoping to see many young children running on beach sand, you will be extremely disappointed with Patong.

Hot lady in pink bikini
Image from Locky's English Playground

Hot ladies in bikinis though, that's for sure, but which beach doesn't have?

Male buddies walking along the beach
Image from Locky's English Playground

What's more, the beach is so packed that basically if you hide yourself under the beach umbrella, you are guaranteed the lack of seaview. The beach was rather dirty with countless number of cigarette butts on the sand. Yuck!


Transport fare

Inside a buggy taxi
Image from Locky's English Playground

It's fine if you stay in a hotel or resort in Patong, but if you want to go elsewhere like Kamala or Karon beach, the buggy / "taxi" drivers will completely rip you off, price ranges anywhere from THB500 to THB 600 is the norm. 

Bye bye Patong, I won't come back ever again
Image from Locky's English Playground

I was considered lucky to have found THB 400 back to the resort, but only having gone through the annoyance of being pushed from one taxi driver to another and to yet another, bargaining and bargaining. 

You remember that I mentioned in the Travelling & Living: Ayara Kamala Resort & Spa post that a taxi ride from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport to Centralworld costs around THB 400 only for an hour ride, here in Phuket, even a 20 minutes ride at THB 400 seem unattractive, and it is not even an actual sedan we are talking about here.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Here maybe a reason why, the story goes as my wife and I got on one THB 400 buggy taxi on our way back to the Ayara Kamala Resort, another taxi driver, who was previously asking  us for THB 600 and rejected our THB 400 offer in front of our driver's face, caught up with us with 5 male Caucasian passengers in his vehicle. He spoke mostly in Thai to our driver but I picked up the words "THB 500... Karon Beach! Hahaah!" before he cheekily drove off.

He got lucky, I thought, because the way to Karon Beach is shorter and he got more fare, but in actual fact, that means, THB 400 is an insult to their business and they can always get more than that.

View Larger Map

Overall, Patong beach has its charm, but it doesn't fit my personality. My advice is, if you want the beach of Patong, stay in a hotel in Patong. If you want exciting night life, tattoos, bars, pubs and clubs, Patong is the place for you.

**********************************************

Panorama of Kamala beach from my sunbathing spot
Image from Locky's English Playground

If you want to have a decent, worry-free and enjoyable family beach, you must go to Kamala Beach.

Beach

View Larger Map

Located in the East of Ayara Kamala Resort & Spa, North of Patong Beach, Kamala Beach has the sand just as fine as that of Patong Beach, but it is much more spacious.

Spacious Kamala beach with 50-50 sunbather-to-swimmer ratio
Image from Locky's English Playground

As you can see from the photo above, everyone gets to have their little area of privacy, unlike the Patong Beach.

Drinking juice, sunbathing, reading
Image from Locky's English Playground

People mainly drink juices, sunbathe, read, chat with each other...

A woman being buried by a kid with sand
Image from Locky's English Playground

...play sand,

A little girl's legs behing buried by her father with sand
Image from Locky's English Playground

...play with their kids,...

Dedicated dad making sand dolphin with his children
Image from Locky's English Playground

Little boy surprised by my Galaxy S2?
Image from Locky's English Playground

... watch their kids play freely,...

Hot sexy girl in T-back string bikini, just walking back after a swim
Image from Locky's English Playground

and swim. Hey! People on this beach actually swim!

A lady getting her bikini top fixed
Image from Locky's English Playground

There is almost no one with scary-looking tattoos on this beach any more, just lovely, decent people, tonnes of families with children and smiley faces. Because of the spaciousness and the decency of the people there, I felt like I was more willing to believe in the security level is much higher on this beach. Thus, both my wife and I spent a long time in the water, playing with the crashing water waves.

Light of God through the clouds
Image from Locky's English Playground

What's really import for me, is the freedom of photography. At Patong Beach, I could hardly take any photos, at Kamala Beach, I can take any photos and as many as I wish, otherwise, you won't get to see so many lovely photos.


Attractions
After you have had a great time at the beautiful Kamala Beach, you can enjoy free shower at any of the beachside resorts, at the same time, you can get yourself a piece of grass and have a good rest.

A resort beside the beach
Image from Locky's English Playground

There are also various THB 300 / hour massages and pedicure by the resorts, look around and you'll easily find some of these fabulous bargains!

Tsunami Monument Plaza
Image from Locky's English Playground

At Kamala Beach, the first thing you will see is the Tsunami Monument Plaza. It is not like there is much to see, but just standing there by the canal one can imagine the power of the tidal wave in 2004.

Stone monument with history of the Phuket tsunami in 2004
Image from Locky's English Playground

Image from Locky's English Playground

If you have time, you can follow this tsunami evacuation route for tourist for a walk. At the end of the day, anyone by the beach should be prepared for the worst.

Once a tsunami site, now a beautiful resort once more
Image from Locky's English Playground

Sweet Dream Restaurant
Image from Locky's English Playground

And finally, unlike Patong Beach, most of the restaurants on Kamala Beach are very very cheap, usually around THB 180 for a seafood dish such as curry crab, you'll definitely spend little for a very filling meal. I went to this Sweet Dream Restaurant, and it was marvellous! Why don't you give Kamala Beach a go too?


Vocabulary:
pubber -- (n)[C] people who go to pubs
clubber -- (n)[C] people who go to clubs
lessor -- (n) [C] a person or organization that allows another person or organization to use something they own in return for regular payments
parasailing -- (n) [U]a sport in which you wear a parachute and are pulled behind a motor boat in order to sail through the air
jet-skiing -- (n)[U] a small vehicle for one or two people to ride on water which is moved forward by a fast stream of water being pushed out behind it
rip sb off -- 

phrasal verb 

[M] informal 

to cheat someone by making them pay too much money for something
the norm -- a situation or type of behaviour that is expected and considered to be typical
sedan -- (n)[C] US for saloon (CAR) UK (US sedan) a car with seats for four or five people, two or four doors, and a separate section at the back for bags, boxes and cases
cheekily -- (adv) slightly rude or showing no respect, but often in a funny way
spacious -- (adj) approving large and with a lot of space
crashing -- (n)[U]  loud noises made when things break or fall
pedicure -- (n)[C or U] (a) beauty treatment for the feet which involves cutting and sometimes painting the nails, and softening or massaging (= rubbing) the skin


Resources:

Travelling & Living: Ayara Kamala Resort & Spa @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/02/travelling-living-ayara-kamala-resort.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/lessor?q=lessor
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/parasailing?q=parasailing+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/jet-ski?q=jet-skiing
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rip-sb-off#rip-sb-off__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/norm?q=norm
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/saloon_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cheeky?q=cheekily+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spacious?q=spacious+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/crashing?q=crashing+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pedicure?q=pedicure+

News & Technology: Latest News on Mobile Technology & Science

Thinking about getting an iPad mini now? Probably too late, not because there have been rumours about the iPad mini 2, but because the non-rumour Galaxy Note 8.0 is out!

Comparing specification is rather unfair, but it is worth noting that the Note 8.0 does have a better pixel density (800 x 1280, 8", ~189 ppi) than the iPad mini (768 x 1024, 7.9", ~162 ppi) and a microSD card slot allowing up to 64GB of external memory, as of almost all Android devices offer. It also comes with Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 instead of iPad mini's Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9, and needless to mention, it comes with an improved version of the S Pen just like the Galaxy Note 2!

GSMArena says that the Note 8.0 is expected to begin selling in the 2nd quarter, does that mean April?

Of could it be 14th March?

Image from Samsung

Samsung is known to offer surprises to the world since the Galaxy Nexus days. Last time when the Galaxy S3 came out, it rocked the mobile world entirely with highly innovative software package. The ripple lockscreen was once something I was dying to have, this time, "READY 4 THE SHOW" has the number "4", so it is definitely going to be the Galaxy S4. Could it be of flexible display as I have mentioned in Technology: The Next Big Thing Has Come.. Again!!!! ? The "READY 4 THE SHOW" words are embossed with neon blue lights glowing on the right side, together with the black background, does it look like the Samsung prototype Youm phone below?

Youm Flexible Display by Samsung
Image from The Verge

On one hand, I hope it does come with flexible screen, on another hand, I hope Samsung will give me even more surprises!! I'm quite sure they are capable of doing so. We'll see it on 14th March.

Flexible display on the phone is great, but there is still a problem of non-flexible battery which limits the creativity in smartphone designs. However, the first commercial stretchy battery may arrive sooner than we thought.

The team tested their battery by stretching
it 300% while it powered an LED lamp
Image and caption from BBC News

BBC News reports that Nature Communications has successfully produced a stretchy battery that could be recharged wirelessly for up to 20 recharge cycles. This doesn't seem anywhere near practical use but it is an amazing start. The following video talks about another fascinating rechargeable battery concept too!

The future generation of smartphones might just be another 5 years away, if not just 1...

Goku and Vegeta (wearing a device called Scouter)
Image from The Dao of Dragon

Why one year? First, I'd like to ask a question, has anyone seen this coming, that the device named Scouter used by Vegeta from Dragonball Z will one day become an actual product?

Scouter searches the database and sends information back to the user
Image from The Dao of Dragon

Oh no, this is not a joke! It is already here!

This pair of Glass looks even more comfortable than Vegeta's but not as fast and clever just yet, but with the staff from Google saying that the Google Glass could be available by the end of 2013, I dare say that this year is going to be an exciting year for mobile technology, really looking forward to it!



Vocabulary:
emboss -- (vb) [T] to decorate an object, especially with letters, using special tools which make a raised mark on its surface
stretchy -- (adj) Stretchy material stretches or can be stretched


Resources:

Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RUrvid8auCk

GSMArena
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5252&idPhone2=5061

Samsung Galaxy S IV coming March 14 @ CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/25/tech/mobile/samsung-galaxy-s4/index.html

Technology: The Next Big Thing Has Come.. Again!!!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/01/technology-next-big-thing-has-come-again.html

Stretchy battery drawn to three times its size @ BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21585817

Charge Your Cell Phone In 5 Seconds @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/ZwiTIzkF4cw

Will Google Glass Lead to DBZ? @ The Dao of Dragon
http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/science/will-google-glass-lead-to-dbz/

I Used Google Glass @ YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Tsrg_EQMw

Tonight's Full Moon Is a Snow Moon: How to See It Online @ Space
http://www.space.com/19942-full-moon-snow-moon-webcast.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/emboss?q=emboss
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stretchy?q=stretchy+

Travelling & Living: Ayara Kamala Resort & Spa

View from the lobby
Image from Locky's English Playground

The entrance of Ayara Kamala Resort & Spa was by the right side of the uphill Road.

Entrance of the resort to lobby
Image from Locky's English Playground

Judging by the exterior it was hard to imagine what a magnificent scenery this resort embraces. 

Panorama of the view from the lobby
Image from Locky's English Playground

Front facing the vast blue Andaman Sea and engulfed by dense vegetation on the hill side, the resort lies in the heart of mother nature, blessed with tranquillity and utmost beauty of the west coast of Phuket. Simply irresistible to anyone with a camera. 

View Larger Map

View of the hillside villas from the lobby
Image from Locky's English Playground

Having spent 4 days in Bangkok, this is a heaven, an ideal place for a relaxing honeymoon stay.

Panoramic view of the hillside villas from the lobby
Image from Locky's English Playground

It was nothing short of a shock to see the resort in person. Makes me wonder how different it was when I saw those promotional photos on the resort's website.

The welcome flower and drink
Image from Locky's English Playground

Checking-in didn't take long and soon my wife and I were driven to the doorsteps of our room -- Grand Pool Villa Ocean View.

The room
Image from Locky's English Playground

The room itself was amazing, but my attention was already snatched by the combined elegance of the evening sky, the sea and the infinity pool.

Image from Locky's English Playground

In the morning, the view was just as miraculous! And I certainly, could not do without a morning swim.

Image from Locky's English Playground

There is only one restaurant in the resort, offering from Thai to Western food such as pizzas, pastas, burgers and steak, all at reasonable prices. The fact that everything is cheaper than a usual restaurant in Hong Kong is encouraging enough. Of course, breakfast is also served here.

Breakfast at the restaurant, next to the public pool
Image from Locky's English Playground

The public pool is right beside the restaurant, which means that if you do want to swim in the public pool, you will be putting on a show, but hey, if you want to stay in this resort, why not just get a private pool for yourself?

Swimmers enjoying the water of a suspected Deluxe Access Pool Ocean View room
Image from Locky's English Playground

If you happen to be travelling as a huge family, or with several families and you wouldn't mind sharing a large pool, you can book several Deluxe Access Pool Ocean View rooms, then you can all swim at the same time in the same pool with a bit more privacy compared to the public pool, although you can still be seen from the restaurant level above.

Suspected Family with Pool 2 Bed Room Suite
Image from Locky's English Playground

The resort offers several types of great rooms, most of which come with a private pool, and they are also what I highly recommend, because with every private pool comes the brilliant ocean view.

Suspected Family with Pool 2 Bed Room Suite
Image from Locky's English Playground

Because all the rooms and villas are on the hillside, you can almost guarantee that no one will be blocking your great ocean view.

My room as seen from the restaurant
Image from Locky's English Playground

I was lucky to have stayed in Room 301, and this was a villa in a great location, right in the middle of the bay.

Suspected Deluxe Ocean View
Image from Locky's English Playground

Suspected Grand Deluxe Ocean View with Pool
Image from Locky's English Playground

I suspected that the higher you go, the better the view, but I could be wrong, that's because if you go lower, you might get a closer look at the private beach.

Manual elevator to private beach and back
Image from Locky's English Playground

Some villas have a staircase that goes down half way to the private beach, as the remaining half, you can use the manual control elevator. With two buttons (Up and Down) to operate, you can't get much wrong with the machine.

Image from Locky's English Playground

What's more, the private beach is not just nice for sunbathing, but also snorkelling! I tried once and the snorkelling gear, including life jacket, swim fins, snorkel and mask, is free. I got to see some huge silvery spotted rabbitfish, and it was amazing, but without other snorkellers nearby, I didn't dare to go too far, and the current is actually rather strong, so if you are not wearing swim fins, you probably can't even get pass the rocks. The rocks aren't sharp with shellfish, but I did get a couple of cuts on my arms. Thus, wetsuit is advised.

As for transportation, there are free shuttles from resort to Kamala beach at 10:30am and 3pm, and from Kamala beach to the resort at 12pm and 6pm. If the time doesn't fit you, simply call the lobby and pay THB150 for Kamala beach pick-up at any other time.

Shuttle bus timetable
Image from Locky's English Playground

As for getting to the resort to and from the airport, I consider the THB 1100 limousine was worth a ride. Although it is much more expensive compared to taxi ride from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport to Centralworld, which costs around THB 400, the ride on a limousine was much more comfortable and I needed not worry about the hassle of bargaining transport fare and risk being cheated.

And also, a ride on shabby "taxi" to Patong beach, roughly 1/3 the distance from airport to the resort, costs at least THB 400!!! So why wouldn't anyone book a limo?


Overall, it is a luxurious resort with an extremely romantic view at a reasonable price. Facilities were awesome and the people were nice.

Minor problems include a half-stuck overhead shower head, weak hot water pressure; lack of information on the torch which was hidden in one of the cabinets near the bed, free private beach elevator, free snorkelling facilities and omelette at breakfast were also areas which can be improved.



Vocabulary:
embrace -- (vb) [T] formal to include something, often as one of a number of things 
engulf -- (vb) [T] to surround and cover something or someone completely
vegetation -- (n)[U] plants in general or plants which are found in a particular area
tranquillity -- (n) [U[ (US usually tranquility) a peaceful calm state, without noise, violence, worry, etc.; the quality of beingtranquil
irresistible -- (adj) impossible to refuse, oppose or avoid because too pleasant, attractive or strong 
nothing short of sth -- strongly showing this quality
snatch -- (vb) [T] to do or get something quickly because you only have a short amount of time
hassle -- (n) [C or U] informal (a situation causing) difficulty or trouble
limo -- (n) [C] (informal limo) limousine a large expensive car, often driven by a chauffeur (= a person employed to drive a car for someone else)

Resources:
Ayara Kamala Resort
http://www.ayarakamalaresort.com/

Virtual Tour of Grand Deluxe Villa Ocean View @ Ayara Kamala Resort
http://www.ayarakamalaresort.com/360degree/ayaraptp5/build.html


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/embrace_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/engulf?q=engulf
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/vegetation?q=vegetation
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tranquillity?q=tranquillity+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/irresistible?q=irresistible+
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/nothing+short+of
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/snatch_1?q=snatch
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/hassle_1?q=hassle+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/limousine?q=limo#limousine__3